Exercises and Machines You Should Avoid at the Gym

Due to the risk of injury, there are some exercises and machines that you should avoid. You can get the same health benefits and results with less dangerous alternatives.

There are certain exercises and machines in the gym that can be dangerous, despite this, people still exercise with them regularly. Many of these can damage your muscles, tendons, joints, or other parts of your body. That’s why you need to know what exercise and machines you should avoid using at the gym.

Many areas of the body can suffer from poor training. This can be due to various factors, some of which are poor form, misuse of equipment or overtraining. Nevertheless, in the world of sports, there are different exercises and machines that could be harmful. That’s why you have to be careful.

This doesn’t mean that they are bad exercises and machines. What we specifically mean is that there’s a high level of risk associated with them, for little gain. What’s more, you can actually replace these machines or exercises with others, that will work the same areas of your body without hurting you or putting you at risk of danger. Prevention is the best decision you can make at the gym. You have to take care of your body and avoid the following exercises and machines whenever possible:

Leg press

The leg press is a machine that works the quadriceps. To use it, you have to sit down with your feet under the press. After that, you raise your feet, so that your knees are straight. The objective is for you to use the strength of the quadriceps to lift the press. Unfortunately, this puts your knees, tendons, and ligaments under a lot of strain, which you certainly don’t want.

Instead of using the leg press to work the quadriceps, you can perform single-leg squats. People usually call these “bullet squats,” and they’re common in Crossfit workouts. These require you to do a squat with all of your weight on a single leg, while the other leg is extended out in front of you. In this way, you’ll be working out the quadriceps without causing your knees to take the strain, as with the leg press.

Abdominal crunches

Abdominal exercises are essential to getting a flat and shapely midsection. The most popular abdominal exercise is the crunch, performed with the back on the floor and the knees bent. This type of abdominal exercise gets results. However, there’s a variety of other, more effective exercises that tone the entire abdominal zone more effectively.

The problem with crunches is that they put pressure on the back, with each repetition. Aside from that, they’re not as effective as they might seem. That’s why it’s better to replace them with the plank. Not only does this exercise work all of the muscles in the abdominal area, but it burns calories as well.

In order to execute the plank, lie face down and support yourself on your elbows and feet, with your knees straight and hips close to the ground. Keep a straight position for 30 seconds. If you can last longer, maintain the position for one minute.

Chest press

The chest press is a machine that strengthens your arms, shoulders, and chest. The main problem with the chest press is that only a few muscle groups are isolated to execute the exercises. On top of that, the motion is fairly unnatural for your body. This could have negative impacts on your joints and tendons. Finally, the fact that you have to do this exercise while sitting, takes away some of its effectiveness.

Instead of using the chest press machine, do push-ups. In that way, you’ll be exercising your chest in a balanced way and without the risk of damaging your joints. There’s a wide variety of push-ups. Some of these are hard to do, but, you’ll become stronger without having to use the chest press.

Partial squats

Squats are a great exercise because they improve your posture, strengthen your legs, and shape your glutes. One popular squat is the partial squat. This style isn’t very efficient. That’s because you can’t achieve maximum results, as you’re not using the muscles to the same extent as you would with normal squats.

Not only that, but partial squats increase your risk of damaging your knee ligaments. You can substitute this exercise with normal squats. They’re more demanding, but the results are great. Remember, you can also add other squat styles to your routine if you want to work specific areas of your legs.

The important factor is that you avoid partial squats, as they have practically no benefits. Instead, try some of the other squats that are available. Some examples are: jumping squat, goblet squats, and bullet squats.

Replace high-risk exercises and machines

Remember to avoid these risky exercises and machines to help minimize your risk of injury at the gym. Instead, invest your time in training exercises that’ll give you better results. Remember, your body is valuable! That’s why you have to keep it in excellent shape. Don’t expose yourself to harm through machines and exercises that ultimately aren’t even that effective. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!