9 Exercises Men Should Avoid for Weight Loss

9 Exercises Men Should Avoid for Weight Loss | XpertsReviews.com

Attention all men! Are you trying to lose weight? If so, you’ll want to listen. You may think you have a solid fitness routine to start your fat burning journey. However, we spoke with experts and learned which exercises men should avoid to lose weight and what to focus on instead.

The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you will burn. In fact, a 2018 study observed more than 2,000 overweight and prediabetic men and women who consumed an 810-calorie-per-day diet for two months. Data shows that men lost 16% more weight than women.

That said, optimizing your workout routine is crucial, as some exercises are less effective at burning calories than others. “As a personal trainer, I am well aware of what it takes to create significant and lasting weight loss,” explains Jake Dickson, CPT-NASMand Certified Clinical Athlete Weightlifting Coach for BarBend. “An important, but often overlooked, factor in creating weight change is exercise selection. All gym exercises burn calories, but if your goal is to lose body fat, you’ll need to choose moves that rev up your metabolic engine.”

Now let’s explore the exercises men should avoid to lose weight.

Ab machine workouts

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First of all, ab workouts aren’t as productive for building a six-pack as you might think. Mike Bohl, MD, MPH, ALMexplains: “While it is true that machines can help strengthen the rectus abdominis, the muscle that forms the six-pack, having a six-pack has more to do with the amount of subcutaneous fat that covers the muscle rather than with the size of the muscle.”

It’s still Performing core workouts for balance, spinal stabilization, and good posture is essential, but when it comes to burning calories and shedding belly fat, working on the abs alone won’t do the trick..

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Exercises for the hip abductors and adductors

Hip abductor exerciseHip abductor exercise
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Performing exercises for the hip abductors and adductors is not the best use of your time in the gym. “These exercises work the muscles in a relatively limited range of motion and probably don’t burn enough calories to be worth it,” Dr. Bohl points out.

Posture-focused exercises like yoga and Pilates

man performing yoga workout, weight loss tips for menman performing yoga workout, weight loss tips for men
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Dr. Bohl explains that yoga and Pilates are great for improving mental well-being, balance, and flexibility, but they’re not as beneficial for losing weight quickly as other workouts. “These exercises burn a relatively low number of calories for the time they take,” says Dr. Bohl.

Michael Bettsdirector at TRAININGagrees that yoga is full of mental and physical benefits, but you may want to avoid it to lose weight. “While some styles like Power Yoga may burn more calories, most types of yoga, especially Hatha or restorative yoga, don’t burn calories at the same rate as more intense exercises,” Betts tells us. “This lower calorie expenditure makes yoga less effective as a primary weight loss tool.”

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Moderate-to-vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise

man running vigorously in winter, demonstrating the exercises men should not do to lose weightman running vigorously in winter, demonstrating the exercises men should not do to lose weight
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Aerobic workouts like tennis, running, jogging and swimming are great ways to improve your heart rate, improve your cardiovascular well-being and burn calories. However, Dr. Bohl notes that while a comprehensive workout routine, including one aimed at weight loss, should include aerobic exercise, performing aerobic exercise at an intense level on its own can negatively affect body composition.

“If you just do intense cardio and don’t incorporate strength training into your routine, you can lose muscle mass. In the long run, this slows down your metabolism, because just having more muscle mass is an effective way to burn more calories throughout the day,” says Dr. Bohl.

Single-Move Exercises Targeting Small Muscle Groups

man performing biceps curlsman performing biceps curls
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Any exercise that costs you more time than you need to spend should be re-evaluated. When trying to lose weight, think about what any particular exercise you do will “cost” you. What does this mean? Dr. Bohl raises an interesting perspective.

Your time at the gym is precious and limited. A weight loss goal means your time should be used wisely. Case and argument? Including single-movement exercises targeting small muscle groups can be productive for building those particular muscles, but may not be the best way to lose weight.

For example, bicep curls improve arm strength and calf raises are a smart choice for building leg strength. But Dr. Bohl explains that none of these exercises will burn as many calories or be as effective for weight loss as full-body exercises.

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Spot reduction exercises

man doing sit-ups to burn belly fatman doing sit-ups to burn belly fat
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Spot reduction exercises essentially target fat loss in specific areas of the body, such as the thighs or abs, and Betts calls them “generally ineffective.”

He explains: “Doing sit-ups will not necessarily result in [in] loss of abdominal fat; fat tends to decrease throughout the body and not in just one targeted area. Spot reduction exercises also result in low energy expenditure compared to full-body or high-intensity workouts, which are more effective for overall fat loss.

TJ Mentuscertified personal trainer at Garage Gym Reviews, agrees that you shouldn’t waste time with sit-ups. He says: “As popular as sit-ups are, they are not an effective exercise for weight loss. They are a very small movement that requires a lot of repetitions to be effective while not burning many calories .”

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Calf raises

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When you hit the gym, you may notice that many people lift their calves in hopes of getting toned calves. However, Marc Edwardsnutrition coach Precision Nutrition Level 1, CrossFit & L2 mobility trainer at Minimalist nutrition + fitnesswarns against them.

“The calf raise works, at its best, two muscles in the lower leg, the gastrocnemius and the soleus,” says Edwards. “The metabolic effect is so minimal as to be of no consequence.”

Boards

man doing planks, strength training concept for men to lose weightman doing planks, strength training concept for men to lose weight
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Planks are all well and good, but not for men who want to slim down, according to Dickson. “While the plank does a fantastic job of teaching you how to strengthen your body, the lack of movement means it doesn’t burn many calories,” he explains. “And to show off your abs, you need to build them first: Planks are poor for muscle growth because they don’t exercise your abs through their full range of motion.”

Leg extensions

man doing leg extensions at the gymman doing leg extensions at the gym
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Leg extensions are great if you want to train your quads, but they don’t offer much bang for your buck when it comes to weight loss, says Mentus.

He tells us: “Isolation exercises, especially on machines, only work a specific area and don’t burn as many calories or build as much muscle as compound movements.” A good compound movement that will work the quads and be most beneficial for weight loss would be weighted raises.

What exercises should men do to lose weight?

man performing exercises in a park to lose 10 pounds in a monthman performing exercises in a park to lose 10 pounds in a month
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For the most efficient use of time, Dr. Bohl recommends focusing on workouts that activate multiple muscle groups simultaneously, especially larger ones. Your legs are a good example.

“Many closed chain exercises are great for targeting more than one area of ​​the body. Closed chain exercises are typically performed against a stationary object (like the floor or a barbell) and can be weighted or simply based on the body’s weight. Body chain exercises that can burn calories and lead to noticeable weight loss include push-ups, squats, pull-ups, and lunges,” says Dr. Bohl.

Additionally, Betts recommends performing full-body exercises for the best results. “Full-body exercises work larger muscle groups and create a calorie deficit through a balanced diet and comprehensive fitness program,” he says. “[This route is] generally more effective for weight loss.

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