You are logging major hours in the gym. But, are you maximizing your efforts? Here is a list of the common mistakes and exercises that should be avoided by all athletes.

1. Leg Press. This is commonly referred to as an “ego press” in that you can load up with huge amounts of weight and feel good about this. However, it does little to nothing in terms of improving functional strength. In addition. . . . get the highlighter out for this one. . . more low back injuries have occurred using this machine than any other.

Switch to old fashion squats or lunges. You will not use as much weight but instead will just get stronger and stronger.

2. Behind the Neck Press. Unless you are into gymnastics or a Cirque du Soliel performer, most people do not have the flexibility to perform this exercise. End result is neck and shoulder problems, particularly cervical subluxations.

Switch to the simple clean and press; that is, lift something that is heavy from the ground and put it over your head. Repeat three to five times.

3. Upright rows is the answer. How do I  ruin my rotator cuff is the question. Like the leg press, there is simply too much tension and strain on a small portion of the body (the shoulder/rotator cuff in this case) to withstand the weight and movement.

Switch to bent over rows or deadlifts.

4. Using machines. Though this is obviously not a specific exercise, the use of machines is one of the reasons for an increase in injuries. Why? Machines are designed for rehab and are less than ideal for overall functional strength building. Isolating a muscle which is what machines do,  is fine for bodybuilding but for most athletes, we are continually using multiple muscles and compound joint movements.  The end result of isolation training is an imbalance of muscle groups.

Switch to barbells and dumbells. Yes they are harder and that in part, is the point. You are forced to use multiple muscle sets and compound joint movements. Add the fact that you need to use your whole body and grip the weights and you have a great formula for improving strength.

Also when you switch to barbells and dumbells, use heavy weights. More and more research is showing that 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 5 repetitions are the way to go. (YES even for marathoners!). It will greatly improve strength – the major purpose of weight training – and virtually eliminate problems such as osteoporosis from the radar.

Before you worry about getting “too muscular or bulky,” unless you are training this way 3-4 hours per day, 6 days a week and consuming 6000-7000 clean calories (mainly protein), it is NOT an issue. This is one of the biggest myths in weight training.

Avoiding these exercises and replacing them with more effective and functionally efficient ones can go a long way to improving strength, reducing fat and reaching maximum potential.