Downsides to 7 Common Exercises

Not even the almighty squat is a perfect exercise. What’s arguably the best move in the catalog can turn into a crippler if you allow your chest to sag, knees to buckle, or lower back to support the entire load.

That doesn’t take away from the squat’s ability to beef up your quads or ignite your core muscles. It’s just that, like all exercises, it has potential downsides. From user error to lack of efficiency, we asked ACE Certified Personal Trainer Franklin Antoian, founder of iBodyfit to highlight some drawbacks of other popular exercises.

Downsides: Difficult move to perfect with a high risk of injury.

Antoian says: “Common problems with the deadlift include performing the movement too fast, using too much weight, and using only the back during execution. Your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings should all be used during a deadlift. So if you’re only using your back, you’re not doing the deadlift properly, and that will eventually lead to lower back pain.”

Downside: Weight control can be problematic.

Antoian says: “We’ve all seen it in the gym, and most of us have done it before — you load too much weight onto the bar and you let it drop to your chest really quick. Doing that can  injure your shoulder. Another problem is when you’re struggling to push the weight back up and you’re arching your lower back. You should control the weight, it shouldn’t control you.”

Downside: Use of momentum diffuses the movement’s primary focus.

Antoian says: “Other body parts often wind up helping out when people struggle with pull-ups. They begin to sway, kick their legs out, or arch their back, and all of which elevate the risk of injuring your back. Also, when you kick your legs out and your body is in some weird contorted position, how can you properly use your back muscles? You can’t.” 

Downside: Improper wrist and elbow placement can injure the shoulders, traps, wrists, and rotator cuffs.

Antoian says: “You want the elbows to remain higher than the wrists during the entire motion of the exercise to reduce the risk of injuring your shoulders or elbows. When the elbows dip and the wrists comes up above them, you’re allowing small muscles to handle all of the weight.”

Downside: Not as effective as other abs exercises.

Antoian says: “When people put their hands behind their head and pull the neck forward, that’s dangerous. Cross your hands on your chest or put them at your sides, and there’s no chance of pulling your neck.”

Downside: Not an effective exercise.

Antoian says: “There isn’t much benefit to behind-the-neck lat pulldowns. You can pull the bar down too hard and hit your spine or vertebrae with the bar, and there are also issues with range of motion. You’re bending your neck forward to pull the bar to down, and that’s not a natural position for your neck. Your neck isn’t in that position when you’re sitting, so why put it in that position when you’re lifting heavy weight?”

Downside: Overextension can compromise lower back muscles.

Antoian says: “When your core is solid you can go into a full stretch. But beginners or people who don’t have such strong core muscles risk hyperextending their lower back. Start by going to the halfway point and then back, and progress from there.”