Stop doing these 5 pointless exercises. It can be hard to know what to do in the gym. If you’re new to fitness or you’re not seeing the results you deserve, check out this post to see which exercises to cut out of your routine. Remember that social media is filled with good-looking people sharing fitness advice, but they are not qualified to give that advice – which is why there are so many pointless exercises circulating in the fitness industry. We’re here to set the record straight.
1. Lunges with a resistance band
You’ve probably seen a fit Instagram girl posting about the ‘best booty exercises’, and the resistance band lunge is a fan favorite. But if this is one of the exercises in your routine – cut it out. When you put a resistance band above your knees during a lunge, the band is assisting you by limiting your range of motion and actually reducing resistance during the eccentric phase.
Try instead: bodyweight lunges or with a dumbbell in either hand, arms straight down.
2. Dumbbell side bend
This exercise is EVERYWHERE, but it only works if you do it correctly. If you have a dumbbell in each hand as you bend – you are simply counteracting the resistance so it’s doing nothing for you. When done correctly, with one dumbbell only, this exercise is great for toning your waistline.
Try instead: Single dumbbell side bend.
3. Seated hip abduction
This exercise is often praised for targeting the side booty, and it does target it – but not in a good way. This exercise puts stress on your IT bands and hip capsules because it’s not a functional exercise. How often do you need to exert force by stretching out your legs? It’s a very unnatural exercise and can lead to tight hip flexors and knee problems.
Try instead: Lateral banded walks.
4. Bent over tricep kickbacks
Hate to say it, but the majority of people try this exercise with weights that are too heavy. The issue is not their lack of strength, but gravity. When you use a heavyweight for this, you’re working against gravity during the kickback and so it causes your body to move as a result of the momentum. When your body is rocking back and forth with each rep it decreases tension from where it needs to be – the tricep. A heavyweight also makes it difficult to keep your arm straight once the weight is raised, which makes the exercise pretty much pointless. But that being said, a lightweight isn’t going to be effective either, choose a different tricep exercise for better activation.
Try instead: Dips.
5. Weighted shadow boxing
You want to be the next Conor Mcgregor but weighted shadow boxing isn’t the way to get there. Whether you’re using light or heavyweights, this exercise opens you up to a ton of potential injuries. You’re on your feet, alternating punches and overextending your reach due to the momentum of the weight in your hands. This is dangerous for your joints, particularly your shoulders. Instead, do exercises that help you to generate force to improve your punch power.
Try instead: Chin-ups, box jumps
If you’ve been doing any of these exercises, it’s time to switch it.