If you don’t properly posture when doing stepper exercises that have the effect of climbing stairs, your knee health can be compromised. Getty Image Bank
Due to the corona epidemic, life in the house has become commonplace. Because of this, the number of’Homet (home training)’ who exercise at home is also increasing. According to a survey by a parcel delivery company, Stepper’s parcel delivery volume from March to April this year increased 162% from the same period last year. If you use equipment, you can exercise more effectively than with bare-handed exercises, so it helps to manage weight and strengthen muscle strength during’Zipcock’ life. However, as you exercise alone without expert help, you have to keep the correct posture and proper strength so that there is no burden on the joints and spine.
◇ Stepper, which produces the effect of climbing stairs, hurts knee health even in incorrect detail
Climbing stairs is an aerobic exercise that consumes higher intensity and calories than walking, but also has a strength exercise effect that trains the lower body muscles. The stepper is an indoor exercise device that gives you the effect of climbing stairs by stepping on a resistant footstool in place.
The exercise method is simple, but, like climbing stairs, if the posture is not correct, it can cause strain on the knee joint, so care should be taken. Before you start exercising in earnest, you should relax your muscles by walking and stretching.
During exercise, it is good to keep your back straight and not bend your knees excessively. Stepping so that only the front of the foot touches the footrest is bad for the knees, so it is good to exercise with the feeling that you are stepping on the footrest with the entire sole.
Lee Jae-wook, director of Bupyeong Hemchan Hospital (orthopedic surgeon) said, “If you exercise at high intensity with the wrong posture, the cartilage that absorbs shock between the knee joints is easily damaged, and the cartilage surface becomes soft and there is a high risk of developing chondromalacia, which gradually splits.” He said, “You should set the exercise time according to your physical strength, adjust the strength and weakness appropriately, and gradually increase the intensity of your exercise.”
◇ Squat machine to hold the squat posture, use carefully
Care of your knee joints from when you are healthy can prevent degenerative arthritis that comes with aging. One of the ways to keep your knees healthy is by training the muscles in the front of your thighs called the quadriceps muscles to distribute the load on your knees.
Squat, which is a motion of bending and stretching the knees so that the thighs and the floor are horizontal with both feet shoulder-width apart, is a representative exercise method that strengthens the lower body muscles around the thigh. Recently, video content and applications that help Homt have become commonplace, and many people squat alone at home, but if you have a correct posture, you can see the effect of exercise without side effects. In particular, it is important to keep your feet wide apart and make sure that your knees do not go forward than your feet when you bend your knees.
It’s easy to get distracted when exercising alone, but with a squat machine, you can stabilize your posture while holding your feet on the floor and supporting your calves on the structure. However, if you rely too much on the structure that supports the back of the calf, you will be able to use only the knee without moving the ankle joint, which can cause strain on the knee. For this reason, if you are a beginner who is not familiar with exercise, it is better to do a bare body squat by holding a door or a chair and getting a balance while learning the correct posture rather than receiving the help of equipment from the beginning.
◇ Gym ball that enhances the effect of core exercise, it is important to balance slowly
Gymball is also one of the exercise equipment that is used a lot at home. As you need to keep your balance on the gym ball or keep the tension so that you do not miss the gym ball, the effect of core exercise that keeps your body centered increases.
For example, you can use a gym ball to perform the plank motion, which is a full-body exercise that increases your core muscles. Put your elbows on the gym ball so that your arms are at a right angle, and keep the balance from head to foot in a state where strength is applied to your stomach and hips.
In addition, the gym ball bridge is an exercise in which you lie down with both feet on the gym ball, press the gym ball with your legs, lift your buttocks, hold the posture for about 10 seconds, and then slowly descend. It is good for strengthening core muscles and is also effective in relieving back pain.
If you lose your balance when doing a gym ball exercise, you run the risk of squinting from a fall. It is good to be careful to move slowly, start with an easy exercise, and increase the difficulty. The thing to keep in mind when choosing a gym ball is its size. The best size is that your knees bend at a right angle when sitting on a gym ball. Usually, it is appropriate to purchase a gym ball with a diameter close to the value of your height minus 110.
Kwon Dae-ik Medical journalist [email protected]
You can also view the news Naver Et edited by the Hankook Ilbo.
