3 Overrated Exercises You Shouldn't Be Doing!

Today I’m going to hurt your feelings! And this is because I am going to tell you that some of the exercises you’re doing in the gym are not the best use of your time and you could be making much better gains doing a variation of the same movement or something else entirely.

So let’s jump right into the 3 most overrated exercises at the gym and provide better alternatives while we’re at it!

Overrated Exercise #1 - Barbell Bench Press

The Barbell Bench Press is one of the most common, if not the most common chest exercise out there.  It’s the BRO exercise.  By far the most common question in the gym is “How Much Do You Bench?”  Well, even if you can bench a lot of weight, it doesn’t mean you are getting the best workout!

The Barbell Bench Press is not the best way to maximize your chest engagement or development especially with better alternatives out there like dumbbell bench press.  With dumbbells you have more range of motion at the top and bottom of the movement and they require more control and stability to use.  

Remember that the more “instability” you can introduce into an exercise the better. This is because your body has to recruit MORE muscle fibers in order to stabilize throughout these movements and when compared to using a barbell, the dumbbell is always going to win.  

Also, I just released a video going over proper form with the Dumbbell Bench Press and you guys should definitely check it out especially if you have shoulder issues because I have a few alternative form variations that can really help you out.

Finally, I am not saying the Barbell Bench Press isn’t a great exercise.  You just need to train smarter for your goals.  If you are powerlifting then obviously you MUST use the Barbell Bench Press to increase your bench…but when it comes to pure muscle gain, all you need is dumbbells.

Overrated Exercise # 2 - Leg Extension

The second most overrated exercise is the Leg Extension! At this point, I will admit that I love using this machine too.  But the more I think about it, the more I’m beginning to realize that I like it so much because when I was learning to lift this was basically the only “quad isolation” exercise that I knew.  

When I was 14 in the gym, all the dudes teaching me how to lift would always be like…alright, let’s go smash those quads and we would hit leg extensions.  I never even knew you could do movements like Front Squats, Bulgarian Split Squat, Jefferson Squats or even my NEW favorite exercise the Sissy Squat.

Remember, you always get the most muscle damage during the STRETCH portion of a movement and if you are having a hard time building your quads and the only isolation movement you are hitting is the leg extension, there really is no stretch because the weight stack stops at the bottom of the movement.  

But on exercises like a Sissy Squat, the STRETCH becomes more intense as you lower yourself to the ground. So you have total control over this. Even the Sissy Squat machine, if you really think about, it is the EXACT OPPOSITE in terms of how you target your quads when compared to the Leg Extension.  

With the Sissy Squat Machine there is no tension on your quads when your legs are fully extended, but as soon as you begin to lower yourself to the ground not only are you now applying tension to the quads, but you are loading them up for a deep stretch at the bottom of the movement.  

Now many of you might tell me that you don’t have a Sissy Squat Machine at your gym, but at the end of the day, do you really need to isolate them when you have access to perform compound movements like Front Squats and Bulgarian Split Squats?  You can even utilize the leg press to isolate your inner or outer quads if they are lagging and I will link you to a video I did explaining this a while ago.

However, because I do have a Sissy Squat Machine in my studio I will admit that nothing kicks my butt more than super-setting squats with the sissy squat.  I do this because I’m basically exhausting my quads to the max with each set which means in order to keep up with the workout from being pre-exhausted,

I‘m forced to recruit more muscle fibers in my quads when I go back to squatting.  So if you want to add something like this to your home gym, I will post the link for the Sissy Squat Machine HERE and don’t forget to use the code mindright-15 for %15 off.

Overrated Exercise #3 - Long Boring Treadmill Sessions

I cannot stand it when I see people spend more time on the treadmill than the amount of time they spend on the workout floor.

But that doesn’t mean cardio is not useful.  I run 4.5 miles at least 3 – 4 times a week but I am doing it for cardiovascular health and running is a mental release for me.  Obviously I am burning some calories while running, but if my goal was to purely focus on fat loss my workouts first and foremost would consist of hardcore circuits where I am combining upper body and lower body exercises while using moderate weight and keeping the focus on high volume and short rest periods.  That is exactly how you shred fat and if you want to add some cardio to the mix, instead of running for 10 hours on the treadmill, you can make much better use of your time doing some HIIT whether it is on the treadmill, bicycle or elliptical machine.

So if you are currently trying to shred some fat or cut up, check out my 12 week FAT LOSS program on MuscularStrength.com.  I will toss the link right HERE and remember! These workouts can be done anywhere, all you need is a pair of 5 to 10lbs dumbbells!

I hope you enjoyed the article and as always…more good stuff coming soon!