FM Alexander was famously against ‘exercise’.  He would be appalled by today’s modern gym.  In fact, he may be turning in his grave as I confess that I go to the gym regularly, and it does me good.  But I am often horrified by what I see there.

Core strength and core stability are the big buzz concepts in the sports world, as they should be. Yet these ideas have not filtered down to the average gym user.  I see men lifting weights that are far too heavy for them and jerking their bodies our of any decent alignment or core stability in order to do so.  Talk about end gaining!  Their only interest is in bigger biceps or pecs.  And they are creating dangerous problems for the future.

Real weight lifters, as opposed to body builders, have quite different physiques. Weight lifters have big thighs and bums, not enormous shoulders like the body builders.  Of course, most of the men in the gym are not serious body builders, but they follow that model.

When I first started using weights 10 years ago or more, I hardly ever saw another woman in that section.  Now there are lots of women using weights and that is a good thing.  The women used to look good when working out; their technique was better than the men’s.  But more recently I see the women imitating the men.  They are adding the quirks and unnecessary movements thinking this is part of the exercise.

Most arm and leg exercises are, or should be, working the core musculature just as much as limb musculature.  Can the arm lift the weight and the rest of the body maintain core stability? Core stability is good spinal alignment, good posture, good use.