Thursday, September 11, 2008

Stupidest Exercise Ever?

While I was doing today's TT for Meatheads workout, which was an awesome arms workout (they are still tired now, 2 hours after training), I saw a guy do quite possibly the stupidest exercise ever. It ranks right up there with the time I saw a guy do a split squat while standing on a dumbbell.

But first, my workout...

1) Overhead Squat - 135x5, 145x2

2A) Military Press - 135x2x8
2B) Pullup - 14, 8, 9, 4

3A) Barbell Curl - 95x3x8
3B) DB Tri Ext - 45x8, 4, 4

4A) DB Curl - 3x5
4B) Ez Bar Ext - 3x5

For some reason, I got a much more intense "classic arm pump" from todays workout compared to the last time I did this workout. Maybe because I did more pullups...not sure. But like I said, I still haven't recovered yet...this workout is worthy of Muscle'n'Fiction, or even Flex magazine.

Okay, so back to this guy and his weird exercise. First, I saw him doing the adductor machine. What a waste. No one needs to do that. Not even women. After he does the adductor machine, he goes and stands on two inflatable disks (I think they are called "Air-ex" pads or something. Then he takes a light dumbbell in each and starts doing arms circles, so he looked like he was swimming the front crawl.

Now I'm sure this guy is a nice, possibly normal guy in real life, but this was one of the stupidest exercises I've seen in a long, long time. Possibly ever.

He then followed that up by doing dumbbell shrugs while standing on the inflatable pads.

I have no idea where some people get these ideas,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

Click here for PROVE workouts that will get you results

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Craig, this quote immediately came to mind

"Any exercise that makes you look like a fruitcake in any manner is instantly disqualified as a useful exercise. Remember that important tip."

-Jason Ferruggia


How do people not question what they are doing. If I was shown this "exercise" and I use that term lightly, I would probably laugh and say "are you serious?"

Anonymous said...

Where did this poor guy learn these exercises? It's sad how much misinformation is out there.
And those adductor and abductor machines in gyms should just be removed. And I'm female.

Anonymous said...

I am half offended by this comment -

"No one needs to do that. Not even women."

;-)

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure about that Jason Ferruggia quote - I look stupid doing ring dips, but they're one hell of an exercise. Actually, with the faces I pull, I look like an idiot doing squats!

Anonymous said...

I can't warm to those ab/adductor thingies. Looks like some sort of primative birthing chair or something for the privacy of your own home with a close friend.

I actually have a cartoon on my site showing a man on an "abductor" machine.

Thought you might like a laugh!

http:www/lose-fat-get-fit.com/mens-fitness.html

Anonymous said...

Whoa!
That link should have been

http://www.lose-fat-get-fit.com/mens-fitness.html