5 Least effective exercises

Who on earth has extra time on his/her hands to splurge on hopeless, hazardous exercises? Not you, for sure! So, ditch these five ineffective exercises which might even be a cause of injury.

The following list features the exercises which many of us have been doing wrong - that not only deliver shoddy results, if at all, but can also lead to workout injuries - exercises that are more risky than healthy:

Least effective exercise #1: Upright row 
The problem: Pulling down a weighted cable bar or a barbell right under your chin is not advised as it can squeeze your shoulder area nerves, compressing the shoulder further.

The solution: Rather than performing an upright row exercise, work on your shoulders by lifting weights, doing lateral shoulder raises or front shoulder raises.

Least effective exercise #2: Military press behind the head 
The problem: If you do military presses with weight lifting behind the head, then you could be inviting trouble, since poor form could lead to problems such as shoulder impingement or a tear in the rotator cuff.  

The solution: It is recommended to keep your dumbbells or barbell curl in front of your head, by keeping your upper body erect. Let the weight go down only till your collarbone. If you are sitting, then make sure your are sitting straight by maintaining the natural curve of your spine.

Least effective exercise #3. Lat pulldown behind the head 
The problem: Only the people who have extremely mobile shoulder joints are able to keep their spines in a straight line in order to execute this exercise properly.

The solution: We should take care to lean back a few degrees by using a wider-than-shoulder grip on the pull-down machine. Always bring the bar in front of your breastbone when pulling shoulder blades down. Don't move the bar up and down for best results on your upper back.

Least effective exercise #4: Doing squats on the smith machine 
The problem: Many people tend to place their feet right in the front of their bodies when performing squats on machines, making matters worse.

The solution: You can do squats even when you are not lifting weights, however if you want to intensify your workout adding weights will help. Maintain good form and stand with feet apart at shoulder-width distance. Move the hips back as if you are about to sit on a chair and put all your weight only on your feet, placing your heels firmly on the floor.

Least effective exercise #5: When lifting with a weight belt 
The problem: Well, the problem lies in the fact that too many people, too often, wear weight belts. Unless you are suffering from a back injury or you have been prescribed to do so or you are lifting too much of weight, wearing a weight belt can let your core muscles slack off.

The solution: Don't wear a weight belt, unless and until it is extremely necessary.