If you are a beginner who has recently started his/her fitness journey or even if you are intermediate, it is likely that you are also spending hours in the gym going through strenuous workouts.
When it comes to weightlifting, there are numerous exercises that one can opt for and each exercise also has variations. Every variation works on a different part and muscle of the body and thus gives different results. For instance, the inclined bench press tones up the upper chest while the declined bench press helps build muscle in the lower chest.
However, just sweating in the gym doesn’t mean that you will surely notice the desired results as not every exercise is as effective as it seems. Instead, there are certain exercises that according to experts, should be avoided as they tend to harm the body in the long run.
So below is the list of some exercises that you can choose to avoid and rather opt for an alternative to it.
Behind the head lat pull-down
Being one of the most famous exercises popularized by bodybuilding legends like Arnold Schwarzenegger, it is quite hard to doubt the efficacy of this exercise. But experts suggest pulling the weight behind the neck should be avoided as it damages the shoulders and spine with each rep. Moreover, this variation provides a limited workout and is less effective.
One can go for the correct variation and pull the weight towards the chest rather than behind the head.
Smith Machine squats
Mostly the newbies in the gym hit the smith machine to perform squats as they think it is safer and will protect them if they drop the weight. But on the other hand, doing squats on the smith machine puts you in a restricted movement and puts excessive stress on your knees. Plus it also isn’t effective when it comes to building leg muscles. So, consider doing some barbell squats in the squat rack and ask someone to spot you in case the weight is heavy.
Crunches
Crunches indeed look cool in movies and photo shoots where the model has to highlight his defined abs for the camera. But practically it is not that impactful in building muscles or core strength. Fitness coaches also believe that it puts unnecessary strain on the back and is not worth doing. One can try other more effective exercises for abs like mountain climbers and flutter kicks.
CrossFit pull-ups
The CrossFit pull-ups or the kipping pull-ups have always been pretty controversial for the way they are performed. While they are a significant part of CrossFit training, experts believe that using sudden burst of power to bring the body above the bar is just cheating and would do any good to you. This exercise also increases the risk of injuries with each rep that is why one should stick to te normal pull-ups which are great for strength and conditioning.
Leg extension machine
Doing the exercise surely helps in burning up the quad muscles but at the same time it puts your knees in an unnatural position which can harm them in the long run. Especially when you stack up weight to the max and use just your legs to lift the weight, it puts your knees under immense stress. There are better alternatives that you can choose to build quads like lunges, step-ups and squats.
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