Stupidest / pointless exercises

[#8]

I feel that there are a number of really dumb exercises that I see A LOT of people doing at the gym. I too fell victim to this as for my first year or two of training I really had no idea what I was doing either.

IMO the lamest and most pointless exercises (in no particular order) are:

Shrugs (of any kind). Really dumb exercise that IMO causes nothing but a sore neck for several days and a solid forearm pump.

Calf Presses. Why anyone does these I will never understand. If you want big calves, squat more weight.

Pec Deck. This machine is just terrible in general. There are so many much better variations of this chest exercise that can be done with dumbbells or even cables.

Quad extensions. I really hope I dont have to explain myself on this one.

Please feel free to tell me why Im a retard or post up some of the exercises you think are dumb.

[PdH]

You want big traps, you gotta shrug. If you're just getting a sore neck from it, you're not doing it right.

Anybody with decent calves does calf raises (standing, seated, donkey). Care to share how squatting directly affects calves for maximum growth and contraction? What are you talking about dude?

Pec dec isn't great but it can be useful when one has to work around injuries.

Quad extensions. Not my favorite but some people with good quads swear by them. Is there a Mr Olympia that didn't use them?

As for what I consider to be useless exercises, apart from some machines and some of the things made up by these new-age personal trainers, I can't think of many off hand if they're done with decent form.

[gettinbigger]

Ah man I don't agree with your list! I think each of those exercises are important tools. Now I would say that I hate and therefore find completely useless all that stoopid core work I used to have to do for hockey...I blame all that for my blocky waist. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[#8]

I just really dont see the benefit from a shrug at all. I used to pile on the plates and do them heavy as hell (for me), and saw nothing. I did dumbells, barbells, high reps, low reps, shrug machines, in front, in back, and I never got anything but a sore neck and a mild pump at best.

As soon as I started doing hang / power cleans my traps got much bigger and stronger immediately and I never had any neck pain again.

I understand this is a bodybuilding board, but I still think leg extensions and calf presses are a waste of time. I dont have huge calves by any stretch but they are still bigger than most of the guys I train around, even the bigger guys, and I never do calf work at all and havnt in years.

Maybe its just me.

[tiramisu]

If you want big traps, heavy deadlifts and powercleans do the trick just fine. Shrugs are almost as pointless as crunches.

[gicantor]

I love BB shrugs. It's all I do for traps. Other than hitting them with deadlifting of course. And IMO my traps are pretty decent. And I agree with PDH if your neck was sore your doing it wrong.

I throw in pec dec for shits and giggles but don't consider it a staple in my chest routine it's for fun. I dont even count those as working sets.

I do calf raises to.


Now a inner/outer thigh machine. THAT is a pointless exercise lol......



If you want big traps, heavy deadlifts and powercleans do the trick just fine. Shrugs are almost as pointless as crunches.

I disagree.

[Dryvrgrl]

Now a inner/outer thigh machine. THAT is a pointless exercise lol......




.

X2..

8 pound wrist twists or wrist curls... WTF.. DUMBEST excercise

1000 crunches a day... 24 inch waist, Don't hate the excercise for your barrel belly! ;) (eighted side crunches I just dont understand.. way you wanna get thicker sides?

LOVE SHRUGS!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! plus it makes boys squirm watching somone my size shrug 225!

Everyone is so down on Core stuff! I like plank with a plate on my back. I think you gotta remember though, fitness holds are like 75% core strength, and 25% balance (ok maybe a little strength in there lol)Since I upped my core workouts, holds have gotten easier to hold longer.. did that make sence?

quad extension is helpful for holding a pike hold long.. for me its a practical excercise... I do pause quads in a 21... takes a while, burns like hell

[ange_d]

there is no pointless exercise. All exercises will give you some sort of benefit.

[steve_d]

there is no pointless exercise. All exercises will give you some sort of benefit.

x2. I know what you guys mean about certain exercise not being as good as others, but there is always a benefit to an exercise done properly.

