Most exercises and training methods have their purpose and work great… unless you try using them for something else. Here are the worst examples.
Very few exercises are inherently bad (except BOSU ball curls). Any exercise is typically better than no exercise. And any type of exercise done with enough effort and intent to progress can lead to physical improvements.
Yet many exercises go from acceptable and useful to “mostly dumb” because they’re used the wrong way for the wrong purposes. A hammer is a great tool until you use it to saw a wooden plank.
I’ve seen a lot of misused exercises in my life, but the popularity of social media has accelerated that trend. CrossFit is also to blame for turning pretty much any lift into a conditioning tool.
The problem? Misusing a training tool or exercise increases the risk of injury and turns an exercise (or method) that could be good for one thing into one that sucks for something else. Read more…
