Such exercises usually lead to injury before they produce the expected positive results.
Due to cheating and errors in the technique of performing strength exercises, any of them can become traumatic and harmful, but this is a separate topic. Today we’ll talk about exercises that, even with more or less correct technique, are at best simply useless, and at worst can cause significant harm.
Below is only the opinion of the author, based on personal experience and knowledge in the field of physiology and biomechanics of movements. We are all different and some, on the contrary, actively use the described exercises and benefit from it. However, please pay attention to this material. Maybe you just haven’t reached critical weights yet, or maybe you don’t quite understand what real progress in lifting weights is.
Bench press
The illustration above shows the most hellish version of this exercise - not only is there an unnatural breaking force (the humerus is pulled too far beyond the shoulder blade), but the spine is also compressed on both sides (top and bottom). By the way, when a person sits in a strictly vertical position, the load on the spine is 50% higher than when he stands.
Why do this exercise? Supposedly for training the middle beam of deltas. The funny thing is that the overhead press is a pushing movement. It mainly works on the front beam. But the middle delta responds much better to a pulling movement, such as lifting a barbell to the chin with a wide grip (or even more likely to the chest) and raising the arms to the sides.
An alternative is the good old military press (or standing chest press). As an option - dumbbell press up. The load on the deltoids is approximately the same, but there is no breaking effect on the delicate shoulder joint.
If you really want to press from behind your head, don’t lower the barbell below your ears. But it is better to abandon this movement in favor of alternatives.
Leg press
The leg press is ineffective in developing leg muscles. This exercise only strengthens a specific range of muscle fibers, excluding stabilizer muscles. While performing this exercise, you experience a tremendous load on the knee joints and the lower lumbar region. The use of a weightlifting belt for this exercise is strictly prohibited. If the pressure drop is too sharp, there is a possibility of losing consciousness right during the exercise.
I turn chocolate and berries into greeting cards (instructions)
It's nice to wait for your plane: photo of the Million Air private terminal in New York state
-100 kg: Maxim Fadeev admitted to his subscribers that his diet bore fruit
Block pull behind the head (or pull-ups there)
Similar to the exercise above, only in reverse. In the overhead barbell press, you push the weight; in the overhead pull-down or similar pull-up, you pull the weight. The problem is still the same - a breaking effect on the shoulder joint, which with increased load is fraught with serious injuries.
An alternative is a block row to the chest and a wide-grip pull-up to the chest. The load on the lats is almost the same, but without the dangerous impact on the shoulder joint. The movement is natural and comfortable.
Torso rotations with a barbell
This exercise is aimed at strengthening the abdominal muscles, especially the obliques. This exercise is not effective, since the muscles do not contract when turning, as with oblique twists on the floor, but it is also highly traumatic for the spine, since rotation of the spine with weight can damage the integrity of the intervertebral discs.
Work in the Smith machine
At the very least, it is better not for beginners to approach this simulator. Moreover, we are talking about almost any movement: squats, presses, lunges.
The fact is that it has a given, fixed trajectory of movement, that is, a fixed plane. Training in a fixed plane is unnatural for a person, since fewer joints are involved than are provided for natural movement. So, in squats, only the knees work, and the hip and ankle joints are excluded from the work. Stabilizing muscles are also excluded from work, which leads to uneven development of the muscle corset and potential problems with progress in the future.
I repeat, we are all different, each has individual muscle attachment, joint flexibility, ligament elasticity, lever sizes. For some, working in a Smith machine will be more or less natural due to its structure, while others will experience pain in the joints and back.
Particularly dangerous exercises in Smith:
- any squats (barbell on the back or on the chest);
- any shoulder presses (even from the chest).
An alternative is to work with free weights (barbell, dumbbells). In this case, the joints take the most natural position for them, taking into account their individual structure and subject to the correct technique for performing the exercise.
When can you still use the Smith machine? If you need isolation for a particular muscle group and you are already a fairly experienced athlete with trained stabilizer muscles and the ideal technique for performing similar exercises with free weights. For example, girls can specialize in the buttocks, bringing their legs far forward.
