Exercises You Can Stop Doing

Stop Doing These Exercises

By Liz Neporent

Lack of time is the number one excuse people give for not working out so why squander precious moments on exercises that are inefficient, ineffective or just plain unsafe? Ralf Hennig, author of Four Way Burn" offers his opinion on moves and techniques that should be banished from your workout for wasting time or worse -- putting you at risk for injuries.

Displeased Knees

"Lifting extra heavy weights with just your thighs is a recipe for injury," states Hennig, referring to the leg extension machine which isolates the muscles in the front of the thighs known as the quadriceps. Besides straining knee ligaments, this exercise can overdevelop the quads, making the back of thigh muscles (hamstrings) more likely to snap, especially if they're tight and weak in comparison. Stick to squat-and-lunge type moves for safe, superior thigh sculpting.

Pain in the Neck

Unless your shoulders are super flexible, any exercise where you push or pull a bar that's positioned behind your neck can damage the delicate rotator muscles leading to chronic shoulder, upper back and neck pain. When using the pulldown machine at the gym to sculpt your back, Hennig suggests sitting up straight and pulling the bar down to your chest.

Not So Fast

Some exercisers set their cardio machines too slow each and every workout under the mistaken belief that moving at a snail's pace burns more fat. The truth is, varying your pace and intensity is a far more successful weight loss strategy. The best way to burn calories is by mixing fast and slow speeds and, as Hennig points out, this is also the best way to address the body's different energy systems and muscle groups.

Ab-solute No No

Locking your feet under the couch to do your sit ups may seem like a good idea but in fact, it's more likely to destroy your lower back than flatten your belly. Besides, anchoring your feet kicks all the work into the hips meaning the abs get far less of a workout than if you did Hennig's recommended move: Lie on your back with your feet placed flat on the floor, extend your arms and slowly roll up to a sitting position one vertebrae at a time; keep breathing as you move.

Double Trouble

Hennig says you can definitely skip the inner and outer thigh machines because they work such a small patch of muscle and because the movements are so unnatural. And once again, you may wind up building up the very area you're trying to trim down. For toned legs, you'll get much better results with moves like holding a weighted ball as you do basic squats, lunges and side squats.

Waist of Time

Waist twists and side bends do not whittle your waist and, according to Hennig, if done too often or with too much weight, may actually bulk up your middle. Doing them too vigorously can lead to a low-back attack as well. A better core trimmer: Hold a weighted ball (2 to 4 pounds) at chest level, plant your feet firmly, tighten your abs and slowly rotate from side to side, 8 to 15 times. And give our ab workout a try.

Squat Nots

Squats are the king of lower body toners but go too deep and watch out for pain in your knees, hips and lower back. Your knees especially take a beating from this bad technique due to overstretched ligaments and increased pressure on the joint. When you do any type of squat variation, Hennig warns against lowering any further than thighs parallel to the floor. "Make sure your heels stay firmly planted and your knees are in line with your toes," he advises.

Bad Bend

Flopping forward to touch your toes is yet another invitation to back pain, especially if you do it quickly and with fully straightened knees. If you're prone to lower back issues, steer clear of this move altogether. However, Hennig notes that those with no back problems who do this stretch slowly and with softened knees get a decent stretch through the back of the thighs and lower spine.

Overdone

"Doing up to 100 repetitions per set? Gimme a break!" says Hennig. Using a weight so light you can keep pumping for minutes at a time without breaking a sweat won't do much for you in the way of building strength or shaping muscles, and the idea that this strategy will help you avoid bulking up is a myth. Use a weight that's heavy enough so that your muscles feel completely worked by the end of a set of 8 to 15 repetitions yet still allows you to maintain good form.