Blog

I guess my trip to the gym wasn’t as productive as I thought (see below)

From Fox News

1. The Machine: Lying Leg Press

Your legs are strong (after all, they carry your body around all day), so if you lie down with your legs above your head for a leg press, you have to load more than the equivalent of your bodyweight onto the machine to achieve significant resistance, Gaddour says. Problem is, all that weight goes straight to your lower back, which flexes under the pressure. The risk? A herniated disk. Plus, the move doesn’t even work any of the stabilization muscles in the hips, glutes, shoulders, or lower back. The result: All pain and barely any gain.

Try This Instead: Goblet Squats. Apart from working just about your entire lower body in a single move, this squat variation involves holding a dumbbell or kettlebell in front of your chest to keep your form in check and the weight off of your lower back. Sometimes, a lighter load delivers a better burn.

RELATED: The Hottest Male Models of 2013 (So Far)

2. The Machine: Seated Leg Extension

Since the weight is placed so close to your ankles, the machine puts undue torque on the knee joint, which can wear down cartilage and cause knee pain, Gaddour says. Plus, the common gym contraption is built around a motion that has little real-life benefit.

Try This Instead: Step Ups. Besides working your quads far better than any machine, step ups also train your glutes, hamstrings, and calves. By calling up more muscles, your knees are actually strengthened, not worn down.

RELATED: Foods That Will Make You Look Younger

3. The Machine: Seated Chest Press

While sitting is less than useful, the bigger problem here is that the machine can cause lopsided muscles. How? If one arm is weaker, the stronger one can end up doing all the work—and getting all the benefit, Gaddour says. To make sure both sides of your chest are strengthened equally, you need to load them separately.

Try This Instead: Pushups. An oldie but a goodie, pushups equally engage both sides of your chest. If it didn’t, you’d fall right over onto your side. What’s more, they tap your core for support and balance. After all, hot bodies aren’t built on chests alone.

RELATED: The Ultimate Weights-Free Workout

4. The Machine: Hip Abductor/Adductor

If it looks ridiculous, it probably is, Gaddour says. And squeezing your thighs together—or pushing them apart—over and over definitely counts. Besides actually working very few muscles, it also strains the spine and can make the IT band so tight it pulls your knee cap out of place—not a good look for anybody.

Try This Instead: Single-Leg Squat. When you’re not in the gym, your inner and outer thighs largely work to maintain stability. So they should do the same thing when you’re in the gym, right? Single leg exercises—like the single-leg bodyweight squat—require those muscles to brace your body and keep you upright, all while putting your quads, glutes, and hamstrings to good use.

RELATED: 5 Reasons to Skip Breakfast

5. The Machine: Loaded Standing Calf Raise

While the idea here is to lift weight with your calves, the machine’s setup—specifically the shoulder pads—means that all the weight presses down on your spine before it ever reaches your legs. If it doesn’t turn you into a hunchback, it’ll at least cause you some back pain.

Try This Instead: Bodyweight Standing Calf Raise. If regular standing calf raises don’t have the resistance you need, try standing on one foot during your next set. Besides doubling the weight each calf has to lift at a time, it also puts your legs’ smaller, stabilizing muscles to work.