Another fairly safe movement for beginners in the Smith machine is the gluteal (pelvic) bridge:
Any exercises in the machine
Working with free weights is much more effective, because any machine limits your actions to only one plane. Our body is a living organism, we are not “Terminators” or “Robocops” to move every detail one by one. To work for results, you must give your body freedom of movement. Machines are needed only for those who work out in the gym to “kick off” their membership. Have you noticed how often fitness centers advertise exercise classes? This is because the machines bring money to the gym owners. Those who work in vain pay them.
Barbell row to the chin with narrow arms
Another traumatic exercise, both for the shoulder joint and for your hands. In both cases, there is an unnatural bending and a breaking effect on the joints.
In addition, when the elbows are brought above the level of the deltas, the work of the latter stops and the trapezius muscles are activated, and for them this load is very small and useless. That is, not only is the exercise dangerous, it is also not very effective.
An alternative is to take the bar wider (if it’s a standard Olympic bar, then along the “bald patches”), slightly tilt your body forward and do not raise your elbows above the level of your deltoids. This is one of the most effective exercises for developing the middle deltoids. The same barbell row to the chin, but with the correct technique:
Leg extension in the simulator
This exercise is dangerous because such an amplitude of movement is unnatural. Evolution did not expect the human quadriceps to work in isolation with the knees above waist level. This exercise is great for working your quads, but it puts a lot of stress on your knee joint. Better replace it with front squats.
The cat in the photo changes the attitude of a woman towards a man - scientists have proven
It's not about nutrition: the nutritionist named the factors influencing the presence of excess weight
It turns out that owls sleep like people - on their stomachs: 10 funny photos
Bench press with very narrow hand position
I often watch guys bench press the barbell with a narrow grip, bringing their arms together almost as much as possible. They say they feel the triceps better with this manner of performing the exercise. With a light weight this is still forgivable, but with increasing load you can say goodbye to your hands. In my youth I managed to injure them in this way, and then suffered from wrist pain for six months.
An alternative is the same close-grip bench press, but the hands are positioned shoulder-width apart or even slightly wider so that there is no breaking load on the hands. What is important here is not the width of the grip, but the position of the elbows - as close to the body as possible. In this case, the bar is located at the base of the palm and lowers under the chest. There is no need to bring it to touch. Once you have reached a 90° angle at your elbows, you can raise your arms back, straightening them completely.
Correct technique for performing the exercise:
Avoid watching TV during cardio and between sets
TV makes you lose concentration. Stay focused on your plan and technique, and on doing everything as well as possible. Plus, while watching TV, it's hard to keep track of the breaks between sets, which can prevent you from achieving your training goal.
Learning to tolerate imperfection is part of a self-improvement project.
Has hardly changed: Irina Dubtsova showed herself at 13 years old (video)
Not only tasty, but also very healthy: prepare strawberry-ginger lemonade
Jumping with a barbell on your shoulders
There is a myth that jumping with a barbell on your shoulders will develop explosive power and you can increase the height of your jump without weights. There may be some positive effect, but much sooner your spine will crumble into your underpants. But seriously, this is a completely wild, unjustified compression load on the spinal column.
An alternative is regular squats with a barbell on your shoulders with a systematic increase in load. The stronger your legs, the higher you can jump. Plus calf muscle training.
Useless exercises in the gym: working on mistakes
We have already written about the most ineffective exercises that you can do in a rocking chair, and now we are supplementing this text with explanations and an alternative list of exercises. The technique for performing them is in the short videos attached to the text, so you should not have questions like “Where to place your left hand.”
Start doing barbell squats. Even if the weight is small, the work will be more efficient.
It's no secret that only 50% of visitors in the gym actually work on their results. Everyone else, as they say, is “serving their number.” Guys spend a lot of effort and time on exercises that give zero results. It’s better to invest all the energy with which you perform a dozen of these exercises into three productive ones. Working with free weights, for example, is much more effective, because any machine limits your actions to only one plane. Keep a list of exercises that prevent you from getting the desired effect and create the appearance of work, and their replacements.
1. Smith machine squats
Why it's useless:
The main difference between barbell squats and machine squats is that the latter forces you to move in a given straight line. When you stiffen your body by lowering and rising in line, you reduce the efficiency of the simultaneous contraction of the quadriceps (front thigh) and hamstrings (back thigh). The exercise doesn't work because the bar doesn't tilt and you can lean on it, unloading your legs. Be sure that if the weight is working, you will subconsciously be slacking.
