15
Feb '11
10 Exercises to STOP Doing
First, before we get into today’s list, I have a damaging admission to make.
The truth is that I was FIRED a few times by personal training clients back in the day because they didn’t like my strict workout rules, which included:
1) Absolutely NO talking during the performance of an exercise
2) Perfect form must be used in every exercise
3) No quitting on an exercise
Not surprisingly, that didn’t go over very well with some clients who liked to “gab” more than they liked to workout, or clients who liked to say they could do 5 chin-ups, when all they could REALLY do was 5 “quarter reps”.
The bottom line is that I take my training serious. You want a buddy to chat with? Train with someone else. I’m just not a chatty-Craiggy.
Sorry.
And because I take my training seriously, I’ve built up a list of exercises that should no longer be in your workouts because they are ineffective or downright dangerous.
Here are the top 10 exercises to remove from your program right now.
#1 – The Bodybuilder Bench Press
The truth is you never, ever have to do another set of bench presses if you simply want to lose fat or build chest muscle. There are plenty of other “shoulder-safe” exercises like dumbbell chest presses that work just fine.
That said, I know there are a few irrational TT Meatheads, like myself, reading this email. And we still want to bench press, and maybe even enter a Powerlifting competition.
But the Bodybuilder Bench Press – where you have a wide grip on the bar and your elbows pointed out to the sides – is the most damaging to your shoulders.
To make the exercise safer for your shoulder joint and rotator cuff muscles, simply tuck your elbows to your body – so they point more towards your feet – and bring in your grip by 1-2 inches. That will save your shoulders.
#2 – Anything done with a rounded back (even picking up dumbbells)
It doesn’t matter if you’re squatting, deadlifting, straight-leg deadlifting, rowing, or even doing triceps kickbacks, you must STOP doing these exercises with a rounded lower back.
That’s a one-way ticket to a herniated disc. And you do not want to go there, girl.
So make sure that you brace your abs, and keep your back in the neutral position – and even with a slight arch in your low back – as you do dumbbell rows, deadlifts, squats, and Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs).
If you don’t know what I mean, or you still aren’t comfortable with those exercises, by all means DROP them and just ask for a substitute exercise. There are plenty of other movements I can recommend.
And one more thing…I see a lot of people (including my clients) who use great form in all exercises and then pick up dumbbells off the floor with a rounded back.
That’s another no-no.
You can just as easily hurt your back doing that as you can in an “official” exercise. So always, always, ALWAYS pick stuff up by bending at the knees and keeping the object close to your body – but NEVER by rounding your back (even when tying your shoes!).
#3 – Bench dips (where your hands are placed on the bench behind you)
Personally, I’ve never been one to use this exercise, as I thought it was lame-o. And then 2 years ago I attended a Bill Hartman lecture, and he was very unkind to this exercise. (Who’s Bill Hartman? He’s a guy that has been crowned “the smartest man in fitness” by Brian Grasso, Alwyn Cosgrove, and myself.)
Here’s what Bill says about those bench dips…
“To achieve that much range of motion the scapula must tilt forward which is a pretty unstable position. This also means that the shoulder joint is unstable and increases demands on the rotator cuff especially the subscapularis.
“Over time this is a lot of undesireable stress leading to impingement of the cuff. This doesn’t even consider the stress on the AC joint. It’s also a crap exercise for overload.”
Cut those out of your program immediately.
#4 – “Clean and Presses” done with a fixed bar
Clean and presses are a great exercise when done with proper form, but almost every time I go to a big box gym I see people using those fixed “body bars” and doing some mangled “reverse-curl/external rotation/body contortion” movement.
Worse, I’ve watched groups of women do this in aerobics classes.
Listen, it’s nice that people see the value in the total body movements, but if you can’t do the exercise properly, it shouldn’t be done at all.
When I see a person trying to clean and press a 2-inch diameter, 24 pound body bar, it ALWAYS looks bad…because it is. Again, there are plenty of other ways to train the body. You could do a front squat combined with a push press. That would be safer and would still work all the muscles you want (and even more).
#5 – Behind the Neck pulldowns or presses
I’m a real conservative guy. To me, dressing up means a clean white t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. I hold the door open for lil’ old ladies. I don’t gamble or smoke. And I don’t curse around my mom.
