8 exercises to avoid at the gym and what to do instead

Written by Martin Ebner
Last updated September 2026

Almost any exercise can become a bad exercise when it’s performed badly, loaded beyond your ability or forced through a range your body doesn’t like.

That doesn’t mean every awkward movement belongs on a banned list. Several exercises in the original version of this article were condemned far too quickly. Smith machine squats, upright rows, curl machines and wrist curls can all be useful when they suit the person doing them.

The better question is whether an exercise fits your body, your goal and your current ability. If the setup feels wrong, fix it. If it still feels wrong, replace it. For every exercise that isn’t right for you, there are five others we can use instead.

Here are eight exercises worth treating carefully, along with the form fixes and alternatives I’d use.

1. AB CRUNCH MACHINES

Some ab machines fit beautifully. Others seem designed for somebody with a completely different spine.

The fixed seat, pad and movement path can make it difficult to position your hips and back comfortably. If you feel the exercise mainly through your hip flexors or lower back, the machine isn’t doing the job you chose it for.

Before abandoning it, adjust the seat so the machine’s pivot matches the point where your torso needs to bend. Brace before moving, curl your ribs towards your pelvis and control the return rather than letting the weight pull you backwards.

If it still feels awkward, use cable crunches, reverse crunches, hanging knee raises or a properly controlled floor crunch. Compound exercises train your core, but that doesn’t make direct abdominal work useless.

2. BEHIND-THE-NECK LAT PULLDOWNS

A behind-the-neck pulldown asks for plenty of shoulder mobility and control. Some experienced lifters can perform it comfortably, but most people gain nothing important from placing the bar behind their head.

The exercise becomes particularly messy when the head shoots forwards, the shoulders roll in or the weight has to be dragged through the final part of the movement.

Bring the bar towards your upper chest instead. Keep your torso stable, let the shoulders rise naturally at the top and drive your elbows down as you pull. You’ll train the same muscles without forcing your shoulders into a position they may not enjoy.

3. BEHIND-THE-NECK SHOULDER PRESSES

This has the same basic issue. Pressing from behind your head requires enough shoulder movement to position the bar without pushing your neck forwards or flaring your ribs.

If you’ve got the mobility and years of experience, it isn’t automatically dangerous. I still don’t see a convincing reason for most people to choose it over a press performed in front of the body.

Use a barbell shoulder press, dumbbell press or landmine press instead. Choose a grip that lets your forearms remain fairly vertical and lower the weight only as far as you can control without your shoulders rolling forwards.

4. UPRIGHT ROWS

Upright rows aren’t universally bad, but they’re one of those exercises that some shoulders simply dislike.

Problems usually appear when the grip is very narrow, the weight is too heavy and the elbows are pulled as high as possible. If you feel pinching at the front or top of your shoulder, don’t keep repeating it in the hope that your joint will eventually surrender.

Use a slightly wider grip, keep the weight modest and stop at the highest point your shoulders can reach comfortably. A cable or two dumbbells will often allow a more natural path than a straight bar.

If the movement still doesn’t agree with you, use lateral raises for the side delts and shrugs or high pulls where appropriate for the upper traps.

5. SMITH MACHINE SQUATS

Smith machine squats are fine. They’re stable, easy to load and can be excellent for building your legs when the setup suits you.

They can’t fully replace a free-weight squat if you want the balance, coordination and freedom of movement that come with the real thing. One small study found greater overall muscle activity during free-weight squats, although it only included six people and doesn’t make the Smith version useless. You can read the Smith and free-weight squat comparison if you enjoy that sort of thing.

Set your feet before unracking the bar. Use a stance that lets your knees follow the direction of your toes and keeps pressure through the whole foot. A small wedge under your heels will often make it easier to reach a useful depth while staying controlled.

Don’t hang backwards from the bar or force yourself into a position because somebody else uses it. If the fixed path clashes with your build, try a goblet squat, hack squat, leg press, split squat or free-weight squat instead.

6. BICEPS CURL MACHINES

A well-designed curl machine can be a very good isolation exercise. It removes much of the balancing and lets you concentrate on moving the elbow through a controlled range.

The problem is that not every machine fits every arm. If the elbow pad, handle and machine pivot don’t line up with your joints, the movement can feel awful no matter how carefully you perform it.

Adjust the seat so your elbows sit comfortably against the pad without your shoulders being pushed towards your ears. Keep your wrists fairly neutral and don’t let the weight stack slam down between repetitions.

If the machine doesn’t fit, use an EZ-bar curl, dumbbell curl, cable curl or preacher curl. My guide to compound and isolation exercises explains why both types deserve a place in a decent program.

7. WRIST CURLS

I was too dismissive of wrist curls in the original article. They’re a specialised exercise, but specialised doesn’t mean useless.

They can help build the forearms and strengthen wrist flexion, particularly when grip or forearm development matters to you. They simply don’t need to occupy half your training session.

Use a light or moderate weight, support your forearms and move slowly through a comfortable range. Add reverse wrist curls or wrist extensions if you want to train both sides rather than repeatedly working the same action.

Carries, pull-ups, rows and deadlifts will challenge your grip more broadly. Wrist curls add direct work when you need it.

8. BENCH DIPS

Bench dips place your shoulders into considerable extension behind the body. Some people tolerate that perfectly well. Others feel pressure at the front of the shoulder almost immediately.

Keep your hips close to the bench, control the descent and stop before the shoulder rolls forwards. Going deeper isn’t automatically better.

If you feel pinching or joint discomfort, replace them. Cable pressdowns, close-grip push-ups and supported dip variations can train the triceps without forcing the same shoulder position.

LIGHT WEIGHTS AREN’T USELESS

The original article also told people to abandon light weights. That was wrong.

Light weights can build muscle when the set is challenging enough. A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing training loads found similar muscle growth with higher and lower loads, although heavier training produced better improvements in maximum strength.

The issue isn’t that the dumbbell is light. The issue is whether the set asks your muscles to do anything.

If you finish fifteen repetitions and could comfortably perform another thirty, the set probably needs more weight, more repetitions or better control. If the final repetitions are properly challenging and your technique remains good, a lighter weight can be extremely effective.

WHEN AN EXERCISE NEEDS REPLACING

Muscular effort, shaking and a rising heart rate aren’t automatic signs that an exercise is wrong. Sharp pain, numbness, repeated joint irritation or losing control of the movement are different.

Reduce the weight, check the setup and adjust the range. If the same problem keeps returning, stop trying to win the exercise.

The exercise doesn’t care whether you perform it. Your body does.

FIX IT BEFORE YOU BIN IT

There are very few exercises that everybody must do and very few that everybody must avoid.

A good program gives each exercise a clear job. If the movement trains what it’s supposed to train, fits your body and can be progressed safely, it can stay. If it repeatedly causes problems or there’s a better way to do the same job, replace it without ceremony.

If you’re new to strength training, my beginner’s guide to weight training and muscle gain will help you build the rest of the program around those choices.

If you’ve ever abandoned an exercise because somebody online declared it dangerous, Check It Oot is where I separate useful technique advice from gym mythology. One email once or twice a month, written by me, straight to your inbox.