Exercise Selection: Risk vs Benefit

These days, many people get their exercise information from magazines, blogs, and YouTube videos. Some of these resources are great and some are the worst kind of schlock. The result of access to this information without the proper filter is ineffective to downright dangerous exercises being done by unsuspecting people trying to better their fitness levels. The filter that could help you figure this out is weighing the risk vs the benefit.

Every exercise carries some risk. It may be only of muscle strain or of dropping the weight on your foot, but there is some risk. Risk can be minimized by either not doing the exercise or by making sure that you have a safe, proper progression to the exercise. The choice of not doing the exercise is where you weigh risk against the benefit.

What is the benefit of the chosen exercise? Is the benefit something that will directly help you reach your goals? Is the benefit something you can accomplish with a safer exercise? (Why take the risk if you don’t need to?)

There may be times that you may need to do risky exercises, such as you are a circus performer and the movement is necessary to be able to do a skill in the performance. But many times you see people do dangerous things that have no real world purpose. They just look cool to do. If you think looking cool is worth the risk, knock yourself out (maybe literally).

For the sake of getting the most out of your workout as safely as possible, always weigh the risk vs the benefit. If you are unsure what those are, seek the advice of a certified personal trainer. Good luck in reaching your goals.