Let’s be real. Gaining muscle is hard work. You show up at the gym, push through the reps, follow a diet, maybe even track your macros. But somehow, the results just don’t match the effort. Sound familiar?
If your gains have hit a wall, it’s time to take a closer look at what you’re doing—because certain exercises might be holding you back big time. They look useful. They’re popular. But they’re doing next to nothing when it comes to real muscle growth.
Here are 4 exercises that could be wasting your time and making your road to muscle gains a whole lot longer.
1. Bicep Curls with Light Weights (High Reps Only)
We’re starting with a classic mistake. You’ve probably seen this in every gym: someone standing in front of a mirror, curling tiny dumbbells like they’re shaking maracas.
What’s wrong:
Doing endless sets of bicep curls with weights that don’t challenge you won’t build size. Your muscles need progressive overload—that means gradually increasing resistance to force growth.
Light curls with high reps mostly work muscular endurance, not size. Sure, your arms might get a pump, but it won’t translate into real strength or growth over time.
What to do instead:
- Use heavier weights that challenge you in the 8–12 rep range.
- Try incline dumbbell curls or barbell curls with proper form.
- Focus on slowing down the eccentric (lowering) part of the rep.
Want bigger arms? Stop babying your biceps.
2. Smith Machine Squats
They seem like a smart, safe way to squat—especially for beginners. But the Smith machine can actually mess with your natural movement pattern and limit real strength gains.
What’s wrong:
The bar path in a Smith machine is fixed. That means your body is forced to move in a straight line, even if your natural squat form doesn’t work that way. Over time, this can stress your knees and lower back, and it doesn’t engage your stabilizer muscles the way free weights do.
Worse, it gives a false sense of strength. You might be moving heavy weight, but you’re not working the right muscles in the right way.
What to do instead:
- Learn the bodyweight squat with perfect form first.
- Progress to goblet squats, then barbell back squats.
- Add front squats or Bulgarian split squats for variety.
Don’t let a machine do the work your body should be learning to handle.
3. Seated Ab Crunch Machine
Ah yes, the ab machine. You sit, crunch forward, feel a burn, and walk away thinking your six-pack is on the way. Spoiler alert—it’s not.
What’s wrong:
Most ab machines overwork your hip flexors and barely engage your deep core muscles. Plus, many people load up too much weight and end up yanking themselves through the motion using momentum instead of control.
Abs need activation, not just movement. If you’re training abs like you’re moving furniture, you’re not doing it right.
What to do instead:
- Ditch the machine and try planks, hanging leg raises, or ab wheel rollouts.
- Focus on core control and tension, not reps.
- Slow down and make your core do the work, not your legs or arms.
Abs are built with smart training and a clean diet—not 200 reps on a noisy machine.
4. Triceps Kickbacks with Poor Form
Yes, triceps kickbacks can work—but most people don’t do them properly. And when done wrong, they’re basically a waste of time.
What’s wrong:
People use weights that are too light, swing their arms, or cut the range of motion short. The triceps barely get activated, and it turns into a weird arm flail rather than a muscle-building movement.
What to do instead:
- Go for close-grip bench presses, dips, or skull crushers.
- If you want to keep doing kickbacks, slow them down and use a full range of motion.
- Focus on keeping your upper arm fixed and extend fully at the elbow.
If your triceps don’t burn by the end of a set, it’s time to switch it up.
The Bigger Problem: Focusing on “Fitness” Over “Training”
The truth is, many of these exercises are sold to us as quick-fix fitness solutions. They’re easy, safe, and popular. But if you’re serious about muscle growth, your focus has to shift to progressive training.
Here’s what to look for in a muscle-building exercise:
- It challenges you
- It works multiple muscle groups
- It allows you to add resistance over time
- It requires proper form and control
If the move feels too easy or looks too clean on the first try, it’s probably not pushing your muscles hard enough.
Final Thought
Muscle doesn’t grow because you move—it grows because you resist. It grows because you push your limits, feel discomfort, and recover stronger.
So, if you’re stuck doing these 4 exercises thinking they’re helping, it’s time to rework your routine. Focus on compound movements, heavier loads, and better form. That’s the real way to see progress and finally make those gains you’ve been grinding for.
