Five ineffective exercises for Fat Loss, that most people still do
November 18, 2008
There are plenty of things people do in the gym and with their training routines that are ineffective for fat loss. Here are 5 that I see on a regular basis.
- Leg Extensions - First off, these can be very bad for your knees. I don’t recommend doing these if you have bad knees, and further I don’t recommend doing these if you have good knees. I have treated too many people that have injured their knees from doing leg extensions. The shear forces that are place on the knee joint are too high and there are many other way better alternatives (i.e. squats, lunges.) Besides the danger, this exercise is a waste of time if you are trying to burn fat.
- Stability Ball Crunches - 99.999999% of the people that do stability ball crunches do the wrong. With that said, they are not that effective in working your abs as other exercises. Besides, there is a lot of research coming out that talks about how stressful crunches can be on the spine.
- Leg and Hip Machines (abductor and adductor machines) - There are various types of leg and hip machines, but the kinds I am talking about basically open and close your legs. I cringe every time I see people in the gym doing these. First off, they place a lot of stress on the groin musculature and not in a good way. More so, they are a huge waste of time. Another single joint exercise that burns no fat, doesn’t do a whole lot of strengthening, does about zero “toning” and yet again, places the person on their butt. That is the last place you need to be if you are trying to burn fat.
- Biceps curls and triceps extensions - Now I don’t have a problem with these two movements and I use them myself, but remember what we are talking about here…FAT LOSS!! I watch people in the gym that are trying to shed unwanted fat all of the time, and most still spend a good portion of their workout performing single joint arm exercises such as the bicep curl and triceps extension. These two movements wont do much at all for fat loss. If you want to tone your arms, do multi joint exercises such as presses and pulls and wait until you reach your fat loss goal before hitting the arms directly.
- Elliptical Machines - Yes, in the beginning of your weight loss journey these machines will burn some fat, but not for long. There are better ways. Elliptical machines are a momentum based machine that helps you more than it resists you. This is not good for fat burning. Stationary bikes, and treadmills are much more effective for fat burning. Don’t believe me, do your own test. See which machine you can stay on longer at a high intensity. I bet the elliptical wins. That is not a good thing either. It means it is easier. Did you ever wonder why the elliptical machines are all taken in your gym? It’s the easiest machine and most people will do what is easy before they will do what is difficult.
If you are trying to burn fat and lose weight, and any of these exercises are in your plan, you need to reconsider and do things that actually will make a difference. Any exercise is better than nothing, but why waste your time doing things that are barely effective?
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