And because of my conservative nature, that’s why I’m putting all “behind the neck” exercises on the no-fly list for your workout.
Some coaches say they are fine, and other coaches say it depends on the individual. And while I agree that some folks can do these without a problem, I look at it this way:
There’s NO good reason to risk your shoulder with these exercises when you get equal results from modified, safer versions of these exercises or simply by using other movements.
So be conservative and do your shoulders a favor by dropping all behind the neck movements.
#6 – Crunches
I know some people are getting real upset with me every time I tell you to stop doing crunches, but if you won’t believe me, then at least believe Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove, whose new book, “The New Rules of Lifting for Abs” just hit #2 on Amazon’s best sellers.
They recommend dropping crunches, and so does Mike Robertson, Men’s Health fitness expert, who recently wrote this about the crunch debate:
“I can’t believe we’re still arguing this stuff. I would’ve hoped by now that we’ve all thrown crunches and sit-ups by the wayside…think about the body-wide effects of crunching – a crunch trains the rectus abdominus by pulling the rib cage down.
“When we pull the rib cage down, we increase the thoracic kyphosis. This sets off a cascade of events – we increase the kyphosis, thus losing t-spine extension. This consistently puts our scapulae in a poor position, not to mention putting our gleno-humeral joint at an increased risk for impingement as well.”
Let me translate Mike’s science…
Basically he said, STOP doing crunches!
#7 – Side bends
Unless you’re a powerlifter or strongman competitor, you can stay away from side bends.
You don’t want to repeatedly bend your spine sideways any more than you want to flex your spine forward with crunches and sit-ups.
And besides, who has ever gotten sexy abs with side bends?
They sure didn’t help me or Bally the Dog with our six pack abs.
#8 – Plyometrics to Failure
Hey, I appreciate the fact that people are putting more athletic movements into their fat loss programs. After all, you will get more results with athletic training than slow cardio.
But…you must be smart with your training. Doing “explosive” exercises to the point of muscle failure – and therefore, to the point of improper form – is simply wrong.
That’s what causes injury. And that causes people to drop out of their fat loss program.
So listen…be conservative. YES, you can use jump training in your fat loss program…after all, some of the advanced TT programs do.
But you can’t be doing plyometrics to failure. You can’t be doing plyometrics with sloppy form. And you can’t be getting hurt.
Train hard, but train safe.
#9 – Russian twists
Listen, I have nothing against Russians. Sometimes when I go on holiday I like to relax at the bar with a Black Russian, and I also think Russian women are some of the most beautiful in the world…
…but this exercise they’ve given us gets a big fat NYET!
Don’t do this. It combines spinal flexion and rotation, and is unsafe for your low back. Sorry, it belongs in Siberia!
#10 – Sit-ups
Sit-ups are far worse for your low-back than crunches. As Mike Robertson wrote in his ab training article:
“You may not like Stuart McGill, but the guy has done his home workon the spine. If you want to get your lower back healthy, there are safer and more effective ways to train the core than performing sit-ups until you enjoy the unique pleasure of a herniated disc.”
I agree 100%.
So ditch the crunches and situps and focus on abdominal stability exercises like the ones I have for you in the TT for Abs DVDs here.
Comments on 10 Exercises to STOP Doing »
thats a great list Craig , Although Mike Mahler insisits he is bringing back the crunch !!
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Good post Craig, As a personal trainer myself I see a lot of folks failing to “land properly” with any type of jump movements. I always reiterate with my clients to absorb the landing and “land softly”. Rounding of the back is by far the biggest mistake I see people make in the gym.
Thanks for the post!
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ben Reply:
February 23rd, 2011 at 9:52 am
I disagree (to an extent)… landing with straight legs is the biggest problem!
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Great post Craig…. I’ll be sharing this with my clients. Awesome info as usual! I’m always telling my clients that I’m a better trainer by reading and learning from you. Thanks again!
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couldn’t agree more on the bodybuilder bench presses. Iit’s been about a year since I’ve done a barbell bench press and have only been using dumbbells. Have found strength and size gains much better using those and like the greater ROM that I get from using DBs.
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cbathletics Reply:
February 15th, 2011 at 11:12 am
Great to hear Mike!