Leg extensions and calf presses?? What? Those are crucial in my mind! And inner and outer thigh machines...I just started doing those this past month, to try and warm up some injuries before getting to leg presses and squats. By the time I get to the "real" exercises, my legs are already pumped.

Wrist twists, same idea...if rehabing an injury, these little things can be of use.

Again, everything is useful if done correctly.

[L3]

quad extensions ftw.... jers lets compare ;)


oh yeah, to be completley honest, i NEVER train calves, i squat heavy.... and my calves still look like shit

[Big D]

oh yeah, to be completley honest, i NEVER train calves, i squat heavy.... and my calves still look like shit

X2

[Talo]

I like doing shrugs . More so for the grip work , but I still feel it in the traps.

Anything done right will work.

[tiramisu]

There are tons of pointless, useless exercises. Go into any gym and watch people exercising for hour after hour never gaining strength or muscle. 90% of the excercises performed in a gym are if not useless at least pointless and generally have the opposite effect of what is desired.

Shrugs are an excellent example. If you were doing deads or power cleans, shrugs would be pointless.

Leg extensions. If you were doing squats leg extensions would be pointless.

Crunches. If you picked up any heavy weight while standing on your feet then crunches would be pointless.

Put something heavy on your back while standing and bend your legs
Pick something heavy of the ground while standing
Put something heavy over your head while standing
Pull yourself up
Push something heavy away from yourself while lying down
Pull something heavy towards you while lying down

If it doesn't fall into one of these general classes I'd put it in the "useless" bin.

[Talo]

I disagree. Nothing is pointless. Shrugs work, leg extensions and crunches all work. Just because we dont do them or there are better things to do instead. If an out of shape person starts walking it's going to help them lose weight and build strength in their legs. Is this something that we would use to build strength in our legs , no we use it as cardio . We use squats to build strength. If they are going to do the leg extension machine , your going to tell them that , that is a useless machine and not to do it ? Why , they are doing something that is helping them 100% .

Yeah - Squat , dead , press and bench.... repeat ....blah ,blah blah.... It's all I do. But when I see other people doing other things all I say is "good for you , it's about ****ing time you got off your ass and did something".



Go into any gym and watch people exercising for hour after hour never gaining strength or muscle

They don't know what they are doing and they have a shitty diet.

[bigtavi8]

I thought u were going to say pointless exercises like those ppl doing 60lb DB press on a bosu ball on one leg. LOL. anything involving the ball or resistance bands in a bodybuilding.

But leg extensions? Yes i agree its no squat but if you do all your heavy compound movements leg extensions can add cuts and seperation to the quads like no other. Its not a heavy compound movement but an isolation for the quads. To each there own but shurgs and leg extensions are and will always be important to me because they work.

[Talo]

I don't think leg extensions will add cuts and separation to the quad. I believe that is something that happens because of genetics and low body fat.

[tiramisu]

Pointless may be an exageration but there a lot better ways of developing a mature physique than isolation exercises.

... and like Talo I'm convinced that structure, seperation, definition etc are mostly under the control of your parents and your diet.

[natenator]

I don't think leg extensions will add cuts and separation to the quad. I believe that is something that happens because of genetics and low body fat.

:D

[#8]

Pointless may be an exageration but there a lot better ways of developing a mature physique than isolation exercises.

... and like Talo I'm convinced that structure, seperation, definition etc are mostly under the control of your parents and your diet.

Thats what Im saying. Diet and hard work.

[Shortdave]

I don't think leg extensions will add cuts and separation to the quad. I believe that is something that happens because of genetics and low body fat.



Nope, you are wrong. Leg extensions (just like cable crossovers) are designed to only work out the areas between the muscles fibres. You can't get sweet, sweet striations if you don't train them.

[warlock]

most of the time the exercises are not stupid the application of them is.

Like bodybuilder that brag about doing hundreds of crunches

[vakker]

most of the time the exercises are not stupid the application of them is.

Like bodybuilder that brag about doing hundreds of crunches

anything on those silly balls, anything with those silly bands and anything that involves you showing off your poonan to the whole gym.

not that I mind.