What to do instead:
Squats. Leave your ego at the door and do this classic muscle-building exercise with lighter weights. Barbell squats will reduce the risk of injury and improve your posture and balance. It's simple.
2. Abductor exercises
Why it's useless:
Have you ever seen girls who effectively spread their legs while sitting on an abductor? They do this because they want to reduce the amount of fat on their thighs, but they do not understand the principle of how it works: tensing the muscles does not lead to a decrease in subcutaneous fat. Only long and persistent cardio exercises lead to it.
What to do instead:
Lunges with a barbell on the shoulders. In addition to working the adductors and abductors better than any machine, this compound exercise activates the muscles of the upper and lower body, which increases testosterone levels.
3. Straightening the arms with a dumbbell along the body in an inclined position
Why it's useless:
Simply put, most guys lift a dumbbell that is too heavy and end up looking like a drunk trying to start a lawn mower on a boat. After several repetitions, you will no longer be able to keep your arm straight in the upper position, which means the effectiveness of the exercise will come to naught. However, if you take a lighter dumbbell, it will not help: no one has yet been able to pump up the triceps with hundreds of repetitions with a light weight.
What to do instead:
Dips. A simple but extremely effective bodyweight triceps exercise (the main thing is not to place your elbows out to the sides). It also works all muscle groups in the upper body. This is one of the closed kinetic chain (CKC) exercises, meaning when your arms (or legs) are fixed, opposing muscle groups are worked on the rise and fall. Overall, add this exercise to your next workout to get toned triceps in half the time.
4. Shadowboxing with weights Why it's useless:
If you want to build muscles like those of participants in mixed martial arts tournaments, it is better to pay attention to something else. To lose weight or gain muscle mass, this exercise is also not suitable for you. Poorly controlled movements increase the risk of injury if you take on a lot of weight, and a small one will not be enough to work effectively. And there is no “golden mean” to be found here.
What to do instead:
Reverse grip pull-ups. Do you want arms like MMA competitor Anthony Joshua? Consider bodyweight exercises rather than weights. Calisthenic exercises like reverse-grip pull-ups produce greater muscle gains in the long term. And not only because they build up biceps, but also because they increase testosterone levels. And this is better than beating the air with your girlfriend’s dumbbells.
5. Dumbbell Wrist Curls
Why it's useless:
Do you want forearms like Popeye the sailor? Spinach will help faster than this exercise. After all, it is so specific that it is not worth wasting time on. If you've already tried it, you'll understand what we mean.
What to do instead:
Push-ups on your fingertips. To do this, you don’t have to be a Shaolin monk, just the desire to pump up your upper body is enough. And don't worry, it's much easier than it looks. All muscle groups in the upper body are used, which heats up your metabolism.
6. Squats on a medicine ball
Why it's useless:
YouTube is full of videos with amateurs claiming that this exercise solves all problems. Well, professionals know that it is absolutely useless. A squat is a squat, even on an unstable surface, so why increase the risk of injury?
What to do instead:
Squats with hands criss-cross on shoulders. Be a real man: squat without any tricks. Regular squats develop lower body muscles, build strength, speed up metabolism and work on stability. And you won't have to go to the emergency room.
- Source
Squats at Smith
Some Smith machine exercises are much more dangerous than their barbell counterparts because (yes, again) they go against your anatomy . In life, situations rarely arose when our ancestors had to lift the weight strictly vertically upward at the same amplitude. Our joints find themselves strictly fixed by weight within a certain vector.
When you do a Smith squat, there is a lot of stress on the knee ligaments and lower back, because instead of the natural curved trajectory you have to use a straight line, and even under strict fixation. Read more about squats in the Smith machine in the article “Squats in Smith from A to Z: there’s no more detail!”
Yes, the Smith squat is easier and yes, it is more dangerous than the good old barbell squat. And in general, Smith was invented for people with injuries, don’t forget! If you really want to pump up your glutes, then it will be useful for you to learn how to do it correctly - “The ideal squat for the buttocks and elastic butt”