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Great list Craig. I’d like to add leg extensions. The machine is also known as “Satan’s Throne”. The shear it puts on the patella and stress on the ACL is just not worth the movement.
Motion x-ray analysis actually demonstrates a slight dislocation of the femur on the tibia during the linear translation.
Also, with the lunge or squat the tibia rotates slightly to accommodate for torsion. The pad on the ‘shin’ of the leg extension does not permit this normal absorbing of stress, damage to the joint.
Thanks again for all you do!
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cbathletics Reply:
February 15th, 2011 at 11:12 am
Happy to help.
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I just bought the Lean Hybrid Muscle Reloaded program. A good number of the exercises that they recommend are on your ‘No’ list. Have you reviewed this program. If so, do you recommend any replacement exercises for the No No’s.
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cbathletics Reply:
February 15th, 2011 at 11:12 am
I have not reviewed that program. Let me know what you need a substitute for. Thanks!
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Rich Reply:
February 15th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
Barbell Clean & Press
Plate Crunches
Medicine Ball Russian Twists
Push Throughs
Crunch Push Over Knees
Crunches
Cross Crunch
Bicycle Crunches
Straight Leg Reach
Box Jumps
Band Crunches
and Barbell Russian Twists
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cbathletics Reply:
February 15th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Rich, you can still do a barbell clean and press if you do it properly. Same with box jumps.
For the ab exercises, use Planks, Side Planks, Stability Ball Planks, Stability Ball Rollouts, and stability ball jackknives.
Good summary, CB. Unfortunately, crunches will be with me and my boys for some time. While I don’t do them often (I usually stabilize my abs rather than flex them), my sons do them often and I have to crunch occasionally to ensure we meet the military physical fitness standards. Crunches are a part of all the services’ PFT standards. I personally think they should move to the plank, but Uncle Sam makes that call. So, it’s crunches for us for the foreseeable future.
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cbathletics Reply:
February 15th, 2011 at 11:11 am
You’ll be interested to know that in Lou and Alwyn’s book, they reference a study where subjects did only non-crunch ab exercises and were still able to pass the military fitness tests.
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stacy buster Reply:
June 18th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
I agree completely Craig. I am a personal trainer and currently work w/ a female client who just passed her sit-up PFT test with the Navy reserves by only doing proper core work(planks, jackknives, renegade rows, etc)….never once did I allow her to do a crunch or sit-up! She passes with an “excellent good” I believe.
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cbathletics Reply:
June 18th, 2011 at 2:24 pm
Great work Stacy, keep it up.
Craig
Should any jumps ie: side jumps, broad jumps, jumps with knees up to chest ect, should these be completely taken out workouts? If so what should substitutes be.
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cbathletics Reply:
February 15th, 2011 at 11:10 am
No, I didn’t say that. I said you can do them with proper form.
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I agree with you totally about those who like to chat with you when working out. It so annoying and downright rude. My point is when I take my precious time to go to the gym I want to maximize that time and get a good workout in the shortest amount of time. That means short rest times and intense work. No time to chat and waste precious time.
I am so glad you pointed out all of these exercises that could hurt a person. The only one I still do which I am going to stop immediately is Bench dips. I know I have a bum shoulder because I use to do most of the exercises like behind the neck stuff.
I just bought the TT for Abs DVD, but I have been using some of your free stuff for a while just didn’t have the money to purchase a program. I must say this is the last program I will purchase. Your program make so much sense to me (lots of common sense). My main point is how the workout utilizes opposing body parts so you don’t fatigue one body part to the point that you stop training. Do upper body, the do lower body while the upper body part recovers what ingenuity.
Oh by the way Lesa is great and she is very responsive. Great customer service. Graig you got it RIGHT unlike most of your friends (no names).
Thanks
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cbathletics Reply:
February 15th, 2011 at 11:38 am
Happy to help! Thank you so much. Keep up the great work.
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Great information that Iwill happily share. Thanks.
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I once did cleans with a fixed bar by mistake.
It was a full on Olympic bar…but for some weird reason the ends of the bar had been welded (I was at a hotel gym)
Thankfully it was during the warm up that I noticed, but still it was Amazing I didn’t break my wrists, but I did have to drop the bar..which as you know in a hotel is a pretty big no no.
