6 Dangerous Exercises You Should Never Do

Photo by: Jessica Cassity

Straight-Leg Lifts
People do this move to tone the abs, but it's actually one of the worst exercises for the lower back, according to Mike Bracko, EdD, CSCS, an exercise physiologist and fitness educator in Calgary, Alberta. In the move, a person lies face up, lifting the legs up over the hips then lowering them back down. "When the legs are lifted, one of the prime movers is a muscle that attaches to the lumbar spine ... more 

Photo by: Jessica Cassity

Straight-Leg Lifts
People do this move to tone the abs, but it's actually one of the worst exercises for the lower back, according to Mike Bracko, EdD, CSCS, an exercise physiologist and fitness educator in Calgary, Alberta. In the move, a person lies face up, lifting the legs up over the hips then lowering them back down. "When the legs are lifted, one of the prime movers is a muscle that attaches to the lumbar spine vertebrae," says Bracko. "When this muscle is contracted, it pulls the lower back into hyperextension and squeezes the discs which can put a person at risk for a herniated disc." Ouch! A better way to target the lower abs: reverse crunches.

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