Over the years, we’ve all been taught certain exercises, whether it was through classes in physical education, at the gym or in magazines. However, fitness experts have come to recognize that certain types of exercises actually prove ineffective during a workout and may even cause injury. Instead of staying tried and true to these old, outdated exercise methods, you can easily turn them around and modify them in order to benefit you properly.

Most exercise equipment helps you position yourself properly and offer necessary support while doing your workout. But if you’re doing an outdated, ineffective exercise, the machine itself won’t be able to keep you safe. For example, if you’re a fan of the lying leg press, which involves you lying on your back and using your feet to push up a weight plate, you’ll be surprised to know that bending your legs too far can actually put you at risk for hurting both your knees and your back. This type of injury is most likely to occur when you do this exercise with your legs bent at a 90 degree angle. In order to make this exercise more effective, simply change your leg position so that you don’t bend it past 90 degrees at the knee and you’ll be fine.

Do you make the treadmill your best friend at the gym? If so, you’ll want to be careful of how your posture is while exercising. Over time, people on treadmills tend to hunch over or grip the handle bars too tightly for support. Doing so can mess up your alignment, causing stiffness and soreness in your shoulders, elbows, and your spine. Modify this bad behavior by setting your incline or resistance at a decent height so that you won’t feel the need to grip the handlebars too tightly. Position yourself correctly on the treadmill or similar workout equipment by working out with a straight back, avoiding the hunch. Additionally, use one hand at a time for grip and switch. This will keep your arms from getting stiff and sore.

While many gym goers use the lat pull-down machine, which involves pulling the bar behind your head, this exercise can actually cause more harm than good. If you aren’t able to keep your spine straight during the exercise, the lat pull-down can actually injure your shoulders. The worst type of injury to get from this is a tear in the rotator cuff (one of the four tendons that surround your shoulder joint). An easy way to remedy this exercise is to bring the bar down in front of you instead of behind your head. When done this way, your shoulders will be out of harm’s way, plus it’s a great way to work out the muscles of your upper back. Be sure to lean back slightly and place your hands a bit wider than your shoulders on the bar.

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