Here is the list of exercises that just don't work and just bloody waste of time.
1. The Ab Machine

When it comes to working off the muffin top, most people think about crunches and sit-ups. Hell yes the abs bloody hurt when you load up the weight stacks on this piece of machine. In fact, I seen people queuing up to hammer their bellies with this crap equipment.
Crunches and sit-ups only promote excessive flexion of the lumbar spine and tend to cause neck and back pain. Now, make it worse by doing it in a similar fashion with this machine in a seated position moving your spine in a unnatural front to back manner. Hey Ab King Pro you see in late night informercial sucks too.
The true function of the ab muscles is to stabilise the spine statically and dynamically to be able to maintain a neutral and straight line position from your hips to your shoulders in all 3 plane of movements (front to back, side to side and rotational).
For best results for hard solid abs, ditch this machine as well as Ab King Pro and focus on basics that works. They are all variations of planks and russian twists.
2. Weight Loaded Back Extension Machine

Back extension machine is just as bad as the abdominal machine. Why? First of all, many desk-bound individuals have tight hips and inactive/weak glutes. As a result, they are using too much of their "back" muscles in many movements. Loading up on this machine will just overload the lower back muscles causing more stress leading to high potential of wreaked back.
Instead, focus more on hip extension movements that strengthen your butt rather than continually overloading the spinal erectors. Plus, adding in corrective stretching for the hip flexor complex, the hip rotators, and the hamstring complex that opens up your hips and alleviates excessive spinal flexion and compressions is literally exactly what the doctor ordered.
Furthermore, this exercise only train your body in one plane of movement in a fixed path and as a result does not work on your stabilisers.
So what do you do instead? Focus on compound movements such as deadlift and Good Mornings that do not put all the stress on the lower "back" Be sure to use the correct techniques. If unsure, please get a qualified personal trainer who knows what he is doing to help.
3. The Hip Adductor/Abductor Combo

This is an all-time favourite among the female gym goers who is desperate to get rid of the thunder thighs or cellulite situation. I know many of you are totally convinced that this combo is going to work for ya and finally you can fit into your jeans. But the truth is that it does not work even if you can crank out a thousand reps.
I've say this before and going to say it again.
"Spot Reduction Does Not Work"
Seriously, no amount of direct inner or other hip-thigh work will burn that ugly fat covering that sexy toned musculature everyone wants to see so let it go.
Solutions: Stop all the excuses and clean up all the junk diets and start eating lean proteins, healthy fats, and fruits and vegetables every 2-4 hours.
4. Leg Press

For most people, it's easy to choose the leg press over squats. Afterall, they work the same leg muscles. Not true. It's mentally and physically more draining to perform the squats than the leg press. You want results, you got to work hard my friend.
The problem with the leg press is that you can't train your core muscles hard and functionally just by lying down. Sure you get strong legs but you get weak core muscles that do not work synergistically with your legs. The leg press may well be a major contributiing to the increased number of fitness enthusiasts that hurt their backs. People always use way too much weight and use poor form resulting in brutally compressive forces on the spine.
Want a nice pair of legs and flat mid section?
Go Back to basic: SQUAT, SQUAT, SQUAT
5.Leg Extension

This is definitely a bodybuilders' favourite exercise. For most women who don't aspire to be a bodybuilder or even want to be working out 2 hours a day, you better off doing compound movement exercises to recruit more muscles and burn more calories. With the leg extension, you'll be just working on the quads (front part of the thighs) and compared that with lunges with dumbbells you'll be working your quads and bum. Which is better?
It has to be the lunges. Work more muscles and burn more calories and save time.
6. Elliptical Trainer/Cross Trainer

If you're super unfit or really really overweight, then this elliptical has some use for you. Other than that, it's useless. Sure it's easy on the knees but this machine trains you a limited range of motion and does not burn as much calories as it claims.
At the end of the day. if you can read a dam magazine while on an elliptical, how much benefit do you really think you will get from this overpriced waste of space?
What should do instead for best results? Do high-intensity interval training run to see the best results.
Did you notice a common trend in all the exercises?
Yeah you're right. They required the use of MACHINE!!
So Get Off those damn useless machines and get back to BASICS. Why do you need those expensive gym membership anyway? Focus on functional movements using free weights such as kettlebells, bands and medicine ball and train with INTENSITY. Not only do you ramp up your metabolism and start losing fat, you prevent yourself from turning into a hunchbacked.
Train Hard Eat Healthy Look Good
TC
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boot camp in Perth?
P.S.S. What other exercises do you see people doing in the gym that make you cringe? What other exercises do you absolutely hate? What exercises have gotten you (or your clients) hurt in the past? Please share your personal experiences by posting a comment to this blog post, thanks!