Popular Exercises That Waste Your Time (And What to Do Instead)

If you've been spending hours in the gym but aren't seeing results, it's not your effort — it's your exercise selection. Many popular moves do little to move the needle in terms of fat loss or strength gains. Let’s break down which exercises are wasting your time, and what to do instead if you actually want to build muscle and get lean.

1. Endless Crunches
Crunches may give you a burn, but they won't give you visible abs. Spot reduction is a myth. Abs are revealed in the kitchen and built through full-body stability work.

Try Instead: Do this instead: Planks (weighted or unweighted), Side planks, Variety of core and ab movements i.e. weighted crunches , leg raises. These target the deep core and also translate to strength and posture improvements.

2. Tiny Dumbbell Curls (Every Day)
Doing endless curls with light weights might give you a short-term pump, but it won’t lead to significant growth or fat loss. Isolation without intensity is inefficient.

Try Instead: Barbell curls, pull-ups, rows, and dumbbell curls in a hypertrophy range (8–12 reps with progressive overload).

3. Hip Abduction Machine Marathons
This machine gives you a serious outer-thigh burn, but it’s not the main driver of glute growth.

Try Instead: Romanian deadlifts, walking lunges, barbell hip thrusts, and split squats. These compound movements recruit more glute muscle and lead to real shape and strength.

4. Jumping Around Just to Sweat
Sweating doesn't equal progress. High-intensity circuits with no structure often lead to burnout and minimal gains.

Try Instead: Structured strength programs that prioritize progression. Add in smart conditioning like sleds, hill sprints, or timed circuits 1–2x per week.

Final Thoughts:
Just because a movement is popular doesn’t mean it's productive. If you're training hard but not seeing results, it's time to train smarter. At Lionheart Fitness, we create customized programs that cut out the fluff and deliver real results.