Injury-Prone Workouts!

Worse Exercises to Avoid

Exercising boosts endorphin production, eliminates excess fat, and decreases risks for chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension. It promotes longevity and provides relief from depression and insomnia. However, not all exercises are safe and effective. There are exercises that you need to avoid. These exercises are injury-prone and generally less effective.

You should avoid the following exercises:

1. Inverted Leg Press
This exercise works at an angle that can inflict injuries to the hips and spine. The tricky positioning puts severe stress on spinal discs.

A safer alternative is squats using a barbell or dumbbell. Inverted leg press helps increase the muscle definition and power of your legs. By using the barbell or dumbbell and squats, you are able to achieve similar results without risking injury to your hips and spine.

2. Back Extension
This workout positions puts severe stress on your back. This can cause serious injuries to your facet joints and lead to spinal disc herniation, a medical condition characterized by a tear in the outer fibrous ring of the invertebral disc.

A safer alternative to this exercise is lying on your tummy and slowly raising your legs and upper body. Back extension helps strengthen the lower back muscles to improve overall health, mobility, core strength, and stability. Performing this alternative allows you to achieve similar results without injuring your delicate spine joints.

3. Abs Twist Machine
The abs twist machine requires your lower body to be in a fixed position while your upper body rotates with great power. Any exercise with the same mechanics is a no-no! The abdominal muscles are structured to prevent rotation and not to encourage it.

Continuous force or rotation while the lower body is fixed can lead to back injury if your torso is twisting too far in an awkward direction.

The safer alternative to this is to do short range twists with a tube or a cable providing hip movement allowance. The abs twist machine helps twist the core, defining the abdomen area and improving the physique. Similar results can be achieved with short range twists.

4. Upright Rows
This exercise places stress on the shoulder joint by causing a bone-on-bone collision with every movement. Continuous movements can lead to rotator cuff tendonitis. It is best to work with light weights when training the small muscles of the shoulder and neck area.

The safer alternative is to do side dumbbell raises. Upright rows exercise helps to build the upper back, neck, and shoulder muscles. By doing side dumbbell raises, the optimal results can be achieved without hurting tender shoulder joints.

5. Shoulder Press Machine
This workout puts stress on the shoulder joints that can lead to shoulder injury. Your shoulder's smaller muscle groups are better trained with light weights and slight movements.

The safer alternative is to do dumbbell shoulder presses. Shoulder press machines help to develop and condition the shoulder muscles in preparation for more advanced exercises. Dumbbell shoulder presses can provide similar results without risking injury.

6. Smith Machine
This workout involves lifting weights while in a fixed squat position. It can cause problems in the knees and lower back. Continuous usage of the Smith Machine can lead to serious joint aches or dislocation in the arms and knees because of poor lifting form and isolation of the chest and triceps muscles.

The safer alternative is to use barbells or dumbbells. Smith Machines help to increase your weight lifting capacity and promote body balance. Using the barbell or dumbbell can also lead to similar results without the high risk of joint dislocation.

7. Sit ups on a Ball
This exercise works from an angle that creates movement on your abdominal muscles as sit ups are performed. When sit ups are not performed on a flat ground, they can actually hurt your back. Performing sit ups on a ball can damage the vertebrae in the lower back. The tension created by this position causes the lower back to move into an exaggerated arch.

The safer alternative is to opt for short range sit ups and leg raises on flat ground. Sit ups on a Ball help tone the muscles in the midsection area. Performing sit ups on a ball causes the lower back to move in an exaggerated arch which can damage vertebrae.


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