Have you ever wondered if some of the exercises you were doing during your workouts were hurting you without you knowing it? Much research shows that there are many exercises to avoid in the gym. Some of these exercises may be incorporated into your daily routine, but many common ones are shockingly the most harmful.
Here are three exercises to avoid:
Bicycle Crunches: A widespread core-strengthening exercise that many people do. Since you are twisting your body to both sides as fast as you can, you are actually risking your chances of herniated disks or muscle spasms. Also, many side effects of bicycle crunches include neck pain and injuries if you don’t perform them properly. Both unfortunate situations can happen from a straightforward, easy exercise. Try focusing on a slower, controlled movement of the exercise to reduce the risk of injuries.
Bent over rows: This is another super common one done on upper body strengthening days. When you bend your body and pull a weight up to improve your shoulder and upper back area. But performing this exercise incorrectly is very common and can lead to serious injuries. The CNN study shows that it can lead to discs in your spine moving improperly, which can lead to potentially hitting a nerve. This is because of how much your spine is flexing while lifting a heavy weight with only one arm. Also, because of the way you are positioned during these rows, poor posture can also be developed. Many other lower back injuries can also occur from bent-over rows if not done carefully. To fix how you are doing it, try completing the exercise lying face down on a bench or on a stability ball.
Seated Leg Extensions: (on a machine). This one in particular shocked me the most because it is a very convenient way to exercise your quads without doing complicated exercises. But CNN states that the isolation of your legs, extending and lifting a heavy amount of weight, can increase your chances of muscle imbalance. Joe Tatta also shares, “It also places undue stress across your knee joint, affecting the delicate cartilage under the patella.” The hyperextension of your knees with the excessive amount of weight can lead to many long-term injuries as well, which can overall affect your performance and progress in the gym. So the next time you are in the gym, try to avoid these.
Summary: These are three common exercises that people perform in the gym. There are many more that you should avoid, but consider these the next time you work out. Here is a link to the CNN article on the top 10 exercises to avoid.
