I'm a fitness coach – here are 11 exercises that are a total waste of your time and what to do instead | The Sun

A FITNESS coach has revealed the 11 exercises that are a total waste of your time.

Everyone knows keeping fit and healthy is important and for those who are gym lovers, you want to make sure you're doing the best you can to see gains.

Most people should have variety in their training sessions including strength training and aerobic workouts.

But the way you go about your workouts can really affect your results.

And you may actually be doing exercises which hinder your goals or don't do much for you.

Irv Rubenstein, exercise physiologist, has now revealed the 11 things you shouldn't do.

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His list of "don't do's" include popular workouts like deadlifts, torso twists, ball squats and leg presses.

Writing in LiveStrong, he said: "There are a number of moves that the best trainers generally refuse to do themselves and recommend that their clients don't do either."

These are Irv's 11 exercises you shouldn't do and what you should do instead.

Behind-the-Neck Pulldown

He said: "This one lands on nearly every "don't do" list, but it's an especially important exercise to avoid as you age.

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"That's primarily because pulling a bar down behind your neck causes excessive shoulder rotation.

"The move can be hard on anyone's shoulders, but it's especially dangerous over age 40 and even more so after 60."

Instead, Irv recommends doing "pulldowns to the front, stopping at your upper sternum below your collarbone."

Military Barbell Press

Irv said: "Pushing a bar up by rotating your shoulders and lifting it behind your neck tweaks your shoulder joint similarly to behind-the-neck pulldowns.

"But it's even worse because your rotator cuff and shoulder is now loaded with weight."

Instead he recommends using "dumbbells or a bar in front of your body, pushing off from the level of the collarbone in front of the shoulders".

Stiff-Leg Deadlift

Locked-out knees while bending forward with a heavy weight creates elevated stress on your spine, Irv says.

"Proper form can be difficult for new exercisers to nail, especially with a heavy barbell to lift," he added.

"Furthermore, when the hips flex to whatever angle the hamstrings allow, the spine will start to flex if you try to go further, which could lead to a number of spine and disc problems."

Irv suggests doing a Romanian deadlift instead which allows greater hip flexion before your spine is compromised.

Weighted Torso Twist

Fitness pro Jessica Smith said she advises her clients not to do weighted torso twists.

She said: "You can do these via a machine at the gym or using a barbell over the shoulders.

"But any way you try them, adding that much extra weight to the spine during a rotational movement is terribly unsafe."

Instead, you can do bicycle crunches.

Ball Squat

Sports performance specialist Paul Juris says if people aren't familiar with squatting on a ball the instability of it can make it difficult.

He said: "We often witness almost uncontrolled shaking when watching people perform this task.

"This is frequently attributed to muscle imbalances or even a lack of core strength. In reality, it is neither."

Paul said you should just do normal squats on stable land instead.

Lifting Heavy Weights While Lying on a Stability Ball

PT Jamie Walker said: "People in favour of lifting on stability balls say that the uneven balance helps build strength in your stabiliser muscles and further enhances your lift.

"In reality, however, you're much more likely to injure yourself while lifting on a stability ball.

"One quick spill and you could be out of the gym for months."

Instead, stick with a flat or incline weight bench.

Skullcrusher

Jamie said: "I stay away from these, although they're fairly commonplace in most gyms.

"The goal of skullcrushers is to increase the size and strength of the triceps muscle group, but the exercise can cause a ton of stress on your elbow."

Jamie advises those working out to stick with triceps pushdowns or other, lower-risk triceps moves.

45-Degree Leg Press

Leg presses can causes overall compression of your spine.

Jamie said: "Many experts believe this exercise creates an unnatural stress on the lower back. I'd avoid it."

Instead, Walker says to ditch the machines and just use weights instead.

Leg Raises for Lower Abs

Leg raises is where you lie on your back with straight legs and raising them up and down.

A PT said it's a "dangerous way to work your lower abs" because of the amount of force on your lower back.

For better results, try a leg extension ab exercise.

Box Jump

Doing box jumps can easily result in injury and serious strain.

If you don't have enough strength, balance, speed or the correct technique it could go wrong.

Step-ups are a safer and alternative way to achieve the same goals.

Pull-Up

Although pull-ups are a useful upper-body exercise, they can cause neck or back strain.

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Olympic medallist Lauren Sesselmann said: "So that arm is pulling more than the other and you can injure yourself."

She said instead you can doing them on an assisted machine.

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