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Common Exercises You Should NEVER Do  
WORSTS 

Tags: exercise, health, don'ts

Here are some everyday exercises you should never attempt and why. Know any other hazardous workouts? Add them here!

	Posterior (Behind-the-Neck) Pull Downs: This exercise rotates your shoulders into a position that strains your rotator cuffs, paving the way for inflammation. Safe Alternative: Anterior (Front) Pull Downs: Not only is pulling the bar to your chest easier on your shoulders, but it flexes the lats through a greater range of motion, accelerating muscle growth.
	Behind-the-Neck Shoulder Presses: Just as posterior pull downs strain your shoulders on the way down, this exercise hurts them on the way up. It also puts too much stress on the acromioclavicular joints (those little knobs on the tops of your shoulders). Safe Alternative: Alternating Shoulder Presses: Sit on a Swiss ball and hold a pair of dumbbells overhead with your arms straight and palms facing each other. Next, bend your left elbow and lower your left arm, moving your elbow out to the side, until your upper arm is parallel with the floor. Press it back up and repeat with your right arm.
	Straight Bar Curls: If you let your arms hang loosely by your sides, you'll notice that your palms face inward. The problem with straight bar curls is that they lock your arms into an unnatural palms-up position. You're stressing your elbow joints, and that can lead to tendinitis. Safe Alternative: E-Z Bar Curls: The bar is angled to put your elbows in a more natural neutral position.
	Leg Extensions: The four parts of your quadriceps are designed to work together as one, but a study found that leg extensions activate the sections slightly independently of one another. Safe Alternative: Squats: To squat safely, place the bar across your shoulders (not your neck) and keep your back straight, bending slightly at the hips through the squatting motion. Proper form is crucial with this exercise.
	Sit-ups: Not only are sit-ups bad for your neck, but they're also one of the least-effective abdominal exercises you can do. Safe Alternative: Bicycle Crunches: That same study found the bicycle maneuver works the abs and obliques 250 percent better than traditional crunches or sit-ups. Lie on your back with your feet up in the air, then bend your knees at a 90-degree angle. With your hands behind your ears, pump your legs back and forth while moving your armpits (not your elbows) toward the opposite knees.

Lister: buccicone.2
Source: MSN Health and Fitness

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