Every time I turn around I see articles on the "best" exercise for (fill in the blank). It got me thinking that I never see articles on what not to do.
Poor exercise choices will not only fall short of getting you desired results -- like the flexing fellow pictured here -- but can ultimately lead to a debilitating injury. It's a double whammy you want to avoid.
Here are five of the all-time worst exercises along with five super substitutes. Out with the bad, in with the good!
1. Standing Dumbbell Pec Flys
These exercises are performed in many body sculpting classes and I've even seen personal trainers use them with their clients. They are supposed to work the chest muscles (i.e. pectorals). The problem: they don't work the pecs at all! In order for a move to be effective, it must oppose gravity. In this exercise, the motion is horizontal to the ground while gravity is, of course, vertical. All you end up with is a very inefficient way of isometrically work the front delts.
Super Substitute Exercise: All you need to do in order to target the pecs is perform the exercise lying down on a bench, a stability ball, or even the floor. This allows you to work in the direction of gravity and really develop those chest muscles!
2. Sit-Ups
The good-old sit-up is a staple in most gym classes from pre-school to college. It's also one of the worst exercises for maintaining lower-back health. Forces on the lumbar region go through the roof each time you lift your lower back off the floor to a seated position. Making matters even worse, the hip flexors tend to dominate the movement, taking the focus off the abs. And when hip flexors get overly developed in relation to the lower back muscles, lumbar health is further compromised. End result: chronic lower back pain.
Super Substitute Exercise: The crunch and any of its variations are ideal for targeting the abs without overly stressing the lower back. For added intensity you can perform the move on a stability ball, which really gets those core muscles firing!
3. Behind the Neck Shoulder Presses
People often perform the shoulder press with a barbell or body bar, starting with the bar held behind the neck. Bad idea. This places the shoulder joint in a position where it is simultaneously abducted and externally rotated — a condition that can cause impingement of the rotator cuff and possibly a tear of the associated muscles and tendons. What's more, the shoulder joint ligaments can become overly stretched with repeated use of the move. Over time, the ligaments can become so loose that surgery is required to reinstate stability, setting back your training efforts for months.
Super Substitute: Go with a dumbbell press. Dumbbells allow the shoulder to work in its natural ...
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