Three exercises you should never do.

To me going to the gym many times is like watching a car accident about to happen. I see so many people doing exercises that put themselves at risk for injury.  I have to admit I used to o these exercises but haven't for years because I  know train smarter than I did back then. 

So here are three of the biggest offenders in my opinion.

#1-Smith Squats
People think by doing squats on this machine that they are safer from back injuries which can't be further from the truth. The smith machine creates more compression on the spine by limiting your ability to flex your hips back and adjust your body underneath the bar. You're better off doing regular bar squats which allow you to adjust your hips and spine to take on the stress from the weights much like shock absorption system. Plus regular squats force you to fire up your core and balance which is something you don't get from smith squats. I had a friend who tore a disc in his back doing these a couple of summers ago.

                                                                         

 #2-Upright Rows

People use this exercise all the time to build up their shoulders.  This exercise is puts your shoulder in an impinged position that basically cranks on the glenohumeral joint which is your ball and socket joint of the shoulder.  By throwing your shoulder into impingement you are asking for shoulder problems down the road. Impingement many times leads to rotator cuff problems.  If you want to build up your shoulders stick to overhead presses(to the front) front and lateral raises with dumbbells.  Always weigh out risk to benefit. The risk of doing these far outweighs the benefit. One quick side note.  They are useful as a progression to Olympic lifts like cleans but these type of upright row don't require you to pull so high which is where the joint impingement occurs.

#3- Behind the neck military press

This is another popular exercise for shoulders. Here are the two reasons why they make the list. Number one this exercise forces the neck forward into a protracted position which places undo strain on the cervical spine and neck. Number two it places the shoulders in a close pack position which puts a ton of strain on your glenohumeral joint which can lead to an AC joint sprain on the shoulder.  Also by sitting straight up you compress the discs in the spine.  You are better off doing presses to the front on a slightly angled back bench which will greatly reduce the stress on the spine and shoulder joints.  Standing in a stride stance and pressing to the front is also a better option. These variations allow you to blast the shoulders without putting your spine, neck , and shoulder joint at great risk.

Juan Carlso Santana a popular presenter in the fitness field once said something years ago that stuck with me.  Always weigh out risk to benefit. Does the risk of doing this exercise outweigh the benefit. Ask yourself this question. Many times you will find yourself saying it does not. We all get emotionally attached to certain exercises but reality is we can't really justify why we do them other than we think they are the necessary when really there are other safer exercises that will get the job done just as well without the added risk.