The 8 Worst Exercises for Men Over 40

Do you exercise in a gym? This article describes several exercises you should avoid unless you are an accomplished athlete or young person.

This article was posted because there is considerable confusion about kind of gym work older men should be doing.

The article is a bit technical. If you don't understand something, ask your personal trainer or do Internet research.

(The article below was obtained from Michael Boyle at strengthcoach.com). Boyle has decades of experience as a personal trainer.)

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Lets start with a disclaimer. There are definitely bad exercises. Some are bad because you can get hurt, some are bad because they don't have much purpose (or there may be a better choice), some are just useless (think burpees).

All of these, with the exception of the back squat, are exercises that we do with our younger, athlete clients but don't do with adults.

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Exercise 1 - Behind the Neck Anything

Why We Don't Like This:

Placing a bar behind your neck is a “shoulder unfriendly” move. The impingement zone is one of abduction and external rotation. Cranking back there and then exercising is another bad idea. This applies to presses, pulldowns, and actually squats.

Side note. If you lack the shoulder external rotation to get the bar behind your head you will actually substitute lumbar spine extension to “fake” shoulder external rotation.  

What We Do Instead:

Alternating dumbbell presses are a great alternative to a behind the neck press. The humerus is less abducted and less externally rotated. Dumbbells eliminate the rigid bar path of the fixed bar.

Note: we don't use a fixed bar for much any more. Barbell bench press and Olympic lifts are about the only time we actually use a bar.

Substitute front pulldowns (ideally on an independent handle functional trainer) for any behind the head lat work.

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Exercise 2 - Back Squat

Why we don't like it for adults:

The main reason I don't like back squats for adults is that I don't like them for anyone. I could write a whole article on just this topic but, not today

Back squats are just a bad risk/benefit choice. About 10% of any population I have worked with were what I would call “natural squatters”. Natural squatters are people who did it perfect the first time with very little coaching. They generally possess good hip and ankle mobility and tend to be very segmentally proportional.

Another problem with back squats is that the ego gets involved. Yes, I know as a coach we are supposed to be able to control ego but good luck with that.

What to do instead:

For basic beginner adults, think Goblet Squats. A goblet squat is a miraculous exercise. Combine goblet position with a heel lift and the number of good squats probably rises from 10% to 80% in any given sample.

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Exercise 3 - Straight Bar Deadlifts

Why I don't Like It:

Same issues as above. Ego issues and mobility issues combine to give clients back issues.

What We Do Instead:

Kettlebell Sumo Deadlifts. Kettlebell Sumo Deadlifts are more “squatty” than regular deadlifts and are a great place to start for beginners.

Please note: people that can't touch their toes will be poor squatters and deadlifters. If clients lack mobility, stay unilateral.

Also, we will tend to goblet squat and kettlebell deadlift until we hit about 40% of bodyweight. After that, we will be primarily unilateral. Lets face it. In the real world bilateral strength is not a huge deal. Yes, we need to pick up kids, laundry etc. but kids and laundry rarely weigh more than 80-100 lbs.

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Exercise 4 - Barbell Bench Press

Why I don't Like It:

Most adults have some signs of rotator cuff deterioration. I like to think of barbell bench press as literally an abrasive exercise. The rotator cuff is dragged under the acromion over and over in the same path. As a veteran of shoulder surgery I remember altering my grip year by year to find a pain free bar path.

What We Do Instead:

Dumbbell bench press gets most folks more comfortable pretty quickly. With dumbbells it is easier to self -select a pain free bar path. With a barbell the straight bar makes altering the path more difficult. In addition with stronger males large dumbbells actually decrease range of motion a bit.

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Exercise 5 - Chin-ups and Pullups

Why I don't Like Them:

[Are you familiar with] the airport screening test? And how funny or sad it is to watch people try to get into position in the airport X-ray? Most adults cannot raise their arms over their head.

This makes chin-ups and pullups a bad idea. In addition, most people are not strong enough to do a chin-up or a pullup and will use upper trap, levator etc. We see lots of neck pain with adult clients who insist on doing chin-ups.

What We Do Instead:

I love suspension trainer (Rings, TRX) rows. These are a great challenging bodyweight exercise that work from 90 degrees of shoulder flexion, a position all adults easily can get into.

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Exercise 6 - Dips (including bench dips) 

Why We Don't Like Them:

Dips and bench dips place the shoulder right where you don't want it. The extension of the shoulder joint under load is not a good prescription for shoulder health. The anterior capsule is thin and weak and, you don't need to try to force the humeral head forward into that capsule. Trust me, I was a big weighted dip guy as a kid and I literally have the scars to prove it.

What to Do Instead:

It's been so long since we programmed dips, that I really don't have lots of alternative ideas. Any type of press that will work shoulders and triceps is a better idea than dips.

PS: Bench dips are worse, not better.

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Exercise 7 - Leg Press

Why We Don't Like Them:

I often half-jokingly say “ if you are lying on your back pushing up with your feet, you're not very good at your sport”. Also, leg press is one of the great ego inflation exercises in conventional gyms. I love the videos of gym clowns with stacks of plates on the leg press. If I still went to conventional gyms I think it would be great to make stickers that say “ no one cares”.

News flash. Your legs were meant to be stood on. Being able to move large amounts of weight while lying down just doesn't make sense? The leg press to me is the definition of a non-functional exercise.

What We Do Instead:

Start with bodyweight squats. Work to split squats and eventually to one leg squats.

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Exercise 8 - Burpees

Why We Don't Like Them:

Throwing yourself on the floor with the objective to make yourself tired? Please.

Reason 1- they are pointless and are used as punishment or a form or flagellation. Just ask yourself, “why am doing this?”. The crazy answer is because it makes you tired.

Reason 2- burpees have a really high orthopedic cost. This basically means that the juice isn't worth the squeeze. Want sore wrists and shoulders, burpee away.

(By "orthopedic cost", I mean the stress and strain imposed by an exercise on the non- target tissue. For example, I love the one leg deadlift/skaters squat because the orthopedic cost is less than a back squat, a front squat or a deadlift. I can target the lower body and lower the “orthopedic cost” to the lower back significantly. Generally when I say I don't like an exercise what I often mean is I don't like its orthopedic cost.)

What to Do Instead:

Anything! I'm half sarcastic but, if you want to beat the crap out of yourself and save your joints, invest in an Assault Bike. Another gadget I have to try is the Sand Dune? 

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Just a reminder, bench press and chin-ups are in our athlete programs only as are trap bar deadlifts.

We don't do back squats or traditional deadlifts with any athletes or adults.

For clients over 40, remember that they are aging and that joint friendly and low orthopedic cost choices are what training is all about.

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