11 Exercises You Should Never Do

11 Exercises You Should Never Do
Now that you're building a healthy body with a steady gym routine, do yourself a favor: Don't waste time with ineffective or downright dangerous moves. We'll tell you which exercises to skip — and the ones to do instead. 01 Of 23 You think you're working the outer thighs in hopes of blasting away those saddlebags. Unfortunately, the bad news here is twofold: When you're seated in this position, the abductor muscles of the outer thighs aren't actually doing the work. Instead, the piriformis muscle, a small deep hip muscle, is. And when this guy is worked too hard, it can get angry and pick on its neighbor, the sciatic nerve, possibly leading to painful sciatica. Besides, you can't blast away fat on a specific body part — better known as spot reduction — by working just those particular muscles anyway. "This machine totally ingrains that myth," says Irene Lewis-McCormick, MS, CSCS, a personal trainer in Iowa. The only way to reduce trouble spots is by changing your diet and doing total-body exercises that peel away pounds from your entire frame. 01 Of 23 While you can't slim your thighs by target training, it's still important to strengthen the abductors because they're essential to help keep you stable on your feet. Lie on your side, propping yourself up on your forearm. With shoulders and hips stacked, raise your top leg 3 to 12 inches, but don't kick it so high that your leg starts to turn out — this will activate different muscles. Hold for 5 seconds, then lower, and repeat for 10 reps. Flip over and do the other side. "Body weight is fantastic for toning muscles, if you can leverage yourself," says McCormick. Original article and pictures take http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/fitness/g596/dangerous-exercises/?slide=1 site