7 Risky Exercises and Better Bets

Exercise will improve your performance in your athletic endeavors. Once you've been exercising regularly for several weeks your body will be more efficient and you will have more endurance. Your muscles will be stronger and more flexible, and your overall performance will be enhanced.

We've all heard muscle burns more calories than fat, so by having more muscle your resting metabolic rate will be higher. That means you can take in more calories and still maintain your weight. It's not a carte blanche to eat whatever you want, but you can enjoy your favorite sweets and chips in moderation when you exercise regularly.

Exercising can also help strengthen relationships. Spend time with your partner or friends walking or meeting for a tennis match, instead of going out to eat. Having support also helps you keep your fitness goals.

Studies have shown people who exercise as little as 20 minutes per day, three days a week, have less fatigue and more energy overall. Exercise increases blood flow, which allows oxygen and nutrients to reach the cells, giving you energy for daily tasks.

Numerous studies have shown exercise can boost memory and concentration. It increases serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain that can lead to improved focus and clarity. Other studies have shown that physical activity may reduce cognitive decline in older adults.

If you want to do a lying leg press, keep your butt from rotating off the back of the machine. Push from the knees as far as you can, but if you experience pain, do not stretch as far. The greater the motion, the more the joints are worked.

Instead of doing an upright row, work your shoulders with a front or lateral shoulder raise, lifting weights out to the front or side of the body. Keep a slight bend in your arms.

A safer shoulder alternative: When doing the military press, keep the bar in front of your head. Stand with the weight no lower than the collarbone and keep your upper body upright. The exercise can also be done seated. Always sit straight against a back support, and keep the natural curve in your spine, with upper back and glutes pressed to the chair.

On the pull–down machine, lean back a few degrees, use a wider–than–shoulder grip, and bring the bar down in front of your body to the breastbone, pulling shoulder blades down and together. Contract your abdominals to stabilize the body, and avoid using momentum to swing the bar up and down. The lat pull–down works both lower and upper back muscles.

Who has time to waste on ineffective, risky exercises? Not you. So ditch these seven moves that won't deliver the results you want -- and may even cause injury.