Everyone wants to stand out, and gym-goers are no exception. We want to have the right training gear, drink the right post-workout shake and follow the right training etiquette. And sometimes, in an effort to stay on trend, we use the most popular exercises that others have added to their workouts.
But just because a lot of guys and girls are banging out an exercise, it doesn’t mean it belongs in your program. Here are six popular exercises you really don’t need to make part of your regular routine.
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The Pec Deck
The Pec Deck is not necessarily bad for putting mass on your chest. However, with all the benching and other pressing movements you’ve probably already incorporated in your program (along with texting, video game playing and everything else that gives you a forward/rounded shoulder posture) you probably don’t need to escalate the problem with tons of pec-shortening isolation work.
Add in some additional upper body pulling work, like seated rows, instead. This will improve your posture and give you the appearance of a bigger chest – which is what you are really after anyway.
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urbancow
The Leg Press
While the Leg Press is great for boosting your ego, it’s not so great for your core. By training in a seated position, you are not challenging your core and spinal erectors as you are when performing variations of the squat. This means there is much less of a carryover to actual strength and performance.
Plus if the seat is not adjusted properly, you can easily compress your lumbar spine with all those plates you’ve loaded on, which could sideline your training for months.
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Per Bernal
Shrugs
It’s easy to understand why guys love doing shrugs. Whether barbell, dumbbells or smith machine, shrugs allow you to load up and move a ton of weight. The problem is that if you work or study at a desk most of the day, you are already in a shrugged position way too often.
Don’t jack up your upper back and neck more than you already have to. If you are doing heavy pulls from the ground with deadlifts and cleans, your traps are getting plenty of work.
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Behind-the-Neck Pullups
There is nothing wrong with doing behind the neck variations of pullups or even presses if you have the proper mobility for it. The problem is most guys aren’t flexible and strong enough to pull these off correctly. So they limit their range of motion and jam their heads forward in an effort to get more range.
Simply stick with proper pullups focusing on getting your chest up to the bar. You’ll get much more lat strength and development this way.
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The Abductor and Adductor Machines
Do you want strong, functioning hip abductor and adductors? Yes. Are you going to get them from spreading your legs open and squeezing them shut while sitting on this machine? No. Train your adductors and abductors with free weight movements such as squats (adductors play a major role as a synergist in stabilizing and moving you through a squat) and lateral lunges.
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Excessive Mobility Work
The truth is, most guys need to do much more mobility work and improve their range of motion in the big lifts. However, there seems to be a new trend of doing so much mobility work that people forget to actually train and get strong. You only need to be as mobile and flexible to perform whatever task it is you are trying to accomplish. In other words, squatting to full depth does not require you to be able to put your legs behind your head.
Spend 10 minutes doing general mobilization/warm-up drills and another 10 minutes of specific warm-ups focusing on technique and improving range of motion. If you need more than that, and over time your mobility isn’t improving, it’s likely you have some structural issues that need to be addressed by a specialist.
