5 Exercises That Make Me Cringe

Every year I see the same cycle – gyms fill up, motivation spikes, and people jump into workouts with the best intentions… but the worst exercise choices. Some movements look impressive on social media or feel productive in the moment, yet they load the body in ways that are stressful, inefficient, or downright risky.

After more than two decades coaching swimmers and strength athletes, I’ve learned that the most dangerous exercises aren’t always the heaviest ones – they’re the ones that put your joints in compromised positions. Instability in the cervical spine, extreme shoulder angles, flexed-and-rotated lumbar positions… these are the real culprits behind chronic pain, nagging injuries, and the infamous list of “high-risk exercises to avoid.”

Let’s walk through the five exercises that still make me cringe and the smarter alternatives that build strength without unnecessary wear and tear.

1. Lat Pull-Downs Behind the Neck

This one tops nearly every list of worst exercises – and for good reason.

Pulling the bar behind your head forces your neck into forward posture, loads the cervical spine in an unstable position, and wrenches your shoulders into an unnatural angle. If you’ve ever wondered, “Are behind-the-neck pull-downs bad?” the answer is a clear yes.

When you pull outside the scapular plane, you’re asking the shoulder joint to operate at an end range it was never designed to handle. That’s how people end up with impingement, joint irritation, or pain they can’t quite explain.

Better alternative:
Front pull-downs (to collarbone height) with shoulders relaxed and shoulder blades pulling together. Same strength benefits, zero unnecessary risk. What to Avoid After a Workout.

2. Sit-Ups & Crunches

I know these are classics, but classic doesn’t equal effective.

Sit-ups and crunches load the neck, shorten the hip flexors, and bend the spine under repetitive flexion. If you’ve ever wondered why your neck feels worse than your abs after doing them, this is why. For many people, these movements contribute to low-back irritation more than they build midline strength.

The truth? You don’t need spinal flexion to build visible abs. What you need is stability.

Better alternative:

Anti-rotation and anti-extension core work like dead bugs, planks, farmer carries, and stability ball rollouts. Much safer. Much more transferable to sport performance.

3. Protracted Rows with a Rounded Lower Back

You see this everywhere: people lean forward, round their back, and pull the weight as far as possible because it feels like more range of motion.

But the price is high.

A rounded lumbar spine under load + protracted, shrugged shoulders = compromised mechanics all around. This is one of those subtle “dangerous exercises to avoid” because the form deviations look small, yet the stress adds up fast.

Better alternative:
Tall posture, chest proud, ribs down, shoulder blades pulled together at the end of the row. Treat it as an upper-back developer, not a full-body tug-of-war.

4. Dumbbell Side Bends

I’ll say it plainly: if your goal is fat loss, side bends won’t shrink your waistline. “Love handles” aren’t a muscle problem – they’re a nutrition problem.

But the real issue is mechanical: bending and twisting the spine under load puts the lumbar vertebrae at risk. If you’ve ever asked, “What exercise causes the most injuries?” this one is a quiet contender.

Better alternative:
Lateral stability training – suitcase carries, side planks, Pallof presses. These challenge the obliques in the way they actually function: resisting motion, not creating it.

5. Bench Dips

I’ve never been a fan of this exercise, and it has nothing to do with toughness.

Bench dips jam the shoulder into extreme internal rotation and anterior glide. That combo is brutal on the joint capsule and the soft tissue around it. If dips “hurt your shoulders,” this is usually why.

If you can’t do full dips yet, bench dips aren’t the progression — they’re the trap.

Better alternative:
– Parallel bar dips (assisted, if needed)
– Triceps pushdowns
– Close-grip push-ups
All the pushing benefits, none of the joint strain.

And for my swimmers out there: your shoulders already handle massive training volume in the pool. You don’t need a high-risk movement adding more stress.

A Quick Word on “Gym Cringe”

We’ve all seen it — movements that look impressive online but make coaches wince. From behind-the-neck pull-ups to ego-loaded side bends to dip variations that lead straight to injury… these exercises fall into the category of “most useless exercises” not because they build no muscle, but because they cost more than they give back.

My philosophy hasn’t changed in 20+ years:
Excellence lives in the fundamentals.

Smart training beats extreme training every time.

Ready for Safe, Athlete-Approved Strength Training?

Here’s where I can help you build real strength without risking your joints.

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If an exercise forces your body into a position it can’t control, it’s not worth the risk. You don’t need extreme ranges, awkward joint angles, or “cringe” movements to get strong. You need fundamentals performed well.

As I tell every athlete I coach:
Train smart today, so you can train hard tomorrow.