[Forever]

Go into any gym and watch people exercising for hour after hour never gaining strength or muscle.
IMO this is usually diet or inconsistency. The guy who works out 5 days a week, for 3 months out of the year isn't going to get much further then the guy who eats lucky charms for breakfast and Gatorade as a post workout drink.

The internet taught me "squat! bench! dead! overhead press!
This was all I did for years, but I started making my best gains once I started doing isolation work as well. The squat dead and bench are still staples for me, but I swear if I hear one more person say "dead, squat and bench is all you need" .... or "just do deads, your biceps will grow" or any of this silly sort of shit......:beat

[tiramisu]

Everyone should be doing dumbbell raises, biceps curls, leg extension, calf raises, ham curls, triceps extensions, wrist curls, crunches, and use the smith machine for anything resembling a squat.

You don't want to hurt your hands on those icky barbells or deal with those stinky men in the squat rack soaked in sweat or lying on the floor gasping for breath.

Strong arms are made with dumbbell curls and great delts from dumbbell raises. Those squats just make you but big and deadlifting will make your waist wide.

So instead of deads, squats and bench real bodybuilders do arm curls, dumbbell raises, pec deck, and shrugs. Go into any gym and you'll see everyone doing it. They must be right.

[PdH]

Everyone should be doing dumbbell raises, biceps curls, leg extension, calf raises, ham curls, triceps extensions, wrist curls, crunches, and use the smith machine for anything resembling a squat.
You don't want to hurt your hands on those icky barbells or deal with those stinky men in the squat rack soaked in sweat or lying on the floor gasping for breath.
Strong arms are made with dumbbell curls and great delts from dumbbell raises. Those squats just make you but big and deadlifting will make your waist wide.
So instead of deads, squats and bench real bodybuilders do arm curls, dumbbell raises, pec deck, and shrugs. Go into any gym and you'll see everyone doing it. They must be right.

Ok, well this is a rather feeble attempt at diverting from the original question at hand to justify your opinion. No one is disputing the value of basic compound exercises, but to suggest that they are all that is needed to create a finished physique is just fallacious.

I don't know how many gyms you've been to, but in my 29 years of training in gyms, it's pretty obvious that any bodybuilder worth their salt uses isolation exercises to supplement their growth and muscle shape. Simply put, arm curls, dumbbell raises, pec deck, and shrugs all have a useful place in bodybuilding practice.

[HULK]

You want big traps, you gotta shrug. If you're just getting a sore neck from it, you're not doing it right.

Anybody with decent calves does calf raises (standing, seated, donkey). Care to share how squatting directly affects calves for maximum growth and contraction? What are you talking about dude?

Pec dec isn't great but it can be useful when one has to work around injuries.

Quad extensions. Not my favorite but some people with good quads swear by them. Is there a Mr Olympia that didn't use them?

As for what I consider to be useless exercises, apart from some machines and some of the things made up by these new-age personal trainers, I can't think of many off hand if they're done with decent form.


Excellent response...

[HULK]

anything on those silly balls, anything with those silly bands and anything that involves you showing off your poonan to the whole gym.

not that I mind.


LOL

[tiramisu]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwN9SqqIRAk&feature=player_embedded

http://weightliftingexchange.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=438&Itemid=60

[warlock]

anything on those silly balls, anything with those silly bands and anything that involves you showing off your poonan to the whole gym.

not that I mind.

People like you keep me in business.

Thanks

[Victor85]

*Groan* Oh great, one of these threads again. Lets throw the topic of squats too parallel and form and lets see some fur fly.
:popc

[nisser]

Anything that a personal trainer makes you do. They're starting to really ****ing piss me off. I think they come up with the most complex and most retarded exercises so the fatties become more lost and dependent on them.

[JifeLacket]

^^^ Yes. Canadian cycling hired a strength and conditioning guy for me a long time ago, after a few sessions I basically told him to **** off. He came up with the most retarded shit.

