Natomas Fitness Boot Camp Instructor Reveals 7 Worst Exercises

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) October 7, 2009 -- The following are the seven exercises that Sarai recommends that you steer clear of.

1.) Abs Machine

Innumerable sets of crunches and sit-ups are definitely not the most efficient way to a 6-pack. But even worse for your body is the abs machine. It actually trains you into an unnatural position for your body. Since you are seated while using the abs machine, you are virtually ignoring your core muscles, leaving you hunched over and leaving even more room for injury. To strengthen all of your core muscles, focus on plank stabilization exercises, like front, side, and back planks, and ground-based rotational core work, like chops variations and upper-body twists.



2.) Back Machine


The back machine may look good, but here is another example of a machine setting you up for failure. It focuses on training the muscles in a front and back motion, excluding side rotations. This ignores the key stabilizer muscles that help you have good posture and burn fat better. Back pain is a major cause of doctor's visits, as well as missed work in this country. We want to strengthen all of our back muscles, not strain some and leave others weak and ready to be strained at the worst possible moment.

Our backs are already overworked, since most of us are not utilizing our butt and hip muscles the way we should. Instead of focusing on our back, we really need to be focusing on our hips and thighs, especially the front part of the thigh. The best exercises for a strong, stable back are squats. Focus on the deadlift, good morning variations, while simultaneously focusing on the corrective stretching and self-massage of the Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip (LPH) Complex, meaning your back, butt, and front/back/inner/outer thighs. A prone cobra, or airplane, as it is sometimes called, is also a great exercise to improve your back endurance while also improving your upper back strength and stability.



3.) Leg Extension Machine

Most people love to abuse this machine like crazy. They see the big, bodybuilder type guys pumping the entire stack and doing 20+ reps and think this is the machine for them to bring out those cuts. Here’s the truth – using this exercise 3x a week for a year can lead to knee replacement surgery. If you don’t want your knees to be wrecked and have horrible, stabbing pain that will lead to arthritis, avoid this machine like the plague. For strong, stable knees, focus on both knee-dominant (lunge, step-up, and single-leg squat variations) and hip-dominant single-leg exercises (single-leg hip extension, deadlift, and good morning variations) to keep your strength of both legs the same and to help keep the front and back thighs and your inner and outer thighs balanced between each other. With balanced muscles, comes stability, and with stability comes strength.



4.) Fly Machine

If your goal is tear your pecs and destroy your rotator cuff, then I highly recommend that you add this exercise to your routine. The problem is not only the destruction of the major muscles of your body, but the elimination of the main stabilizing muscles surrounding your shoulders. So when you decide to pick up something overhead, like moving plates from the dishwasher to the overhead cabinets, your muscles will be shaking and your arms will get tired faster. Men, also tend to use all the weight in the weight stack, helping cause shoulder impingement and even biceps tendonitis.

For strong, stable shoulders, focus on performing an equal amount of pushing and pulling exercises. In the beginning, it is better to perform more pulling exercises (pull-ups, rows, deadlifts) than pushing exercises because the rear shoulders and upper/mid muscles are usually neglected. The best pushing exercise is any push-up variation, as it not only safely trains the entire front side of the body, but also engages the upper back musculature in a way that the bench press does not.



5.) Elliptical Machine

For someone who is really overweight and hasn't exercised in a very, very long time, an elliptical may have some use. It is a low-impact alternative to running, but because you don't move your legs as much on an elliptical as compared to the treadmill, you will not burn as many calories, meaning you don't burn fat. Many times when people are using the elliptical they are watching tv or reading a magazine, not giving their workout the attention it deserves. For optimal results during cardio training, focus on intervals. They burn 9 times more body fat than aerobics (meaning, that walk or jog on the treadmill) and also result in greater improvements in your conditioning than long, slow, boring cardio, and give you a lean, sleek, stream-lined body.

If you are overweight/de-conditioned and/or have joint issues, the best place to start an interval training program is on a spin bike, or better yet, an Airdyne Bike which has both upper and lower body attachments to make it more of a total body conditioning experience. If you need to rock your cardio equipment-free and/or at home or on the road, use body-weight based exercises like jumping jacks, stationary running, split jumps, etc.



6.) The Sex Machine- Abductor/Adductor Combo

Most women seem to think that this exercise can somehow, magically pinpoint their thighs and blast away the fat like a laser guided missile.

But it all boils down to the same thing; get on a diet, get on a training program, and choose multi-joint, multi-muscle exercises, and you’ll blast the flab away like a torch melts steel. Spot reduction is a myth. Again, start consuming lean proteins, healthy fats, and fruits and veggies every 2-4 hours while plugging water like a fish. The best exercises for the inner and outer-hip thigh will come from side plank variations, any and all single-leg exercises, and especially lateral lunges. Lateral lunges stretch and contract the sides of the thighs at the same time, working all of the muscles in one move.



7.) Leg Press Machine

The simplest way to do things is normally the best, but when it comes to working out, the easiest way isn’t the best. So what is wrong with the leg press? Once again, this machine is restricting the legs from completing the full range of motion, while focusing on one muscle. Replace this dangerous exercise with squats. Squats that are correctly executed don’t just work out the legs, but require the whole body to work together. The best (and safest) exercises for the lower body are a healthy combination of double-leg and single-leg exercises using free weights and body weight based exercises. Perform an equal amount of knee-dominant lower body exercises (e.g. squats and lunges) and hip-dominant lower body exercises (e.g. deadlifts and single-leg hip extensions) to make the knees, hips, and back bulletproof. In fact, most people are very knee-dominant and could benefit to start by performing a greater number of hip-dominant movements to balance out their lower body musculature.



Sarai Jones is a Local Natomas fitness boot camp instructor. To book her at your local Natomas club, business, or organization, please contact her by e-mail at Sarai@getfitwithsarai.com or by phone at 877-288-1231. For a free one-week trial to her boot camp to experience the best boot camp in Natomas, please visit http://www.getfitwithsarai.com

More information can be found online at http://www.getfitwithsarai.com

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