Even though more than half of the hot summer is already behind us, gyms are full of people who are on their way to their dream figure. But are all the exercises performed in these gyms so effective?
Of course, the gym is the most popular place where people come to keep their body in good shape, lose extra pounds and increase their body's endurance.
But often, when I observe what exercises people choose, I am sincerely surprised. The most popular exercises in the gym are far from the most effective - says Akhmetova Nadezhda Valerievna , a fitness trainer and sports nutrition consultant.
Smith machine squats essentially immobilize your body and force it to move in the same direction.
Almost no muscles are involved. The benefit tends to zero. If you give up the mechanical support and replace the Smith with a barbell with a lighter weight, this will help strengthen your posture and develop balance.
Leg raises on a machine are an exercise that many girls love. Some come to this machine to get rid of fat on their hips.
But this exercise does nothing to reduce inner thigh fat because it involves very little muscle. Replace it with a good cardio workout or single-leg squats.
Bends with dumbbells in hands in different directions. This exercise is perfect for men! But it is absolutely not suitable for women, because it will not help to reduce waist circumference.
On the contrary, doing this exercise will increase your waist by pumping up your muscles. You hardly wanted to achieve such an effect. Replace this exercise with bends with a bent arm row - you will be pleased with the effect!
Speaking of cardio training, it is very important to choose the right duration. Too grueling cardio training has the opposite effect, because the body experiences stress and begins to store fat. In addition, after such a workout, you will want to eat twice as much.
But you probably wanted a different effect! If the cardio was not long enough, you will not see any results at all. All this happens because during the first 40 minutes of training, only glycogen is broken down, and only then does fat start to burn. What should you do? Train in the morning on an empty stomach! After just 20 minutes, fat will start to break down.
Weighted crunches and bends. Many people do these exercises in the hopes of getting a wasp waist, but let's think about it together.
When we do weighted exercises on muscles, they grow because they are under stress. When doing crunches on oblique muscles, there will be no exception. They will grow. So what does a narrow waist have to do with it? Replace these exercises with the old and beloved plank!
Don't follow the "everyone does it, and I do it" principle. Do the exercises thoughtfully, and then you will be pleased with the result!
