We’ve covered a spine curdling number of ridiculous exercises here at DMARGE, but few are as horrific looking as this.
Posted to SportsCenter five days ago, the video shows NFL player Julian Baldi committing what appears to be a heinous crime against his dorsum region.
With a text overlay reading “max out or go home” Baldi can be seen doing ‘back ups’ with what looks to be a metric tonne of weight on his shoulders.
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Commenters were quick to share their thoughts. Popular opinion was not on his side.
“Slipped disc will arrive in 1-3 business days,” one wrote.
“This looks miserable,” commented another.
Further remarks included:
“Dad show me again how you ended up in wheel chair.”
“*spine has left the chat*”
“Gone [sic] feel that in 20 years 😂😂”
“Bro tryna break his back.”
“Training for sitting in front of me on a long flight and hitting recline.”
One fitness trainer, however, chimed in, claiming that – done right – this exercise isn’t perhaps as insane as it looks.
“Different ways to target lower back or glutes. Great exercise!” he wrote.
“That guy plays football. To absorb lateral pushes it’s important to have strong QLMs, glutes, core, hams. He definitely is doing the right thing for his goal.”
“As long as he’s controlling the weight with good form can make some big gains with this exercise.”
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Another commented with a little more moderation: “Is a good exercise but add to much weight can really mess up the lower back. There are alot of good other exercises that target lower back.”
Ben Lucas – director, founder and trainer at Flow Athletic – told DMARGE: “Wow, not an exercise that I would recommend.”
“Aside from the risk of a lower back injury, neck pain and a slipped disc, this exercise is also one that could easily be the culprit of a hamstring tear too. With the weight on the bar, it would also be challenging to keep good posture which could also lead to imbalances.”
When asked if there were any benefits to it whatsoever, Lucas said: “Not enough to warrant the risks. In general, it would work the butt, the hamstrings and the core.”
It’s also not the only exercise in the vein Baldi has shared lately.
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What exercises can work similar muscles in a safer fashion? According to Lucas: deadlifts, good mornings, rowing and power presses.
Good luck and stay safe.