What exercises do you more harm than good?

[beachguy498]

I don't do any exercises where I can't see my hands. This prevents me from doing anything that feels un-natural that may hurt me, although I see plenty of people doing them. I love my preacher curls though. Skull crushers are out. I also do about 2/3 pull and 1/3 push exercises.

Rob

[waknickm]

Leg extensions give me knee problems and I have to be careful with dips. I have to remove the weight slowly when doing weighted dips, I cannot just hop to the ground when I am done or my right tricep will hurt. If I use the foot stool and slowly remove the presure, I have no issue with the dips though.

[PrivateFreedom]

Upright rows do a number on my shoulders...

Preacher curls hurt my inner arms at the insertion point, so I keep it to 3/4 range of motion and every other wkt to every third.

[Silentpoet]

Funny enough my shoulders like upright rows.

[socket]

Thanks for the input everybody. There are a few exercises that seem to be tops on the list. The best part about this thread is seeing so many work around their issues and keep up the training. Adapting instead of giving up and calling it quits.

There is always a way around a problem if you are really determined not to give in to weakness.

And 40 is really young lol. I started serious strength training in my fifties.

And you sir have done an excellent job of working your way around your issues

The only exercise I won't do is skull crushers. I can do pretty much everything else.

I understand the spirit of the thread, but it does bear saying that any exercise will do more good than harm if it is done properly.

Ray

For the most part I agree. I'd say there are a few exceptions, but not many.

Good thread, have actually been thinking about stopping lifting all together the last few months. Been doing it for 22 years.

That isn't an option for me. I will not stop until I have a major injury or my doctor tells me I'm going to die if I keep doing it

as many on here know, I have always been a proponent of the RELATIVE AND PERSONAL aspect of lifting, meaning, that everyone must find what works for THEIR body, however, one thing you will always see with these kind of threads:

the same exercises keep popping up.....the usual suspects.....

now: either this means that they simply are , not good for us, or, that maybe they have the greatest propensity FOR BEING DONE INCORRECTLY!

and incorrect, in BB, means, not only technique, BUT: numbers of sets and reps , AND amount of weight used!

so, what I am saying is that, perhaps you CAN do "skull crushers' but only if you switch the technique to X , and change the weight to Y and only do Z numbers of reps...etc and so on....

think of customization of exercises as a three dimensional thing: manner in which you do it, number of times you do it, and amount of weight you use...

they are ALL intimately associated with each other when "figuring" out whether you can do a particular movement.

Great post John. I don't disagree with any of it.

I have to vary the angles on tricep moves constantly to avoid irritating the elbows.

I've had to do this since I was about 35 y.o.

Any exercise that causes joint pain or compromises muscle tissue integrity, and YMMV on the exercises.

Again, JMO. YMMV

Very true. It is the reality of the human body.

Some observations over 21 years; YMMV:


Many trainees have shoulder problems with Upright Rows. Lateral Raises are a logical choice for a substitute.

Some trainees have elbow problems from Skull Crushers. Potential subs are French Presses with an EZ curl bar or Overhead Extensions with either dumbbells or a cable.

I don't recommend doing any exercise "behind the neck." There's just not a good enough benefit-to-risk ratio in any of them.

I don't recommend Leg Extensions for anything other than light warmups or at the end of a leg workout when the quads are already exhausted and only moderate weight will be use. Shearing forces from such open-chain exercises caused by the quads having no antagonist working against the back of the knee will cause the knees to track out of alignment. Add heavy weight and repetitions to that equation, and over time, the result can't be good.

Thanks for the contribution. Your words carry much weight on this site(pun intended )
I forgot about upright rows. I had to give those up in my early 30's. I did them for fifteen years pretty much none stop. They finally got to me.

[socket]

Good thread Socket and great post Greystoke. My shoulders are stuffed after 5 reconstructions so pressing has been almost totally replaced by pull-ups, pull downs and rows. My elbows get tweaky whenever I do dips or skulls and I've got to go slow and controlled on any curls for the same reason

5 reconstructions! Wow, I couldn't imagine. Good on for not quitting.

[DontMusclWantng]

Not to hijack, but it would be interesting to know how taking out a major lift affects muscular development. For example, if you can't overhead press and your delts are well developed or growing fine without the lift, then people who say OHP is overrated or too risky may be right.

What's wrong with doing a seated dumbbell shoulder press?

[socket]

Funny enough my shoulders like upright rows.

That's unusual. My shoulders were giving me fits a couple years ago. I had to make changes, and so far the changes I made have worked. Broom stick stretches twice a day everyday, I started doing face pulls religiously, and I changed my bench from flared elbows to tucked, more of a PL style. But also, I now focus on keeping my scapular retracted, trying to keep my shoulders from rolling forward in everything I do from Bench, BOR, squats, etc.

[Silentpoet]

I grip the bar just on the knurling or maybe 1 finger on smooth of the bar for upright rows.