8 Exercises to Avoid at the Gym If You Are a Beginner

LAST UPDATED: August 14th, 2022

If you are a beginner who started exercising regularly at the gym and still can’t see the results, you should change something.

You may simply be wasting time doing exercises that are not effective enough and that are only taking up your precious time.

So, today I will show you exercises to avoid if you are a beginner.

Here are seven exercises you shouldn’t do if you have just started your gym journey. (1)

Note: Bodybuilders do the following workouts, so you will be able to do them when you get stronger and more experienced.

8 Exercises to Avoid If You Are a Beginner

1. Behind-neck pull down

This exercise is completely useless because your back and neck need to be straight the entire time and just a small number of people can really do that.

Not doing this exercise right can only lead to injuries.

A safer way to exercise on this machine is to pull the bar from the front towards the chest because in that case, you need to lean back a little, which makes the exercise more effective, plus you’ll avoid injuries.

Of course, after a while, you should start doing this exercise to strengthen your back.

2. Overhead press

This exercise can cause neck and back injuries so it’s better to avoid it.

A safer option is to place the barbell with the weights on your chest and lift the weights in front of you.

3. Standing row

This is another back exercise that you should avoid.

To do this exercise you need to hold a dumbbell or barbell with weights so that the hands are next to each other, then lift the barbell while standing upright, raise the hands all the way to the chin, and elbows as high as possible.

A much safer and more efficient version is to take one weight in each hand and place your hands next to your body, while at the same time lifting the weights on both sides, wide at shoulder height.

4. Leg press

You do this exercise in a semi-lying position on the machine and you push the weight with your legs.

This exercise is for the quadriceps and gluteus.

The problem is that when you bend your knees, they reach your chest and are not at a 90-degree angle which is recommended for beginners.

So, you can easily injure your knees and back.

It would be safer to adjust the seat back a little more and your legs to always be at a 90-degree angle when lowering the weight.

5. Smith machine squat

You do this squat with weights on your shoulders.

People usually put their feet too far forward, which is a risky position and can lead to injuries.

A safer version is the regular squats without weights that are almost equally effective, but the possibility of injuries is minimal.

6. Standing Bent-Over Reverse Dumbbell Triceps Extension

There are many exercises you can do instead of the triceps extension if you want to stimulate the growth of arm muscles.

The most dangerous part of this exercise is the last part of the movement when there is an awkward pressure on the elbow, which is not recommended.

7. Classic crunches

There is no doubt that the classic crunches engage the muscles of the abdominal wall, but in addition, there will be a lot of pressure on your back, which will affect your poor posture and pain in that area.

It often happens that after doing classic crunches, gym-goers feel pain in the neck and back.

Plank is a much better way to strengthen your core muscles and improve overall strength.

8. Deadlift

Deadlifting is probably one of the best exercises for overall building your legs and lower back.

This is a very demanding exercise that activates practically all your muscles.

If you are a gym rookie, then it’s best to do other exercises for a while to get in shape and then start deadlifting to avoid injuries.

Especially don’t try this without a personal trainer.

Exercises to Avoid If You Are a Beginner – Bottom Line:

Don’t get me wrong – the above-mentioned exercises are effective but you need to avoid them if you are a beginner.

You can hurt yourself if you don’t do these exercises properly or if you have some weak muscle groups.

As you get stronger you can start doing these exercises that bodybuilders and experienced gym-goers do.

Of course, the safest way to start your gym journey is to hire a personal trainer.