| GET THE BACK IN SHAPE How important are pulling exercises for preventing injuries?
BFS posed this question to Dr. Michael Ripley, a Sports Medicine Specialist whose success stories include 27 sprinters who have won medals in the Olympic Games.
Says Ripley: "Shoulder injuries are increasingly common among young athletes, and I believe two major factors ore overworking the bench press and not performing pulling exercises such as Chin-Ups." Ripley also states: "Most of the athletes I treat for shoulder injuries have glaring weakness in the upper back and rotator cuff muscles, especially when compared to the strength of the pushing muscles used in the bench press. These imbalances make the shoulders more susceptible to injuries." In the area of performance, success in many sports is strongly dependent upon pulling strength. Think of the linebacker grasping the shirt of a quarterback to score a sack, a wrestler pulling his opponent onto his back for the pin, or a basketball player grappling for a rebound.
Without exception, every sport requires pulling power - and an athlete is not going to develop it by performing a few extra sets on the bench press. |