There are a few exercises that are overused and over-emphasized in fitness programs, even though there are safer, more effective alternatives. Learn why these are bad and the alternate moves to try instead.
Regular strength training is vital for a healthy body at any age, and helps you build stronger tendons, ligaments, and muscles. But there are some exercises that you should never skip.
1. Deadlifts
Whether you’re a beginner or a longtime lifter, there’s no question that deadlifts are the most important exercise when it comes to overall strength development. A staple for bodybuilders and powerlifters, this full-body movement requires core and upper-back stability as well as hip hinge strength to be performed correctly. It is also considered the premier exercise for enhancing lower back strength, which not only leads to improved posture but also helps reduce the risk of low-back pain and injury.
With proper form, a conventional deadlift is known to work most of your posterior chain, which are all of the muscles that run along the backside of your body. This includes your hamstrings (back of the thigh), quadriceps (front of the thigh), glutes, and lower- and mid-back muscles (erector spinae).
The exercise is so effective because it increases the amount of muscle fiber that is engaged with each rep, which in turn makes you stronger. If you’re not strong enough to do a conventional deadlift with your own weight, consider starting with a lighter load and then slowly increasing the bar size until you’re ready to move on to more challenging moves.
Another variation of the deadlift is to perform a reverse-grip deadlift. In this variation, you hold the bar in a reverse grip, which requires more shoulder and core strength to perform correctly. This is also a great way to help improve your grip strength, which is an essential component of the deadlift.
To perform a reverse-grip deadlift, begin with your feet hip to shoulder-width apart and the bar close to your shins. Then, bend forward at the waist to grab the bar and then push through your legs to stand up.
2. Bench Press
There’s a reason why, despite all the shouting of strength coaches to prioritize other movements, the bench press remains the most glamourized movement in the gym. Regardless of what sport you play, having a good bench press is a must-have for developing the upper body. It also helps prevent injuries in other lifts, like squats and deadlifts.
The bench press targets several different muscles in the chest, shoulders, and triceps. The anterior deltoid (front of the shoulder) is the main target of this movement, but it also hits other supporting muscles that stabilize the shoulders during a press. The triceps, located in the back of your arm, help straighten your arms at the top of the press to lock out the weight.
While it may seem obvious to have a strong bench press, many people don’t take the time to focus on this movement and develop proper form. There are a lot of errors that can be made during the bench press, such as arching your back or locking out your shoulders too far during the movement. This can lead to shoulder issues and hinder your progress.
The best way to avoid these errors is to learn the exercise and practice proper form under the guidance of a trainer. They can teach you how to properly perform the movement and make sure that you’re using a suitable amount of weight for your body type and fitness level. If you’re looking for professional guidance, consider strength training in Raleigh, NC, where experienced trainers can help you implement the best techniques for building strength safely and effectively. Additionally, they can help you create an effective workout routine for achieving your goals and monitor your progress over time. There are a few variations of the bench press, such as the decline bench press and the narrow grip bench press, but they all work the same muscle groups.
3. Lunges
Whether you’re doing bodyweight lunges or using weights, lunges are an essential lower-body exercise. They target the quads, hamstrings, and glutes while challenging your balance and improving your core strength. Lunges also help tone the legs and can add definition to the body, especially if you use a lunging variation that engages the calves.
Lunges are also a functional exercise, meaning they mimic movements you do in everyday life like walking up stairs or getting out of bed. They help improve posture and reduce the risk of back injuries and can increase your metabolic rate. And they’re perfect for beginners because you don’t need any equipment to do them, just your own bodyweight.
How lunges affect your body varies depending on the type you do, says exercise physiologist and fitness expert DeAnne Davis Brooks. For example, forward lunges work the quads and hamstrings more than side lunges. And the size of your steps can impact which muscles are targeted as well; larger steps work more of the gluteus maximus and adductor leg muscles, while smaller steps target the quadriceps more.
Another benefit of lunges is that they’re a single-leg, unilateral movement, which can help exercisers train their balance and coordination. This is important because many people have imbalances in their muscles, and lunges can help correct these issues by targeting each leg independently, says Brooks.
If you’re new to lunges, start with a low number of reps. This will allow your muscles to become stronger without overworking them, and you’ll be able to build up your endurance at the same time. Then gradually increase the reps as you build your strength and endurance. It may take several weeks to see results, but stick with it and you’ll soon be seeing the rewards of lunges in your physique.
4. Glute Bridges
The glute bridge, also called the hip bridge, is a key exercise for increasing hip extension strength and enhancing core stability. It’s a great exercise to add to your workouts to help you improve posture, and it can also reduce low back pain when done regularly.
The basic version of the bridge requires you to lie down with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Then you lift your hips up, squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement before lowering them down to the ground. You can vary the difficulty of this movement by adding variations to make it more challenging.
For example, you can use a barbell across your shoulders to perform weighted glute bridges. This exercise focuses on the gluteus maximus, but it also activates your hamstrings and lower back muscles to support the movement.
Another variation of the glute bridge involves placing a rolled towel under your hips to provide more support. This can help you perform the move with better form. It can also be helpful for beginners who struggle with the basic bridge because it takes less pressure off of your back, allowing you to perform more reps without risking injury.
In a recent study, researchers placed EMG electrodes on the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and rectus femoris of each leg while participants performed five different single-leg bridge positions. They found that while all bridge positions targeted the glutes, each position exhibited unique variations in activation of these muscles.
This is an important finding because the glute bridge is a key movement in many other strength training exercises, including squats, deadlifts, and power cleans. Athletes should incorporate the glute bridge in their warm-ups for these other movements to help prepare their hips and back for heavy lifting.
5. Push-Ups
As elementary as push-ups may seem, they are an essential part of a well-rounded strength training program. They help you strengthen your chest, triceps and shoulder muscles—and they also have the added benefit of helping you lose body fat. Studies show that doing just 10 push-ups daily can boost your resting metabolic rate, helping you burn more calories all day long.
That’s why it’s important to be mindful of your form. Many people make push-up mistakes that waste energy, cause injury and put unnecessary stress on the joints of your shoulders and lower back.
Sweat trainer Kelsey Wells explains that one common mistake is to let your back sag as you descend into the push-up position, which drains valuable energy from your working muscles and puts unwanted stress on the shoulders and hip joints. Another mistake is to move too quickly in the descent and push-up phases, which compromises muscle tightness and movement efficiency and can lead to poor form.
The good news is that push-ups are “infinitely scalable,” meaning you can progress from a basic variation to a more advanced one. For beginners, start by performing wall push-ups (where your hands are on the wall at a height slightly higher than your head) to build up the required strength.
Once you’re strong enough, you can perform incline push-ups, where your hands are on a flat bench or park bench, which decreases the resistance and makes them easier to complete. Once you’ve mastered those, you can go to the floor and do standard push-ups, with your palms facing each other on the ground at a 90-degree angle and your forearms parallel to the ground.
These work the pectoralis major, anterior deltoids and front of your shoulders as well as your triceps, biceps and rhomboids (shoulder support muscles). They also engage your core, which makes them more functional than chest presses, as they mimic movements you use in everyday life.