B
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cbathletics Reply:
February 15th, 2011 at 11:50 am
Ouch. Glad you were ok
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I agree with most except the Russian Twists. I find that to be a great exercise if done safely. Is there some research that you can provide that goes into more detail? Or perhaps explain your side more.
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cbathletics Reply:
February 15th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Read Dr. Stuart McGill’s “Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance”. Mandatory for every trainer. You should also read Lou and Alwyn’s book.
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Thanks for the book recommendation (McGill’s). I’m grateful to have a new resource. I’ve just been diagnosed with osteoporosis of the spine and osteopenia of the hip. (Lean and muscular on the outside, about to crumble on the inside. Appearances can be deceiving!)
Would love to read a post on unsafe moves and exercises for people with this condition. I have scoured the Internet and have read everything from “Walking is the best exercise for osteo” to “Walking is not enough. You need impact exercises like jogging and jumping (assuming not severe osteo).”
My doc immediately wrote me an Rx for an injectable parathyroid hormone drug he told me to take daily for 2 years–at the cost of $1200 a month. Worse, it comes with a black box warning for bone cancer.
I’m looking for alternative ways.
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GREAT INFO on #1,4,5,7,8
#2 my back hurts from doing rounded squats(I did them last on leg day, OMG i was tried!)
#3 I’ve done weighted bench dips with drop sets; got great results & no pain, Lucky me.
#6 Crunches suck b/c you need to do some many of them to great real results, I do them weight just to make my upper abs pop.
#9! I live by these and get Juice head results;Problem is I do 600 reps each time I do them! No body should to 600 reps of these; I had to build up to this.
#10 I don’t rememmber how to do a sit-up(hah)
Craig your da man!
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I agree with nine of the ten. The one with which I don’t agree is # 6 – the one about crunches. Here’s why:
The function of all muscles is to bring the origin of the muscle closer to the insertion of the muscle. When muscles shorten (contract or flex), they create movement, by bending the joint that they pass. For example, when the biceps shortens, it bends the elbow. Every muscle in the whole body works this way.
The abdominal muscle (rectus abdominus) has its origin at the base of the ribcage, and its origin at the pubic bone of the pelvis. When the muscle contracts, it brings the ribcage toward the pelvis, or the pelvis toward the ribcage. As the muscle elongates (relaxes), it allows the ribcage and the pelvis to get farther away from each other. Muscle shortening and elongating is the basis of “isotonic” exercise. Contraction in the absence of shortening and elongation is considered “isometric”, or “static” or “limited range of motion” – and has been shown in numerous studies to be less effective at developing muscle, than is isometric contraction.
The idea that “rounding the back” occurs when doing an abdominal crunch, and that that is “bad”, is like saying that elbow-bending occurs when doing curls, and that’s bad because we don’t want our elbows to stay bent. Backs don’t stay rounded, just because rounding your back is part of the abdominal crunch, any more than any other body part is at risk for staying in the position of contraction that happens during any other exercise.
I agree that there is such a thing as “too rounded”. In other words, one can over-flex their spine – thereby causing the inside edges of the spinal discs to close, while the outside edges open – potentially squeezing out the inter-vertebrel discs (i.e. herniation). This is most likely to happen when one does like #2 above – lifting anything with a rounded back. This is because the resistance that you’re lifting is essentially pushing the spine into an over-flex. But it’s not nearly as likely to occur when going the other way. In other words, when the resistance is on the opposite side of your abdomen, it requires that the abdominal muscle “force” the spine into an over-flex position, and that’s about as unlikely to occur as hyper-extending your knees during a heavy leg extension. You’re lucky if you can even get into a full flex, much less into hyper flex.
Eliminating crunches (i.e. spinal flexion as a method of inducing abdominal contraction), leaves only plank-type exercises, which are mostly isometric – inferior to isotonic, for the purpose of development. But, again, I don’t believe the risk of over-flexing the spine is very likely, as it’s difficult enough to simply enter full-flexion, when one is opposing resistance. Granted, one should not pull on their head, which would then hyper-flex the upper spine and neck. I suggest one simply hold the top of their head gently, or hold a towel lightly behind their neck (hands holding the ends of the towel in front).
