dumb question

You've been doing this one?


http://www.exrx.net/WeightE....ow.html



I dont know  if you had a chance to read thier blurb about this here it is:

"The Cable Seated Row is an excellent movement to condition both the upper and lower back. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as countless other weight trainers perform their cable rows with an articulating spine.

The body adapts to specific stresses placed on the body as long as certain principles are followed. Both the muscles and joint structures can adapt to progressive stresses. Even the elastic limit of a tendon or ligament can be enhanced by exercise and training and can be reduced by aging and inactivity (Tendon and ligament adaptation). Ligaments are not inert.

During the seated row with spinal articulation you say, "Leaning over while returning puts the stress solely on the ligaments of the spine since the musculature is relaxed." In order relax the muscles of the lower back, the exerciser would have to set down the resistance weight and pause. Even if the exerciser deliberately relaxed the musculature with the spine completely flexed, the stretch in the lower back muscles would activate the muscle spindles, or stretch receptors, maintaining an involuntary contraction for several seconds. As with any exercise, moving through the full range of a joint's motion is recommended, yet not beyond.

Ironically, splinting the lower back during all movements can lead to the degeneration of the joint structures of the spine (Nelson 1993, 1995). Including an exercise such as the Cable Seated Row that involves actual (dynamic) movement of joint structures and accompanying muscles are important for lower back integrity. As the saying goes "Use it or lose it". The Seated Cable Row with articulationg spine, the One Arm Cable Row, as well as the Straight Leg Deadlift (below) offer more natural forces to entire kinetic chain as compared to Lever Back Extension and can be implemented progressively for those requiring high degrees of funtionality such as certain athletes and manual labors. Also see Low Back Debate.

The Cable Straight Back Seated Row has been included for those who desire less lower back involvement during this movement."


                 Emphasis on the last sentence  
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I read an article that essentially said: Load + Flexed Spine = Disaster. Therefore (according to the article) you should never flex your back while doing seated cable rows. Naturally, I started doing them with a straight back out a fear that I was doing irreparable harm to my spinal disks. Then I ran across the article that Russ quoted, and I'm told that not only wasn't I doing any harm to my spine, I was probably harming it by not flexing! Needless to say, things can get a bit confusing with all of this conflicting info. I decided to keep doing them straight backed just to be on the safe side. My lower back gets hit enough with other exercises.
 
The conflicting info is confusing, but listen to your body when it comes to a given exercise. #1 Tip for any exercise: don't let the weight control you.
 
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(EL_VIEJO @ Oct. 23 2007,17:26)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Therefore (according to the article) you should never flex your back while doing seated cable rows. Naturally, I started doing them with a straight back out a fear that I was doing irreparable harm to my spinal disks. Then I ran across the article that Russ quoted, and I'm told that not only wasn't I doing any harm to my spine, I was probably harming it by not flexing! Needless to say, things can get a bit confusing with all of this conflicting info.</div>
I can remember when smoking cigarettes was considered a good thing because it was &quot;relaxing&quot;.

I can remember when getting a suntan was a good thing.

I can remember when butter was bad and margarine was good.

I can remember when you weren't supposed to go in swimming for an hour (a good hour...) after eating.

I can remember when sex was dirty and air was clean!

Sometimes the labcoats can't manage to keep their stories straight...
 
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