[natenator]

I trained at a gym where the traimer somehow knew i played football. He had his clients do all sorts lf whacky crap. One day he was there with a client and they were doing some jungle gym exercise and he looked at me and said i must be familiar with these from my football days. I replied saying no, we didnt have to do anything that stupid.

He never talked to me again lol

[BAM]

http://i52.tinypic.com/m76sf6.jpg

[cog]

Well,some people might think shrugs are a waste of time but they helped me out once.I dropped a 180 piece bundle of 20 foot rebars about 10 feet from the curb.Don't ask how.Friday morning rush hour in a slight drizzle.Put out some pylons.I think that weighs about 1200-1300 lbs,banded in three places,it will flex.I had a strap with a loop at each end,I placed the middle over a few of the bars,near lockout,give'er.Move it an inch or two,go to the other end,back and forth,breathing hard.Get it to the curb finally,break the bands,load it on the truck 7 or 8 at a time,hop in the truck,drenched in sweat.

[Stoneco|d]

IMO nothing is useless, everything done properly will help you. Shrugs are not useless, you must have been high.

[#8]

^^ compared to a hang clean, I find them rather useless and adopted mostly by guys who like to load plates on machines so everybody watches them move more weight than they should 3-4 inches. I dont know about you but Im impressed.

[cog]

IMO nothing is useless, everything done properly will help you. Shrugs are not useless, you must have been high.

No,but I didn't have any time to talk to cops.

[O-Train]

Shrugs are useful when someone starts talking about them and I shrug my shoulders as if to say: I don't know what else to tell you...

Shrugs: a redundant portion of other more effective exercises and part of any meat head's well balanced breakfast...I mean workout program.

Now where did that stirring the pot emoticon go...

[cog]

Shrugs are useful when someone starts talking about them and I shrug my shoulders as if to say: I don't know what else to tell you...

Shrugs: a redundant portion of other more effective exercises and part of any meat head's well balanced breakfast...I mean workout program.



Now where did that stirring the pot emoticon go...

IIRC,Arnie used to do a little stone lifting,700 a few inches once a week at one time.

[O-Train]

I've never heard that before. Although I wouldn't put stone lifting in the same category as shrugs. It kinda sounds more along the lines of something Franco Columbo would do but I wouldn't put it past Arnold to try anything :).


IIRC,Arnie used to do a little stone lifting,700 a few inches once a week at one time.

[west]

Is this suppose to be a stupid thread about nothing, I can't believe I read through it, time well wasted I guess :confused:

[JifeLacket]

*smart thread about a lot of interesting things

[cog]

I've never heard that before. Although I wouldn't put stone lifting in the same category as shrugs. It kinda sounds more along the lines of something Franco Columbo would do but I wouldn't put it past Arnold to try anything :).

IIRC,there was a rope attached to the stone and a platform above it,the few inches were near lockout.

[cog]

Could have been in the original edition of Arnold's Bodybuilding For Men.Had one early 80,s and had it stolen.

[O-Train]

It sounds a lot like a rack pull except with a rope and stone.

[cog]

Except with a rope you can find the perfect center.

[JacktheThriller]

anything with one leg in the air or an aspect of having to balance and lift heavy weights is just asking for trouble, lift weights and walk a tight rope on your other free time. Combining all these different goals into one exercise is stupid

[cog]

Turkish getup?

[Thorgrim]

Tricep kickbacks are garbage.

I do calf raises though. My calves are resistant to growth and squats alone don't do much.

[Sean Summers]

I don't feel that these exercises are useless. They each have their own benefits. For me I don't touch shrugs as my traps grow fine with rows. Remember that is the what make bodybuilding unique. What works for one may not work for you now. You have to find what works for you and go with it.

[cog]

Tricep kickbacks are garbage.

I do calf raises though. My calves are resistant to growth and squats alone don't do much.

In the mid 80's I would do a strict set of kickbacks to warm up and then do heavy cheat style sets,attempting to hold at the peak.This cheat style is a natural power movement.Think digging a large hole by hand.

[natenator]

there is nothing wrong with kickbacks at all.