What's going on Nation? I'm Scott from muscularstrength.com and today I'm going to hurt your feelings
plain and simple
And this is because I'm going to tell you that some of the exercises you're currently doing in the gym are not the best use
Of your time, and you could be making much better gains doing a variation of the same movement or something else completely different
So let's jump right into the three most over 8 exercises at the gym as soon as you pause the video and follow me on
instagram
Number one the barbell bench press one of the most common, if not the most common chest exercise out there
It's the bro exercise the most common question in the gym how much do you bench, bro?
Well even if you can bench a lot of weight
It doesn't mean you're getting the best out of this exercise for your workout
this is because the barbell bench press is not the best way to maximize your chest engagement or
Development especially when there's better alternatives out there like the dumbbell bench press
with dumbbells
You have more range of motion at the top and the bottom of the movement
And they require more control and stability to use guys always remember that the more
Instability you can introduce into an exercise the better
This is because your body has to recruit more muscle fibers in order to stabilize
Throughout these kinds of movements and when compared to using a barbell the dumbbell
Variation is always going to win on any exercise also
I just released a video going over proper form with the dumbbell bench press, and you guys should definitely check it out
Especially if you have shoulder issues because they have a few alternative form variations that can really help you out and lastly guys
I'm not saying the barbell bench press isn't a great exercise you just need to train smarter for your goals if
Your powerlifting then obviously you must use the barbell bench press to increase your overall bench
But when it comes to muscle gain all you need is them dumbbells now the second most overrated exercise is the leg extension
Now guys, I will admit that I love using this machine too, but the more I think about it the more
I'm beginning to realize that I like it so much because when I was learning to lift this was basically the only
Quad isolation exercise that I knew when I was 14 in the gym all the dudes teaching me how to live would always be like
All right, let's go smash quads, and we would hit the leg extension
I never even knew you could do movements like front squats Bulgarian split squats
Jefferson squats or even my new favorite exercise the sissy squat
Remember guys you always get the most muscle damage during the stretch portion of a movement
And if you're having a hard time building your quads and the only isolation movement that you're hitting is the leg extension
There really is no stretch because the weight stack stops at the bottom of the movement
But on an exercise like a sissy squat the stretch becomes more intense as you lower yourself to the ground
So you have total control over this even the sissy squat machine if you really think about it is the exact
Opposite in terms of how you target your quads when compared to the leg extension
With the sissy squat machine there is no tension on your quads when your legs are fully extended
But as soon as you begin to lower yourself to the ground not only are you now applying tension to the quads?
But you're loading them up for a deep
stretch at the bottom of the movement now many of you might tell me that you don't have access to a sissy squat machine at
Your gym, but at the end of the day
do you really need to isolate them when you have access to perform compound movements like front squats and
Bulgarian split squats
I mean you can even utilize the leg press to isolate your inner and outer quads if they're lagging and I actually have a video
on how to do this and now link to that down in the info section below, but
Because I do have access to a sissy squat and machine in my studio
I will admit that nothing kicks my butt more than super setting squats with the sissy squat machine
I do this because I'm basically
Exhausting my quads to the mat with each set which means in order to keep up with the work out from being pre
Exhausted I'm forced to recruit more muscle fibers in my quads
When I go back to squatting so if you want to add something like this to your home gym
I will post a link for the sissy squat machine in the info section
Below and use the code mind write 15 for 15% off and the third most useless exercise
You can do in the gym is long boring
treadmill sessions guys
I cannot stand it when I see people spend more time on the treadmill
Than the amount of time they spent on the workout floor it blows my mind
You could do
50 burpees and burn more calories in 10 minutes than jogging on a treadmill at a low speed for 30 to 40 minutes
If this isn't wasting your time. I don't know what is well
I get to give a few more things like the trainers at my gym that I see having their over weight
Clients doing seated bicep curls with 10 pound dumbbells. I mean seriously. What is that going to do, but that's a story for another day?
But that doesn't mean cardio is not useful though guys
I run 4.5 miles at least 3 to 4 times a week, but I'm doing it for
Cardiovascular health and running is a mental release for me now obviously I'm burning some calories while running
But if my goal was purely focused on fat loss
My workouts first and foremost would consist of a hot core circuits where I'm combining upper body and lower body
exercises while using moderate weight and keeping the focus on high volume and short rest periods
That is how you shred fat?
And if you want to add some cardio to the mix instead of running for 10 hours on the treadmill
You can make much better use of your time doing some hit cardio
Whether it's on the treadmill bicycle or elliptical machine
So if you're currently trying to shred some fat
Or cut up
Check out my 12-week fat loss program on muscularstrength.com I will toss the link down in the info section below and guys these
Workouts can be done anywhere all you need is a pair of 5 to 10 pound dumbbell
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So you never miss a new video upload and as always guys more good stuff coming soon. See ya