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Working out is one of the best ways to create the necessary calorie deficit for weight loss, not to mention excellent for your cardiovascular health and essential for boosting your metabolism and accelerating fat burn. However, while some exercises are more effective for building muscle tone and propelling you towards your goals, others do little to make any significant changes in your body and are better left out of your routine for the best results.
Whether you’ve been going to the gym for years and are looking to streamline your exercise plan, or are in need of a beginners guide to building your legs, we checked in with ACE Certified Personal Trainer, TJ Mentus to get the rundown on the four leg moves you should be leaving out–and what to do instead.
Leg Extension Machine
Known for targeting the quad muscles, the leg extension machine is actually unlikely to make any real difference in your legs and instead may make you more prone to injury. “When trying to lose weight it is best to do more compound exercises than isolation exercises like the leg extension. This movement will only work the quad and not engage any other muscles. It is a highly inefficient use of gym time,” notes Mentus.
If you want to build your quads while increasing fat burn naturally, consider replacing this machine with weighted step ups instead. “Doing step ups will challenge the legs to lift your entire body weight which will require recruitment of more muscles in the core and hips. This will also increase the heart rate more which will burn more calories,” Mentus adds.
Hamstring Curl Machine
Much like the leg extension machine, hamstring curls really only target one muscle group and are generally ineffective in promoting high calorie burn. “[This is] an isolation exercise and once again will not be an efficient use of time for building muscle and burning calories,” explains Mentus.
As a replacement, Romanian deadlifts with dumbbells can help to target the hamstrings and glutes, making it a compound move which will provide greater benefit to your body and muscular growth over time. “This will work the hamstrings and also the glute and back muscles and core. This will build much more muscle overall and make the body work harder,” he says.
Calf Raises
Having strong, visible calf muscles may be a common aesthetic goal, but targeting only this group through calf raises will likely prove fruitless in your journey towards stronger legs. “It can be incredibly difficult for some people to add any size to their calves. Instead of devoting time to just working this one muscle and possibly seeing little to no gains you could be doing exercises that will give way more bang for their buck,” notes Mentus.
Instead, squat jumps will not only provide a cardiovascular challenge to your workout, but they will also target your calves and glutes for increased calorie burn while allowing your muscles to grow with repetition.
Smith Machine Squats
If you’re opting for the smith machine rather than barbell or dumbbell squats, you may be inadvertently slowing your muscle growth progress, according to Mentus. “The smith machine balances the weight for you which takes away the need for the core to properly engage. This means less muscles will be worked overall and will not make the body as strong,” he says.
Naturally, opting for a free weight will recruit more muscles to engage, making your workout more effective and allowing you to build your strength more quickly. “In general free weights should be encouraged over the use of machines for any weight loss and muscle building program,” Mentus adds.
