4 Exercises Women Should Avoid When Trying to Lose Weight
Losing weight can be such a challenge. In order to drop some pounds and get into shape, living a healthy, active lifestyle is key. This means eating a diet that's high in lean protein and vegetables, getting in solid strength training, and keeping up with your cardio. But there are actually exercises to avoid when trying to lose weight—especially if you're a woman. We've put together some effective weight loss tips for women, including the exercises you shouldn't waste your time on.
It's not that any exercises are bad when it comes to fitness, but some are not as effective as you may think when talking about reaching your goals. When it comes to losing weight, for instance, it's important to focus your time on strength training and building and maintaining your muscle mass.
A majority of your exercises should consist of compound movements, such as squats, deadlifts, presses, and rows. They will help you burn more calories, increase your metabolism, and help you to achieve success in your weight loss journey. If you're trying to lose weight, I recommend avoiding the following exercises. Keep reading to learn about them, and next up, check out 12 Foods Everyone Over 50 Should Eat for Serious Weight Loss.
Burpees
A burpee is basically an exercise that consists of two steps. It starts with a pushup, then you explosively jump up toward the sky, and repeat it several times in sequence. If you're just starting out with working out, you may not yet have the strength to perform a proper squat, pushup, and jump squat. When you combine these movements, often for high reps, your form will break down even more especially as you get more tired. Although it can be a good conditioning exercise, it's not necessary for weight loss.
Box Jumps
Just like the burpee, it's common to not perform box jumps properly. Although they are a great exercise for building power, they require a good amount of coordination, lower body strength, and explosiveness in order to get the most benefit from them. Instead, it may be more beneficial to focus on getting stronger in your squats and split squat variations.
Sit-ups
Most people have a forward head and hunched-back posture. Because of this, performing sit-ups can simply make this condition worse. Far too many people perform sit-ups by cranking on their necks and using their hip flexors rather than their abs.
You may be surprised to hear that sit-ups are also one of the least effective ab exercises you can do. A better weight loss choice is to concentrate on additional core stability movements such as plank variations, ab wheel rollouts, and stability ball stir the pot.
Seated Adductor/Abductor Machine
Many women chose this machine hoping to help tone and tighten up their inner and outer thigh areas. Even though you may feel the burn when performing this movement, it isn't as effective as including squats, lunges, or split squats in your routine.
If you favor this machine, go ahead and continue using it. But I recommend including it in your regimen as a warmup rather than one of your main exercises.
