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2002/11/19, 01:24 AM
Oooh! I saw my pet peeve in action at the gym tonight. I went into the aerobics room to stretch and do my barre work, and there was what appeared to be a father 'training' his teenage kids. He had step aerobics things piled to about 5 feet, and he was stretching the kids by throwing their leg up onto the step, and then pushing bam! bam! bam! on their backs! They were bouncing about a foot and a half, and their hips weren't square. I was waiting for someone to scream! The poor kids are nearly in tears, and he decides to stretch their inner thigh and groin, - the butterfly stretch where you hold your ankles, pull your feet up to your body with the soles together, and bring your nose to the floor. Daddy, after sufficently slamming the kids heads into their feet, gets behind them and stands, bouncing, with one foot on each of their knees. To make things even worse, the kids were pulling on their toes! That's one of the first big no-no's kids learn in ballet! At 3!! It can damage the tendons in the feet and ankles, and encourages the feet to roll inward! He could very easily dislocate their hips by jumping on their knees, and the kids were in a lot of pain. When they were stretching on the step, the kids could hardly keep their balance because the step was too high, the bottom knee was bent with the knee farther out than the toe (also really dangerous!) and I don't even want to think about what was going on in their poor hip joints! Not too mention the fact that they weren't holding the stretches, just slamming their torsos towards their toes. Sorry to rant like this, but it just makes me so mad when people teach kids improperly, especially when what they're doing is a direct hazard to the wellness of the child. I just did my thing in the corner, and fought to keep my opinion to myself. Those poor kids are going to end up with injuries that will affect them for the rest of their lives, not to mention the fact that forcing pain on them now could keep them turned away from exercise for the rest of their lives! I'm done now and feeling better. Please don't teach yourself or anyone else unless you absolutely have correct information.
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Think you can or think you can't; either way you're right--Goethe
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2002/11/19, 01:16 PM
I read a post on another board about a guy who's had his kid in training since he was 10 trying to gain muscle for football. The kid is now 13 and the father was asking if he was old enough to start taking androgens. He wanted to try and get the kid to pack on another 30 pounds in the next few years. It was pretty obscene. The father was obviously trying to live vicariously through his son's sporting achievements and was giving very little regard to the poor kids future. Listen, I appreciate parents that want their kids to be fit, but there are limits.
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"Don't follow leaders and watch your parking meters!"
-- Bob Dylan
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2002/11/19, 05:05 PM
Man o man!! I would of loved to been there. I say no more!
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To change it, or to create it, simply train it!
Ivan
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2002/11/19, 05:15 PM
Never ever be afraid to step up in a gym and give advice....it is no way for anyone to learn to exercise. I wish I had been there as well!!! Makes me sick...
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IF THE SWEAT AIN'T IN YOUR EYES, AND IT AIN'T STINGING, THEN YOU AIN'T LIFTIN!
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2002/11/20, 01:43 AM
As much as it upset me, I'm actually quite docile, I didn't have the guts to say anything. Not to mention that what they appeared to be doing something related to martial arts, which has quite a bit on ballet in terms of intimidation! Did you know that dance teachers can be stripped of certification for improperly training students, especially when endangering wellbeing? That's the way I think it should be! A police officer would have arrested that man if he had seen the same thing on the street, to me, it's a form of abuse!
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Think you can or think you can't; either way you're right--Goethe
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2002/11/20, 01:45 AM
Just as an afterthought, wouldn't it be great if a gym held a weekly 'do and don't' class, mandatory at least once for all new members? It would be nice if we made sure people were informed about how to stretch, lift, and exercise properly!
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Think you can or think you can't; either way you're right--Goethe
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