Exercise Trends That May Be Bad For You

Trying new exercise trends is fun. It breaks the monotony of doing the same thing over and over. But not all exercise trends are good for you—in fact, some may do your body more harm than good.

Realize that no trend will magically make you fit. You still have to follow the guidelines of living a healthy lifestyle, which are—drinking enough water, exercising regularly and eating nutrient dense foods.

Here are 5 exercise trends you might want to ignore:

1. Crossfit

Crossfit isn’t necessarily a new trend – it has been around for about 15 years. But this hardcore training approach isn’t for everyone. It has a high injury risk and it usually ignores proper form.

High impact training can actually age you faster. Stay away from exercises that involve high jumps, lifting heavy things or pushing the body to the limit. You’re better off sticking to simple exercises like lunges and push ups.

2. The allure of sweating

The idea that a workout isn’t rewarding unless you sweat is crazy. Contrary to popular belief, sweating doesn’t imply you’ve burnt more calories or fat. Sweating is simply loss of water, not loss of fat.

Sweating shouldn’t be your goal when exercising. Aim to increase your reps and do more challenging exercises. Progression will benefit you far more than sweating will. In fact, excessive sweating can cause dehydration. Make sure you drink lots of water if you sweat a lot.

3. HIIT (High intensity interval training)

HIIT is similar to crossfit. It involves alternating intense exercises followed by low-intensity rests. Studies show that it has benefits like boosting metabolism, increasing growth hormone and fat loss.

But HIIT is not fit for people who have been living a sedentary lifestyle. It can hurt your joints and lead to fatigue. In fact, folks over 35 years should avoid HIIT. Luckily, you can get the benefits of HIIT by combing bodyweight exercises with steady cardio.

4. 6-Minute workouts

I’m a big fan of short workouts, but they’re greatly misunderstood. Short workouts alone can’t transform your body. You need to combine them with proper nutrition and other simple exercises like walking.

Money-hungry companies have given short workouts a bad rep. These workouts can be helpful if done consistently. If you’re too busy to do long workouts, start your day with a 10-minute workout. Then walk more throughout the day to improve cardiovascular health and burn fat.

5. Workout challenges

Most workout challenges out there are bad for you. They either focus on one muscle group, or they’re too intense. Such challenges cause muscle imbalances and injuries.

A good workout challenge should match your strength level, have gradual progression, and target multiple muscle groups. Here’s a workout challenge that is fit for most beginners, the 21-day jump rope challenge.