Top 9 worst exercises to avoid in the gym

Importance of understanding the worst exercises to avoid (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by victor)
Importance of understanding the worst exercises to avoid (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by victor)

Your fitness programme may include workouts that are ineffective, overly difficult, and potentially harmful.

Many people debate that no exercise is bad for you, as moving in any way proves to be beneficial. However, that's not necessarily true. Some exercises can cause more damage to your overall health than help you get closer to your goals.

There are numerous exercises to avoid if you wish to avoid injury. Injuries sustained in the gym might not only knock you off your game but can also result in long-term health difficulties such as never-ending lower back discomfort, which is a very common problem among fitness enthusiasts worldwide.

On that note, let us take a look at nine exercises to avoid:


9 exercises to avoid

If you take a look around the gym, you may realise that sometimes people are performing workouts that do not make much sense.

They can be dangerous, ineffective, and, more often than not, a waste of your time. The final conclusion is that there are many exercises to avoid if you frequently go to the gym; here are nine of them:

1) Lats pulldowns: behind the head edition

You can walk into any gym in the world and find somebody performing lat pull-downs above their head. That is one of the worst exercises to avoid.

It not only provides a considerably less extensive workout than the proper way, but it also hurts the back on each rep, as well as the shoulders if the range of movement isn't large enough to manage the pull-down motion.

Lats pulldown as one of the worst exercises to avoid (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by Leon)
Lats pulldown as one of the worst exercises to avoid (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by Leon)

2) Military Press Behind the Head

worst exercises to avoid (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by binyamin)
worst exercises to avoid (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by binyamin)

This shoulder technique, where you raise a barbell upward and downward behind your head, might generate the same difficulties as the lat pull-down behind the head.

To avoid this, hold the bar in the middle of your head when performing the military press. Maintain your upper body straight and keep the weight not lower than your collarbone.

3) Tricep kickbacks

Tricep kickbacks are another one of the worst exercises to avoid. The amount of weight you may use in this workout is highly limited. It's simply too difficult to apply sufficient resistance because your shoulders must be stretched and externally rotated.

Importance of correctly working out (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by klaus)
Importance of correctly working out (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by klaus)

4) Squats on the smith machine

Attempting Smith machine squats may appear to be a safe alternative to using a squat rack. However, this is not entirely accurate. By tilting towards the bar, you overwork your knees and never truly work your glutes or hamstrings, not to mention that it does not train your core.

Disadvantages of smith machine squats (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by max)
Disadvantages of smith machine squats (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by max)

5) Romanian deadlifts

It's a terrific back and hip exercise when done correctly. Deadlifts are among the worst exercises to avoid, as well as one of the easiest ways to injure your lower back if you have no idea what you're doing.

Many lifters arch their backs when lowering or raising the bar, yet they might be completely unaware of it. This could cause lumbar disc damage or muscle spasms.

Importance of correctly deadlifting (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by victor)
Importance of correctly deadlifting (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by victor)

6) Upright row

The upright row is a movement that targets the lateral deltoids as well as the traps. However, they generate excessive rotation within the shoulders, which can lead to impingement difficulties.

The strains we put on joints now will almost surely cause issues in the future. So it's best to avoid this one entirely.

Importance of rightly doing upright row (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by ketut)
Importance of rightly doing upright row (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by ketut)

7) Crunches

Crunches aren't all bad, but they're one of the worst exercises to avoid if you have a bad back. They impose strain on the lower spine. They can also stiffen the muscles used to sit. This can strain your spine even more. If you want a six-pack, talk to a fitness expert about different exercises that won't hurt your back.

Disadvantages of crunches (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by gustavo)
Disadvantages of crunches (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by gustavo)

8) Ketllebell swings

Kettlebells aren't necessarily harmful. In fact, it's a valuable tool with hundreds of workout variations.

However, it can prove to be one of the worst exercises to avoid because of the repetitive swinging motion.

If performed incorrectly, it can result in rotator cuff damage and inflammation in various shoulder tissues.

Importance of kettlebell (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by pixabay)
Importance of kettlebell (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by pixabay)

9) Leg press

This machine is a must-have in any gym since it strengthens your legs and hamstrings, but it has certain drawbacks.

You can injure yourself if you don't perform the leg press correctly. It can be one of the worst exercises to avoid, especially for teenagers who place heavy weights on the leg press to take pleasure in the struggle, but they sometimes injure themselves or fracture tissue.

Importance of leg press (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by rdne)
Importance of leg press (image sourced via Pexels / Photo by rdne)

Hitting the gym regularly is an achievement in itself. However, focusing on what's actually helping you achieve your fitness goals and what's not is just as necessary, so your hard work isn't wasted.

NOTE: The exercises mentioned here are not always harmful. However, they are mostly dangerous and if someone wishes to attempt them, its best done under the careful eyes of a licensed trainer. The better alternative could be to find replacements for this particular exercises.

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