The test of time usually works. Futile fads like sweatboxes, vibrating belts, and most tips from the odd, ponytailed Tony Little have died out quickly enough. But a few bad exercises have persisted, and exercise physiologists don’t see how these ineffective and sometimes dangerous maneuvers have survived. Take the lat pulldown, for example, which most people perform behind their heads. Unless you're very flexible, that’s a recipe for “weightlifter’s shoulder”—a painful impingement in which the muscles and tendons of the rotator cuff become entrapped in the shoulder joint. In fact, lat pulldowns are just the kind of “unsafe behavior” that scientists at Arkansas State University say account for 63 percent of all weightlifting–related ER visits. Purge them and the rest of these body breakers from your routine, and keep your name off of the disabled list for good.
1. Behind-the-Neck Shoulder Presses
Just as lat pulldowns strain your shoulders on the way down, this exercise hurts them on the way up, says David Pearson, Ph.D., director of the Strength Research Laboratory at Ball State University. It also puts too much stress on the acromioclavicular joints (those little knobs on the tops of your shoulders), which can lead to weightlifter’s shoulder.
Safe Alternative:Alternating Shoulder Press. Sit on a Swiss ball and hold a pair of dumbbells just outside of your shoulders with your arms bent and palms facing each other. Press the left weight overhead until your arm is completely straight. Pause, then slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position and repeat with your right arm. Do 3 sets of 20 total reps, alternating arms.
Many guys perform sit-ups by locking their hands behind their heads, increasing their risk of neck pain. But even if you perform them properly (by lightly touching your fingertips behind your ears), they’re still one of the least-effective abdominal exercises you can do, according to a study at San Diego State University.
Safe Alternative: Wrist-to-Knee Crunch. Lie face-up with your hips and legs bent 90 degrees so that your lower legs are parallel to the floor. Place your fingers on the sides of your forehead. Lift your shoulders off the floor and hold them there. Twist your upper body to the right as you pull your right knee in as fast as you can until it touches your left wrist. Simultaneously straighten your left leg. Return to the starting position and repeat to the right. Do 3 sets of 20 reps.
3. Seated Leg Press
This exercise can force your spine to flex without engaging any of the stabilization muscles in your hips, glutes, shoulders, and lower back. The result: Back pain.
Safe Alternative:Body-Weight Squats. Stand as tall as you can with your feet spread shoulder-width apart. Lower your body as far as you can by pushing your hips back and bending your knees. Pause, then slowly push yourself back to the starting position. Aim for 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps.
4. Upright Row
About two-thirds of men are at high risk for shoulder impingement when performing this popular upper-trap exercise. Impingement most often occurs when your upper arms are simultaneously at shoulder level or higher and rotated inward—the exact position they’re in at the top of the upright row.
Safe Alternative:Barbell Shrug. Grab a barbell with an overhand grip that’s just beyond shoulder-width apart, and let the bar hang at arm’s length in front of your waist. Keeping your back naturally arched, lean forward at your hips. Shrug your shoulders as high as you can. Pause, then reverse the movement back to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
Repeatedly flexing your back while it’s supporting weight places pressure on your spine and increases your risk of back pain.
Safe Alternative:The Bird-Dog. Crouch on all fours, extend your right arm forward, and extend your left leg backward. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds, and then repeat with your left arm and right leg. Do 3 sets of 20 total reps.
6. Straight Bar Curls
If you let your arms hang loosely by your sides, you’ll notice that your palms face inward. The problem with straight bar curls is that they lock your arms into an unnatural palms-up position. “In so doing, you’re stressing your elbow joints, and that can lead to tendinitis,” says Pearson.
Safe Alternative:EZ Bar Curls. The bar is angled to put your elbows in a more natural neutral position. Grab an EZ-curl bar with an underhand, shoulder-width grip (palms facing slightly inward). Let the bar hang at arm’s length in front of your waist. Without moving your upper arms, bend your elbows and curl the bar as close to your shoulders as you can. Pause, then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.