LET’S BE HONEST: not all exercises were created equal. Some moves have earned a permanent spot in our workouts without actually pulling their weight. To help you swerve wasted time and zero gains, exercise scientist Dr Mike Israetel shares his list of exercises that he believes simply aren’t worth your sweat.
‘There are no stupid exercises,’ Dr Israetel admits, ‘but some exercises are smarter than others.’
Top 5 most overrated exercises (according to Dr Israetel)
1/ Plank
We’ve all been there: gritting our teeth through a plank that feels like it will last forever, convinced it’s the fast track to a solid core. But according to Dr Israetel, ‘Planks give you the illusion that you’re doing something, while you’re literally doing nothing at all,’ he says.
Yes, you’re holding an isometric contraction, but Dr Israetel points out that – according to research – the isometric could be the least growth-promoting of all parts of a lift. Without dynamic movement, your abs aren’t getting the challenge they deserve.
Swap for: Ab rollout
‘It actually trains the living shit out of your lats and even parts of your rear delts and your triceps,’ Dr Israetel explains. It also allows you to ‘really focus on the eccentric, which a lot of times can help growth a little bit and can prevent injury.’ In other words, the ab rollout works your core and then some.
2/ Superman
This exercise is a favourite in beginner and rehab program, but Dr Israetel isn’t convinced. ‘Exactly what is this for? Just humiliation,’ he argues. Dr Israetel explains that with barely any range of motion, it falls flat in targeting your back muscles effectively.
‘It’s kind of debasing,’ he adds. ‘I’m an accomplished scholar or something. I’m not going to go down on the ground unless there’s good reason to do so.’
Swap for: Flexion row
‘Rows allow you to fully stretch and contract the muscles in your back while progressively loading for proper growth,’ Dr Israetel recommends. Plus, you can use dumbbells, cables, or a barbell to get that deep muscle-building stretch and powerful contraction.
3. Rack pull
The rack pull – loading up a barbell in a power rack and pulling from an elevated position to reduce ROM – is overhyped, according to Dr Israetel. ‘The rack pull sucks,’ he says plainly. ‘You’re doing rack pulls – you leave the eight plates on for the next weak person to have to deal with. But it turns out from your leverage advantage, my grandmother can do rack pulls with your normal deadlift weight.’
The issue? You miss the benefits of full range and challenging positions, he says: ‘Typically, muscles get bigger and stronger best when you train them through a big range of motion and challenging positions, and the rack pull literally obviates both of those conditions.’
Swap For: Snatch-grip deficit deadlift
According to Dr Israetel, this lift ‘will beat the living shit out of your back in the best way possible.’ High reps, deep stretch, brutal tension – this is the back-builder the rack pull wishes it could be. ‘If you want huge everything, whatever hurts your muscles the most – your deep range of motion and high reps – it’s probably what grows the most.’
4/ Triceps kickback
‘You get usually just kind of sore elbows and disappointment,’ Dr Israetel confirms. ‘You get essentially zero force at the lengthened position, maximum force at the shortened, and all of a sudden it’s just kind of backward city to what a good exercise should actually be.’
Swap For: Dumbbell skull crusher
‘The dumbbell skull crusher allows you to impart the hardest, most intense forces at that bottom stretch,’ Dr Israetel explains. Plus, you’re already using the same equipment as tricep kickbacks. He adds, ‘Skull crushers are going to do really well in life, and your parents are going to be like, “Man, my boy’s made something of himself.”‘
5/ Single-arm dumbbell press
‘You’re just pissing away a lot of fatigue on something that causes essentially almost no adaptation with that straightened arm,’ Dr Israetel says.
And if you think there’s some hidden stabilisation benefit? Think again. ‘This is you in a gym with a red nose, a giant clown wig, and the whole rest of the shit.’
Swap for: Classic dumbbell press (both arms)
‘A regular dumbbell press with both arms solves two problems,’ Dr Israetel says. ‘One, the training-the-other-arm problem, and two, the balance problem.’ If you really want to go unilateral, he recommends machines instead: ‘Almost every kind of chest press machine at the gym… can let you prop in, put lots of weight on both sides, hold into one side just for bracing, and then use the one arm.’
This article originally appeared on Men’s Health UK.
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