Find out which simulators when visiting the gym you do not need to use at all, and they will not give you any external or internal effect. During the entire existence of bodybuilding, a lot of simulators have been created. However, in recent years, scientists say that some of them may not be of benefit to the athlete. Today we will tell you which machines in the gym are useless and why. Agree that there is no point in working on sports equipment that does not help you progress. Moreover, some equipment can cause injury.
Lying Leg Press
The leg muscles are among the strongest in the entire body, and they are capable of lifting large weights. However, when using this simulator, a large load falls on the lower back, which is bad. As a result, intervertebral discs can be damaged. You should definitely replace this exercise with regular squats, during which not only the muscles of the legs, but also the back are actively involved in the work.
Seated Leg Extension
There is no doubt that this simulator allows you to pump the muscles of the legs. However, the load on the kneecaps during training is high, and this should not be allowed. We recommend that you climb a high platform instead of this movement. If you work from home, this could be a chair or armchair.
Seated Chest Press
This simulator, according to scientists, is safe enough. The thing is, each person has one hand is always stronger than the other. Using this type of sports equipment, the weak hand will continue to be so. Push-ups will be an optimal substitute for the simulator. By doing this exercise, you will be able to evenly load the muscles of both arms. Do not forget that while doing push-ups, the buttocks and abdominal muscles are also involved.
Pumping up the muscles of the thigh
To begin with, the simulator provides the ability to engage a small group of muscles. In this case, the spinal column and knee joints receive unnecessary stress, which can cause injury. The best option for replacing the simulator is squats on one leg. This is a difficult movement, but it evenly loads all the muscles in the legs, including the buttocks.
Weighted Calf Raises
With all the positive qualities of this simulator, you should remember about the danger to the spinal column. If you often perform this movement, then you are guaranteed pain in the back. We recommend that you try doing regular calf raises instead, and use dumbbells to make the movement more difficult.
Leg curl machine
The hamstrings are capable of two movements - hip extension and knee flexion. The machine in question now only allows the second movement, which is isolated. As you should understand for yourself, this makes it less effective. Moreover, the performed movement from the point of view of biomechanics can hardly be called natural.
Seated Twisting Machine
Not only will you not get any benefit from performing this movement, it can also harm the body. Athletes of different heights often have severe difficulty trying to use the muscles they need. As a result, the risk of injury increases significantly. We recommend performing various types of planks with which you can pump a large number of body muscles.
Breeding Trainer - Leg Aggression
This type of sports equipment is loved by girls who have recently decided to go in for fitness. Working on the simulator, there is a feeling that fat on the outer and inner surfaces of the thigh burns literally before our eyes. However, in practice this does not happen. Some owners of the halls in a private conversation admit that they specially purchased this simulator to attract new visitors. It is best to do lunges as well as squats.
Smith Trainer
This equipment can be found in any gym and some consider the Smith machine to be ingenious. Safety is most often mentioned among the advantages of the simulator. The thing is that the sports equipment moves along a strictly predetermined trajectory and there is no need to be afraid that it will fall on you. At first glance, it may seem like this is really good.
However, do not forget that while working in the Smith machine, fewer muscles are involved in the work than is possible when performing movements with free weight. As a result, your muscles simply won't be able to pump harmoniously. In addition, the movements in Smith's car become unnatural. Which increases the risk of damage. We recommend using the classic basic movements.
Weighted Disc Trainer
Another simulator that is found in many gyms. He is ranked among the group of safe, and for training to work in it, most often you have to pay for the services of an instructor. However, in terms of efficiency, this sports equipment is inferior to working with conventional dumbbells. This fact is due to the fact that you do not have the opportunity to use all the points (three) in comparison with the free weight. With the simulator, you work out only one. The risk of injury also increases and the best option for the athlete is to work with free weights.
Seated Calf Raise Trainer
If we talk about which machines in the gym are useless and why, then this exercise equipment is definitely on the list. It is completely useless, although safe. If you have poor genetics, then your calf muscles respond poorly to exercise. To strengthen them, you need to work with minimal pauses and do exercises with free weights.
Bosu ball
Among all the simulators we have already considered, the BOSU-ball is the most useless. It was created for use in physical therapy in trauma rehabilitation and could really be useful there. However, then some coaches drew attention to him and began to assure their wards that training on an unstable surface is more effective in comparison with classical exercises.
You must remember that muscles grow only if they receive maximum loads. When working with a BOSU-ball, this is simply impossible. Remember how often in everyday life you find yourself on an unstable surface? If you want to develop balance, then just bend over or pick up objects more often in everyday life.
Gravity boots
Fortunately, this simulator is not available in every gym. This exercise equipment is another candidate for the title of the most useless exercise machine, because you will not get any benefit from working with it.
Timemaster
This device was at one time popular in various TV shops. Outwardly, the simulator looks very strange. If you are able to exercise while sitting in front of a TV screen, then such exercises can hardly be called physical.
Trainer "Gazelle"
Its creator is Tony Little, who has managed to introduce a large amount of useless exercise equipment into fitness throughout his career. If you want to know which machines in the gym are useless and why, check out Little's machines.
Vibrating platform
This exercise machine is becoming more and more popular among women who want to get rid of excess fat. In the workplace, vibrations are considered a harmful factor, and using this simulator, you intentionally expose your body to shaking.
Treadmill bike
Actually, in this case, it is difficult to give any comments. If you come across this miracle simulator, just look at it and walk by.
Plastic water bottles
Some fitness websites recommend using plastic water bottles instead of dumbbells. Is it really difficult to get a normal sports equipment and train calmly?
Expander stick
It is one of the products in a wide range of health products. Working with such a device is completely pointless.
Facial massager
Take a look at the device and everything will become clear without our comments. It is difficult to imagine a more stupid simulator.
Abductor exercises
Often, girls use this type of exercise equipment in the hope of getting rid of excess fat. However, they completely do not understand the principles of lipolysis processes. Remember, no matter how actively the thigh muscles contract, the fatty tissue in this area will not be burned. To do this, you need to use cardio in combination with strength training. In addition to aerobic sessions, we recommend doing barbell lunges to tighten your thigh muscles.
Straightening arms with dumbbells in an inclined position
This movement is performed to pump the triceps. However, when using a heavy dumbbell, the arm quickly gets tired and the muscles do not receive the necessary load for growth. Do not think that reducing the weight of a sports equipment will change the situation for the better. Instead of this useless movement, we recommend doing push-ups on the uneven bars. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the elbow joints do not greatly diverge to the sides.
Shadow boxing with weights
It is assumed that such an exercise allows you to build up the muscles of the arms and thereby increase the force of the blow. However, you should use other movements to achieve this goal. During shadow boxing and using weights (most often dumbbells), you cannot fully control your movements, which leads to an increased risk of injury. We recommend that you pay attention to exercises with your own body weight, for example, pull-ups.
Weighted wrist curls
This is an extremely specific movement that you shouldn't even spend your training time on. It is much more effective to perform push-ups on your fingertips. It sounds very difficult, but with enough upper body muscle development, you won't have any problems.
Squats on medball
Many sports fans claim in their video blogs that this exercise is very effective. Professionals, most likely, will remain silent, since it can be difficult to convince a person. Do not believe that doing squats on a medball will give you more effect than a classic exercise. But the risk of injury will be significantly higher.
Today we talked about which machines in the gym are useless and why. We also looked at a few exercises that should definitely not be included in your training program.
For more on useless machines and exercises in the gym, see the following video:
