Most people often skip the free weight and go for the exercise machines because they seem easier. Exercise machines are designed to guide your body into the correct position. On the other hand, there’s a good chance you’re misusing those machines and that can only do you harm.
Here are the 5 most dangerous exercising machines:
1. Pec Fly Machine
“I often see gym members using this machine while their upper back is rounded. Not only does this put way too much stress on the front part of the shoulders, preventing you from working the chest muscles, but this added stress can also cause shoulder joint injuries ranging from minor muscle tears to full shoulder dislocation. Avoid injury by sitting tall, squeezing your glutes, and pressing your upper back firmly against the pad,” explains Crunch personal trainer Allison Berry.
2. Leg Extension Machine
This machine is very often misused because people simply hop on without adjusting the machine to their size. Not adjusting the size will only put stress on your knees and tendons which leads to inflammations and small muscle tears.
3. Assisted Pull-up Machine
Be extra careful when you exercise on this machine because it has a movable platform and can cause some users to fall.
4. Seated Bench Press
“Most people are seated too low with their head jutting forward, a rounded spine, and elbows flared high. This signals that you’re pushing too much weight, and that’s when injury can occur: when your shoulders overcompensate because your chest muscles can’t handle the weight. Set the seat height enough that the hand grips line up approximately with the nipple line. Sit tall with your chest up, head back against the head rest, and your ribcage down slightly to avoid hyperextension in the low back.” explains Crunch personal trainer Butch Sand.
5. Ab Crunch Machine
You put a lot of stress on your spinal erectors while exercising on this machine.
“The repetitive strain on the spinal erectors is what will lead to disc injury over time,” warns Crunch personal trainer Boaz Roche.
“You can use the machine correctly by opting for a lower weight level and also focusing the movement on your abdominal muscles instead of your arms,” says Roche. “But it’s better to just do planks.”