7 Exercises to Avoid for a Safer and More Effective Workout
Some of these actually give great results, so great that you might feel tempted to disregard your doctor’s opinion, which is something you shouldn’t do unless you want to share a personal story about the negative effects of wrong exercises and improper ways to exercise. I’ve been here myself, and believe me, a bad knee is all it takes to teach a person which exercises to avoid. Now, I certainly don’t want you to suffer permanent injuries or bust your behind doing exercises that put stress on your bones and joints instead of muscles, and that’s why I think both men and women should read this list of 7 exercises to avoid:
1) Machine-Aided Bench Press
The bench press machine (metal construction with a rod you can move up and down, some call it a “Smith” machine) could easily be one of those gym gadgets that will make you think, “Wow, this is much better than the regular bench press,” and that will, unfortunately, be wrong! Fitness experts always suggest traditional methods not only because your joints suffer less this way but also because the quality of exercise is much better. The human body is not perfectly symmetrical, meaning that one arm may be shorter than the other, which is something the designers of this machine didn’t think about. Lifting a rod that’s fixed on both sides, therefore, won’t help you correct this tiny natural flaw but make it even worse! So, to sum things up – we have the risk of injuries on one side and results that won’t be satisfying on the other, and those, I believe, are two pretty good reasons to say this is one of the exercises to avoid doing.
2) Rotating Your Upper Body While Sitting
Fitness and medical experts suggest staying clear of all ab-toning exercises that involve rotating the upper body while our lower body is fixed in one position (read: seated). Special rotating machines designed for this purpose should be avoided, regardless of how great the results may be, simply because sexy abs won’t mean much if you manage to mess up your spine in the process. And given the fact that this is not a movement like any other you’d do in your everyday life, it would be safe to say the pressure your spine is forced to take is like summer rain – totally unexpected and potentially dangerous for your health as well as appearance!
3)Lat Machine Exercises
Oh my, this is one of my top three machines and exercises to avoid doing ever again! In fact, I still remember that pain! You see, the lat machine is a great way to have nicely defined shoulders but only if you’re doing the exercises right. Now, since about 70% of the people tend to do these exercises wrong and about 10% of the ones who do them right don’t focus on doing them right every single time, you can either hope you’re in those flawless 20% or focus on different exercises that are easier to do and target the same group of muscles.
4) Yoga Ball-Aided Squats
This popular exercise that involves placing a yoga ball on the wall, pressing your back onto it, relaxing, and doing squats should also find its way on your list of exercises to avoid, not only because it doesn’t do much for your glutes but also because it puts a lot of stress on your knees and joints. Ditch the ball, sister; both your legs and your glutes will appreciate it!
5) Sit-Ups
It might sound strange, but regular sit-ups (the ones that involve lying on the floor) actually do more harm than good and are one of the exercises to avoid doing at all costs! If they are part of your routine, you’ve probably noticed doing them puts a lot of stress on your lower back, and what you probably didn’t know is that the benefit is minimal. Most fitness experts suggest replacing your standard sit-ups with other exercises that target this area, and I’d advise you to try a few different exercises (and benches) until you find the ones that work best for you. And remember – pain or stress in your back means you’re either doing the exercise wrong or you’ve chosen the wrong exercise.
6) Pec Deck Exercises
Exercising on this machine seems like a relatively easy way to build an impressive chest, if you don’t mind the high risk of sustaining permanent injuries, of course. For all of you who do mind and are now wondering exactly why this should be one of the exercises to avoid, I do have a very good reason to point out. You see, overstretching the ligaments in your shoulders could make them loose for good, and that certainly doesn’t spell “great” in any dictionary.
7) Upright Row
Any doctor will tell you that exercises which include pulling weight under your chin spell danger and that you should steer clear of them if you don’t want to risk nerve damage. Replace these potentially dangerous exercises with safer ones such as bent-over row or front shoulder raise, and you’ll target the same group of muscles and achieve great results without the unnecessary pain and risk!
Remember which exercises to avoid next time you hit the gym and start focusing your attention on finding new, better, healthier ways to build an impressive body. But, speaking about exercises to avoid – have you heard of some other exercises or machines that could be dangerous?