Worst Gym Machines and Their Alternatives | Workout & Exercises slideshows | Physical activities center

Just Because Your Gym Has It, Doesn't Mean You Should use

Not all gym equipment is useful or even safe. Some of it was created because it seemed like a good idea at the time, and turned out not to be. Some has never been a good idea. Among the worst offenders are pieces that have been with us for years and some relative newcomers, but they all have one thing in common: you're best off avoiding them. Read on to find out which gym equipment you're better off without, and what the dangers of some of these machines can really be to your health!

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Robert Douglass by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/robertdouglass/284617740/
www.fitbie.com/get-fit/tips/10-exercise-machines-you-must-avoid
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/gym-exercise-machines
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/blogs/the-human-condition/2009/05/13/the-five-worst-gym-machines-top-trainers-tell-what-doesn-t-work.html
http://www.prevention.com/fitness/fitness-tips/10-most-useless-exercise-machines

Seated Leg Extension: Your Orthopedic Surgeon's Favorite Move (For Other People To Do!)

Weighted leg extensions are a pretty poor idea. While they're meant for strengthening the quadriceps, they're actually better at gradually damaging the knee tendons and you won't find an orthopedic surgeon doing this exercise; they've put too many knees back together in surgery of people who loved this exercise a little bit too much. If you want big, strong quadriceps, try front squats instead, or backward sled drags. Movements that let you use your legs naturally will help you develop bigger, stronger quadriceps without isolating, and damaging, your joints, and there's usually some conditioning carryover too. Who has bigger quads - Olympic lifters, or the guy who won't get off the leg extension machine?

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Photo courtesy of Penn State by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/pennstatelive/4946593338/

Rotary Torso Machine - For Training Your Obliques

The rotary torso machine is an attempt to make the training you can do on gym machines a bit more functional and useful. Many real, everyday movements involve some torsion, and so do a great many sports movements. But the typical abdominal training in a gym isn't geared to rotary moves at all. Hence the rotary torso machine. However, the rotary torso machine works by locking your hips in place and only allowing your waist to move. That's unwise whatever your condition, and if you're prone to spine injuries, this might be where you find out, by way of damaged ligaments or worse. It's a mechanically inefficient position that offers way to much risk of injury to be worth its negligible health benefits.

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Seated Shoulder Press Forces Your Shoulders Out of Alignment

What's wrong with the seated shoulder press? Well, it's seated. Doing your overhead work while seated on a bench takes the legs out of the movement, puts the spine in a weal position and reduces the core's ability to brace itself. When you press overhead in a standing position, the glutes activate to stabilize the spine, and the lower back maintains its natural shape. Pressing in a sitting position tends to round out the back and deactivates the core and glutes, weakening the back. That puts the shoulders in a bad position, and limits the correct movement of the thoracic spine. The bottom line? Do your shoulder press work standing.

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Photo courtesy of GeorgeStepanek by Wikimedia Commons : commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ShoulderPressMachineExercise.JPG

Behind the Neck Seated Lat Pulldowns - Only For the Highly Flexible

There's nothing strictly wrong with behind the neck pulling and pressing work. But there may be something wrong with you doing it. People whose shoulders have relatively little space inside the joint have trouble with overhead movements - both pushing and pulling. Pressing directly overhead can be a problem, irritating the shoulders, and while pulling is usually better for shoulder health than pushing, anything behind the neck is going to put a big strain on your shoulders. Don't misunderstand me - if your shoulders will accommodate this movement, it's not a bad one. But if you're doing it because you saw Will Smith do it in I Am Legend, you might want to look for an alternative.

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Photo courtesy of Rambo_is_God by Photobucket : media.photobucket.com/user/Rambo_is_God/media/DSCN0320.jpg.html?filters[term]=lat%20pulldown&filters[primary]=images&filters[secondary]=videos&sort=1&o=4

Seated Hip Abductor Machine - Dangerous to the Spine

The seated hip abductor machine is supposed to train the hip abductors, including the glutes. The fact is, though, that it trains a non-functional movement with little functional carryover and the isolated, planar nature of the movement isn't especially good for the spine. In fact, training this way is a good way to injure your spine! Why not replace the hip abductor machine with a good glute exercise, like glute bridges, and get your other abductor work with resistance bands or by working on your squat stance? your spine and knees will thank you for it down the line.

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Photo courtesy of Vicky Somma by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/tgaw/8307489640/

Abdominal Crunches Cause Excessive Lower Back Flexion

Abdominal crunches are a dangerous and ineffective waste of time. They were designed to allow the first generation of steroid-abusing bodybuilders to tighten up their ''roid guts' without adding additional muscle to their midsections - in other words, they were designed to be ineffective. Continual low back flexion - such as that encouraged by crunches - is a good way to get yourself ready for a couple of surgeries ten years from now, too. What to replace them with? Sit-ups, leg raises, hanging Ls, roll ups, planks... the list goes on. Core training is the subject of dozens of books, and there's a wide range of exercises that work better than crunches ever will - without wrecking your back!

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Photo courtesy of gearproboxing by Photobucket : media.photobucket.com/user/gearproboxing/media/Strength%20and%20Power%20Accessories%20-%20Benches/ab-crunch-board.jpg.html?filters[term]=ab%20crunch&filters[primary]=images&filters[secondary]=videos&

Roman Chair Sit-Ups: Risky For the Lumbar Spine

Roman chairs are a classic exercise - that's best left to the history books. Roman chairs can be used for sit-ups and back extensions. Whichever way you're facing, though, there are better and safer ways to get the job done. Moving the spine through a big range of motion under a load isn't like any other joint, because the spine isn't like any other joint. The job of the core is to hold the body in the correct position and protect the internal organs. The movements encouraged by the Roman chair don't hurt everyone who does them - but they do present increased risk of a damaged disc or injury to the spinal ligaments.

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Photo courtesy of chayimlife by Photobucket : media.photobucket.com/user/chayimlife/media/roman%20chair/romanChair.jpg.html?filters[term]=roman%20chair&filters[primary]=images&filters[secondary]=videos&sort=1&o=0

The Smith Machine Will Guide You - But Would You Be Better Off Without It?

The Smith machine is a kind of automated squat rack. It allows a bar to run up and down within guides. obviating the need for a spotter and making the squat a safer exercise. The truth, as I'm sure you've guessed by now, isn't quite like that. For one thing, Smith machines aren't really safer. The vertical movement of the bar doesn't really move the same as a bar does when it follows your squat freely. The Smith machine pulls you out of shape, and endangers the health of your spine and knees. Additionally, the Smith machine provides significantly less muscle activation than free weight squatting. Maybe you should try doing front squats instead.

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Seated Leg Press: Pressing on the Lumbar Spine

The seated leg press is a poor substitute for squats, putting too much pressure on the lumbar spine and hips and risking the health of the knees too. The leg press is best avoided: replace it with any number of leg exercises, from squats to jumps. Even the ones that put stress on the lower back - like squat and deadlifts - do it in a far safer way, with the spine held in a healthy position. The leg press is like the seated leg extension: best to let it fall by the wayside, before it does lasting harm to your back and knees.

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Photo courtesy of Rob Stinnett by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/rstinnett/4892271873/

Ab Workouts For Men And Women App

SteadyHealth has just released a handy new app for both iPhone and Android smart phones - Ab Workouts for men and women - An app that is much more than just a bunch of abdominal workouts. Take a look what we have prepared for you. http://www.steadyhealth.com/ab-workouts-for-men-and-women