Vertical Workout: There’s a Learning Curve
Climbing generally appeals to those who have experience on the rocks or in a bouldering gym. For those wanting to take their fitness home, however, substitutions may not replicate the same movements and impact these exercises may have.
Climber machine vertical workouts, like the Jacob’s Ladder and the VersaClimber are not only ridiculously expensive, but they also come with their own learning curve. Frustrations for these machines include:
- Moving the machine
- Setting up the machine
- Finding the right gear
- Getting started
- Trying to keep up with the speed
They Don’t Focus on Form
What is form? In the fitness industry, lifestyle and culture, maintaining a proper form references the way you position and hold your body through the duration of your workout set. Whether you’re using weights, doing some lunges or going hard on your vertical climber workout, the time you spend in the zone, for seconds or minutes, is the most critical time to maintain your form. Though it may seem like it’s for aesthetic purposes only, maintaining your form ensures your joint health and longevity. It also supports proper breathing, focus and muscle engagement, allowing you to get the most out of your workout for as long as possible. Your middle school gym teacher may have taught you a thing or two about maintaining your form, but keeping up on it generally requires consulting a personal trainer. New research is released daily on the best practices for working out, so it’s important to find a professional to teach or reiterate what’s changed and how you can workout in the best ways for your body. Those teaching themselves on their new home workout machines miss a lot of the crucial details that come with proper form maintenance. If preexisting injuries are present, some workouts may cause flare ups immediately. For young individauls without a lot of joint wear, tension will likely appear over time and can be difficult to detect early on.Injuries Can Occur
The thing that repulses those looking for a vertical climber workout the most about working out is the pain. Pain is scary, but when you’re trying to develop a fit lifestyle for yourself, it becomes crucial. With the proper form, your muscles will adjust and tone out, allowing you to workout without soreness. Joint strain, wear and tension, however, is long-lasting and difficult to detect at first. Untreated, it can slowly develop into carpal tunnel, tendonitis, arthritis and even permanent injuries, giving way to limited mobility and a lifetime of pain.
Here’s what to look for:
- Unchecked repetition
- Lifting heavy objects
- Arched backs (watch out, squats and deadlifts!)
- Full joint extensions (not keeping your knees or elbows soft/slightly bent)
- Unnecessary leans (common when doing lunges)
- Slips
- Trips
- Falls
- Missteps
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