Worst exercise you see in the gym is ?

[Hosehead]

For me it's the pulldown behind the neck. I don't see it is as often as I used to but it makes me cringe every time I see it. Inevitably the guy is rounding his upper back and yanking his neck forward to do it, always with a lot of momentum. Say goodbye to your rotator cuffs dummy. As for the most poorly performed exercise I have to go with squats. I am bored and have little to contribute at this time.

[fmrdh]

Guys who roll their shoulders doing heavy shrugs. Asking for an injury right there.

[cog]

Agree with those two Hosehead with squats being the most entertaining .Tim Belknap used to roll with db's but apparently it's bad.Dorian would pull up and then back with db's.

[TT Eric]

Every partial ROM exercises, curl from 90 degree and swinging the shoulders up, basically keeping the biceps isometric all the way, or half (even 1/8) squats, same for leg press and dip, overhead press going from the top of the head and up, half bench press DB or BB... etc. What's dramatic, is seeing trainers doing those them self.

One that is funny and it's like an infection, more and more people are doing it like if it was a real exercise and sometime by people that seems to train since quite a while... is the one that people standing upright and holding a dumbbell in a hammer curl position arm at 90 degree and are moving from right to left like if they are opening a refrigerator door and closing it repeatedly.

But usually when I see someone doing something wrong by ignorance (usually newbies) I can't stay on my bench watching, almost every day I help someone, either poor form, common mistake like elbow lock for side raise DB, round back at DL or squats, going way too far on the hyper extension etc...

Eric

[Canadian Protein.com]

Lateral raises! Every hits every other muscle EXCEPT the middle delt.

[steve_d]

I might point out that some of the examples above aren't necessarily wrong... But I do agree, most of the time people do them because they just don't know better.

For example, squatting ass to grass isn't the only way to squat. Even a 1/8th squat can have a benefit! As for leg presses, I have found for myself that going less deep has actually helped me MORE... The deep leg presses was the source of most of my hip/back injuries.

the 'fridge exercise!' haha, like the comparison... I do see that ALOT, and either everyone has a shoulder injury they are trying to rehab, or trainers nowadays are starting to think of it as a real bulking exercise. I've done it, and variations of it for a while when I have problems in my shoulders.

Also - I've always said there is no 'wrong way to exercise' unless you are doing it in a way that promotes a high risk of injury. Perhaps more effective ways to target a muscle, but still, it isn't wrong...It's the same principal as saying 'cheated bicep curls are bad' ... they aren't necessarily bad - and if they were, then spotted lifts when you approach failure would also be bad.


Anyway, moral of the story, just because you see funny stuff in the gym, doesn't always mean they don't know what they're doing. Sometimes its quite the opposite. However 9 times out of 10, they just don't know what they're doing...

[fmrdh]

The worst exercise without a doubt has to be the endless sets of "sit on the bench and text".

[tex]

anything that has smith machine in the title......its just gay.....ive used it before and i always feel like less of a man......

[Nirus]

cable cross overs.... or (standing cable bench press??) i have no idea wtf they're trying to do but it isn't a cross over, might be the 100+ lbs they using lol

[Hosehead]

Just got back from doing arms. Tonight I saw what I'd say is top five worst squatting display ever. Two guys loaded up a whopping two plates a side and did LITERALLY six inch squats with a fast tempo. Yes, Steve, squats don't have to be ass to grass but these were comical and their legs showed how little work they were doing. I'm 43,stupid, and I have a torn meniscus and still go to just above parallel (as far as I can go without it blowing up again). Then of course they left the weights on the bar for someone else to take off. Must have been proud of their feat. ****ing turds. ****ing Goodlife.

[pseclint]

standing military press gets me all the time, just seems like it is just asking to wreck your lower back

[tex]

standing military press gets me all the time, just seems like it is just asking to wreck your lower back jim wendler would say...if you dont pee sitting down then why would you do your overhead pressing sitting down.....

[TT Eric]

anything that has smith machine in the title......its just gay.....ive used it before and i always feel like less of a man......

He don't say that I use it, when you raise and hook the bar up high, it make a good chind-up bar!!! Instead of those rubber-twisting/turning crap handles they offer on the assisted chin-ups machines !! :)

Eric

[cog]

jim wendler would say...if you dont pee sitting down then why would you do your overhead pressing sitting down.....


Some guys turn it into a near incline press...done correctly I would say its valuable.

[pseclint]

As KP would say..........

P.E. Kid: When you did steroids, did they make your balls shrink?
Kenny Powers: Oh, you think that's funny? How 'bout I show you my balls right now and you can tell me if they shrunk, huh? No, for your information, I have full-size balls. Next question.

[tex]

ooooooooweeeee....i can feel it down in my plums.....

[Skailes]

anything that has smith machine in the title......its just gay.....Ive used it before and i always feel like less of a man......Funny I use the smith for a number of pressing exercises and I've managed to develop a decent physique......

[steve_d]

Funny I use the smith for a number of pressing exercises and I've managed to develop a decent physique......

Same... I never used to use Smiths for anything - until I had an injury, and not only did it help me get through the injury, I couldn't believe the pumps I would get from hitting the muscle slightly different than before. I now always use smiths in my workouts (upper and lower body)...I've said it before and I'll say it again - unless the exercise promotes injury, there is no bad exercise.

[tex]

Funny I use the smith for a number of pressing exercises and I've managed to develop a decent physique...... yeah youve got a great physique....but i lift for strength.....and ive got a 79" reach @ a height of 6'4" so the smith locks me into a nasty bar path just like 99% of the other machines out there.....functional strength is key to me and machines just dont give me that........

[Skailes]

yeah youve got a great physique....but i lift for strength.....and ive got a 79" reach @ a height of 6'4" so the smith locks me into a nasty bar path just like 99% of the other machines out there.....functional strength is key to me and machines just dont give me that........Ah so you have both specific goals as well as limitations....now this makes more sense. I can fully understand your situation as there are a number of machines that due to their "size" I just don't fit into properly, and my wife of only 5' has a similar issue due to her diminutive size...machines are built for the general public and not those that are quite tall, short or large.....Just gotta make due....Oh and back when I was PLing or competing in strongman then I would also limit machine use, but for BBing machines do have many benefits.

[Durk]

I saw a guy today who did jump bent over rows followed by extremely slow deadlifts on both the negative and positive. I think he was a personal trainer lol

[cog]

Sounds almost like it would have to turn into a high pull with a jump.How could you jump while still bent over?

[Durk]

He was doing it slightly bent like dorian

[cog]

Sounds retarded.Has to be a cross fitter.

[Durk]

yeah but would a cross fitter do regular deads at the speed of a straight leg dead? I cant believe these guys get paid.

[Skailes]

yeah but would a cross fitter do regular deads at the speed of a straight leg dead? I cant believe these guys get paid.It's sad that they get paid and have no inkling of how to train....I can just imagine what their clients get outta training with their leadership....herniated discs, tendinitis etc etc....and no perceivable improvements in body composition....wallet composition does show signs of decreasing though!!