The
10 Worst Pieces of Training
Equipment I've Ever Used
From
the Trampoline Stair Machine to the Self-Impaling
Cable Row Machine, you will not believe just how
bad some training equipment can be.
Almost every single gym in the world has a piece of equipment
in it that every member hates to use. It sits in the corner
like a mousetrap, waiting for the next victim to get close.
I've traveled the world in search of the worst of these
diabolical machines (well, not really, but you get the idea).
Keep
in mind, these are real pieces of equipment that I've actually
used (but not for long!).
1. The Power Rack With Aluminum Safety Rails - if
a rack has safety rails that are 1 inch in diameter, weigh
3 pounds each and are BENT, stay far, far away.
2.
The Eight-Foot Pulldown Machine - have you ever used
a pulldown machine where you needed to stand up on the seat
to be able to reach the bar? It's about as practical as
playing golf with a bowling ball (a little tricky to get
into position if you're using more than your bodyweight
too).
3.
The Back-Breaker Crunch Machine - try a rep in this
thing. It'll fold you up like an enchilada and not in a
good way. That sharp, shooting pain in your lower back does
NOT mean your abs are working.
4.
The Short and Skinny Flat Bench - I have no idea who
built this thing as I've only ever seen it one gym but this
guy needs to be fired. This wonderfully unstable twelve-inch
long bench is perfect for exercises that don't require a
good base of support or pretty much any support at all.
It was the only "bench" in the entire gym that
wasn't nailed down so it was all I had to use for 500-pound
partial bench presses. Fun!
5.
The Shoulder-Separator Flye Machine - the designers
of this machine must not have realized that your shoulders
don't bend backwards quite as far as they go forward. Never
before had I seen a machine that almost made your elbows
touch behind your back for a "complete" stretch.
6.
The Self-Impaling Cable Row Machine - I quite like cable
row machines that have a support pad for your chest. I encountered
one version that had a pad that was all of 2 square inches
and set so that it pressed directly into your solar plexus
as you rowed. It was like getting punched in the guts with
every rep!
7.
The Trampoline Stair Machine - what could be better
than a stair machine that automatically shoots your one
leg back up so fast as you push the other one down that
you almost knock your teeth out with your knee? How about
an escalator.
8.
The Crooked Smith Machine - normally when you look at
the bar on a Smith Machine, it is horizontal. Not this thing.
I must confess, I didn't actually use it though. The fact
that everyone who did any exercises on this machine walked
away leaning at a 20-degree angle kind of scared me off.
9.
The Seatless Stationary Bike - I didn't actually use
this one either, for reasons too painful to discuss.
10.
The Knee-Cracker Leg Extension Machine - the leg extension
is not the healthiest exercise for your knees to begin with
but the designer of this machine for some reason felt it
necessary to enhance this danger by inclining the seat.
Imagine doing a leg extension with your hips down, your
knees up level with your chest and your heels forced back
underneath your butt. When the sounds of someone crushing
bubble wrap comes out of your knees, you know something
is not quite right with the machine.
Got a machine in your gym that makes your joints hurt to
even look at? Send a description along to me at betteru@fitstep.com!
