In muscle building one man's meat is often another man's poison - because instructors in gyms often recommend exercises that are dangerous to do.
It could be that the instructor is ignorant, or that they fail to understand that what works for one may not work for another.
As a general rule, dangerous exercises fall into three groups: 1/ A dangerous version of an exercise that is normally safe 2/ An exercise that is dangerous full stop! 3/ A normally safe exercise that just isn't safe for you.
In this article I'm going to reveal some often recommended but nevertheless dangerous variations of normally safe exercises that have the potential to cause you great harm! I'd like to repeat that I've seen all these exercise variations recommended as safe by irresponsible gurus: 1/ Performing the squat exercise with your heels raised on a block - this is really bad for the knees.
The reason it's recommended is that in theory this variation puts more stress on the quad muscles - but at the cost of ruining your knees.
Unfortunately, it can seem an attractive idea to perform the squat this way if your ankles aren't flexible enough for you to squat with your feet flat on the floor.
If this is you, work on your flexibility.
This could apply to ladies who often wear high heels.
Properly done, the squat exercise is a very productive exercise in terms of the amount of muscle it can build.
But never squat with elevated heels! I speak from bitter experience.
2/ The dead lift done from a standing position on a bench, with the actual bar on the floor - this is meant to increase the range of motion, which it does do - but it also puts the low back in a very vulnerable position.
Not only that, it requires very good balance to attempt this movement - and the extra range in motion doesn't compensate for the extra risk.
As above, the dead lift is an amazing exercise if done the right way - but it's amazingly dangerous if done this way.
This exercise I often see demonstrated by very flexible folk - do not copy them! 3/ Bench pressing to the neck.
I can remember Vince Gironda (an old time bodybuilding trainer) recommending this to build shoulder muscle in a copy of Muscle Mag way back.
Bench pressing to the neck is a common fault in gyms - not really sure why.
What I am sure about is that it damages the shoulders, so avoid this variation.
Use this as a guide; when the bench is at chest level, it should be about where your nipples are, even perhaps an inch or so lower than that, depending on body structure - but never at neck level, or even mid-chest level.
Once again, proof that a normally safe exercise can become a joint wrecker.
4/ Bench pressing with extreme grips.
This is really the fault of the names given to the exercises.
People doing the wide-grip bench with the grip too wide, and doing the narrow-grip bench with the grip too narrow.
I've seen recommendations in the mainstream bodybuilding press (a great source of really bad advice) where the grip is incredibly wide, so wide that it can cause shoulder and elbow injuries.
I've also seen versions of the narrow grip bench where the hands are only about four to six inches apart, which makes it really hard to balance the bar.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't do the wide or narrow grip bench, what I am saying is that the variations in grip are often taken too literally.
Avoid these dangerous variations of safe exercises and increase your longevity in the gym!