In general, I believe that the extreme ranges of motion should be abbreviated. A muscle does not need that beginning 10%, nor the final 10% of the range of motion. I think the center 80% range of motion is the most valuable. And that would likely be the “most” true, when dealing with the spine.
Just my two cents. Nice article, otherwise. This is the kind of stuff we all need to see more of. Common sense fitness, rather than macho / extreme / irrational fitness. Keep up the good work.
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Christian Finn Reply:
February 17th, 2011 at 7:26 am
Professor Stuart McGill, an expert in spine function and injury prevention at the University of Waterloo in Canada, has shown that repeated spinal flexion (i.e. crunches) damages spinal discs, at least in a lab setting. Check out his book Low Back Disorders (page 46) or one of the many studies he has authored for more information on the subject.
In addition, certain exercises that do not involve spinal flexion (e.g. rollouts) have been shown, in some studies anyway, to work rectus abdominis harder than crunches. So you’re actually getting a more challenging workout for your abs without increasing the risk of a “bad back” further down the line.
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cbathletics Reply:
February 17th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
Great call Christian, thanks!
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Great Post!
Can I add A few:
11. The majority of Smith Machine exercises
12. Upright Rows with a straight bar
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cbathletics Reply:
February 15th, 2011 at 4:57 pm
Greg, yes, upright rows…if there is one exercise I wish I would have added, it’s narrow grip upright rows. Good call.
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Excellent post Craig – I’d add these;
Upright row – very bad for the elbows, shoulders
Bent over row – very bad for the back if meaningful amount of weight is used – and if meaningful amount of weight isn’t used why bother?
Dead lift off a raised platform (for added range of motion, for God’s sake.)
Total agreement with Greg – anything on a smith machine except calf raises an absolute no-no (tho’ you can use it to hang laundry on)
Must admit I don’t see a problem with the side bend, if done in controlled form and weight added gradually – I take the point about bending the spine to the side, but never believed the argument about side bends making the waist “blocky”.
I find it tough enough to add muscle anyway, I don’t see why I should have superman genetic side muscles that immediately pop out after a few side bends!
Oh – before I forget, add squats with heels raised as a no-no!
Cheers
Ged
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What kind of russian twist are not recomended: seated, standing, on fit ball,…?
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cbathletics Reply:
February 17th, 2011 at 5:28 am
All russian twists. It’s not because they don’t work the abs, but because it causes too much stress on the spine to be worth the effort. You can use other exercises to work the abdominals/torso without bending, rotation, etc.
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Instead Of crunches what can i do alternatively
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Awesome list Craig. I cut out the bodybuilder bench and stick to incline variations and suspended pushups and a nagging rotator cuff injury I use to have is non existent now.
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Hi,
Went to the gym today and follwed your instruction of stop doing bodybuilding Barbell Bench Presses. However, I replaced for dumbell chest presses (I was surprised with how much weight I could lift without feeling it that challenging, problably you wouldn’t be impressed but I’m a small guy 1.63 mt and 55 kilograms, sorry to use the metric system I’m from Colombia), but I felt I wasn’t doing a motion that was very different to what I normally do on bench presses. Is there also a proper technique for the dumbell presses, similar to what you described for the barbell one? Should I be tucking my shoulders too during this exercies?
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cbathletics Reply:
February 23rd, 2011 at 4:12 pm
Yes, slightly.
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Andres Reply:
February 23rd, 2011 at 6:42 pm
by the way i meant tucking my elbows.
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I think that this is good advice for some of the exercises listed (such as the bodybuilder bench press), however, some of the exercises here that have been labeled “dangerous” really aren’t. In the end, the person doing the exercise has the most control and if someone has proper form and pace when doing some of the exercises such as sit-ups, crunches, and dips then there is little chance for injury. People only hurt themselves when doing these exercises if they are complete idiots and have the wrong form and pace.
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So, is the bodybuilder bench press different from regular barbell bench??
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Hi Craig!
Awesome post!
TOM
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Thanks for the helpful info. Some of the science is a little over my head. Actually, it’s way over my head, but I can rely on your expertise to translate. I would like to feature this article on my blog. Thanks again.
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