In this post I'm going to present what are, in my opinion, as a certified gym rat 😃, the most dangerous gym exercises. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't do them; it means you must really, and I mean REALLY, know the proper technique before attempting to perform them with a weight that is medium or above.
While proper technique is crucial for any exercise, you can get away with some small execution mistakes at most exercises. For example, when you do a bicep curl and you cheat by gently rocking forward or when you involve the front delt into the movement - you will not get injured; you will however diminish the amount of work the biceps is supposed to be doing.
However, with the following exercises, bad technique is almost a guaranteed injury (immediate or that will show in time).
So, please be very careful and FOCUS on each rep and set that you execute.
Starting with what I consider to be the most dangerous of all gym exercises ...
The deadlift
When I was 15 years old I was performing this exercise with almost 80 kg (170 pounds). Idiot, I know. However, my technique was perfect. I was able to pull off sets of 10 reps. I was feeling strong.
Despite my great technique, one time, when I was in the middle of a rep (the lifting part) someone dropped a dumbell and broke a wall mirror in the gym. Wireless headphones weren't a thing at that time. Needless to say, the noise startled me - in the middle of my f*ing rep. I didn't break anything but I'm 100% sure that one of my discs slipped.
The point is this - the amount of pressure on your spine is extreme when you do a deadlift - especially on the lombar part.
With great technique you'll avoid injuries, BUT, even a small involuntary movement, like a small twitch, can cause a lot of damage to your body.
The spine, and the lombar part of it in particular, is very vulnerable! It allows for a great degree of mobility (twisting, turning, bending etc.) but it DOES NOT have the strength of our bones, like your femur, for example. I know, kind of an odd comparison - the spine is not a bone, it's comprised of 24 vertebrae, but I really want to drive the point home that YOU MUST BE MINDFUL OF YOUR SPINE at all times.
Thus, when you load that barbell, you better be damned sure you are 100% focused and your technique is perfect. I personally perform deadlifts with light weights and a slow eccentric - focusing 200%, so to speak, on every inch of the movement.
The second place for most dangerous exercises goes to
Barbell Squats - specifically, when the barbell is behind your neck. At this point you might be a little enraged, something like:
"Bro, that's absolute BS! Squats are the GOAT when it comes to leg workouts!!"
Hear me out - the main problem is that people put on TOO MUCH WEIGHT!
Look, if you're reading this, chances are you are NOT competing for world's strongest man. So, why ego lift and put yourself in serious danger?
In 2023, a bodybuilder named Justyn Vicky died when performing a barbell squat with 400 pounds. During a rep, he fell forward and the barbell broke his neck. Also, the guy was a professional - his technique was very good, BUT ACCIDENTS HAPPEN. Trust me when I say that our ego is our worst enemy in the gym. Don't let it dictate your lifts and don't allow it to ruin your life.
Even if you squat less than that but you are going above what you can handle, you can seriously injure your spine, your knees or even your ankles. The most common injuries are related to the knee - broken meniscus, broken ligaments or tendons. In extreme cases there can be also a tibial plateau fracture. In either case, the treatment usually involves surgery, and, should the procedure go ok, the recovery is a b*tch. Not to mention that, if you have certain hardware inserted into your body, it may limit your ability to perform certain movements in the future.
Look, I am all for doing squats. I agree that it's one of the GOATs for legs training. But, for the love of all that's holy, DO NOT LET YOUR EGO DICTATE YOUR SQUATS! Use a weight that you can safely perform the number of reps in each set.
Remember, it's pointless if you manage a number of reps with a heavier weight IF YOU GET INJURED. That's my opinion on the matter. Better be safe and train again those same muscles in 2 or 3 days vs stay out of the gym for months or even forever.
For third place we have two exercises (and it pains me to say it ... cause one of them is part of my top 3 favorites)
Bench press & Dips
I'll start with the second one, dips. I see multiple risks with this exercise because of the position of your body; specifically, your shoulders and elbows. The main concern here is the fact that your shoulders are in a very disadvantageous position at the bottom of the movement; I mean, internal rotation + almost your entire body weight pushing down on a very extended front delt.
Look, if you're a beginner and can barely close/narrow grip bench press 40 kg, you DO NOT want to be near the dips rack. Why? chances are you weigh more than 40 kg and you'll badly overload your shoulders and elbows, which, at this point, can't handle this amount of stress. Also, it's not just the muscle fibers that are at risk, your tendons and ligaments are also not ready for this kind of push. You really, really don't want to break a tendon or ligament; you don't want to tear your muscles either.
Bad things can happen even when you are more experienced and can push more weight. Why? Same reason I said above - the position of your body is really taxing for your joints and should you not be warmed up properly or not have perfect technique ... you can easily get injured.
There are safer options for training triceps and front delts. You can do a close/narrow grip bench press; there's also triceps pushups; both exercises have the same effect on your triceps and front delts.
Now, the bench press 😞One of the problems with this exercise is that you have quite a lot of weight that, should it slip from your hands, can break your neck or crush your sternum ... depending where the barbell "lands". Accidents happen and people get seriously injured. The second problem is the proper technique. Everybody "knows" how to bench press "the right way". Everybody is a champ of this exercise. And most people are wrong and they can or will injure themselves badly.
The third problem is that your ego can easily get the better of you with this exercise ... cause it's the bench press for God's sake ... 😄you are guaranteed to get extra respect in the gym should you bench 100kg (225 pounds) or above. I'm joking - hope you sensed the irony. However, it's true that if you're a guy, you WANT to bench as much as possible - we've all been there; but, when your ego starts to make its appearence, remember - it's never about how many discs/plates are on the bar - it's about how much you can SAFELY push so that you achieve your goals - usually, hypertrophy.
Also, remember that your muscles don't "know" if you're using 10, 20 or 100 kgs. All they "know" is how it feels to perform the exercise with the given weight. That's why there is no shame if you can only bench press the barbell, when starting to work out. If your technique is on point, NOBODY will laugh at you. We've all been there, trust me.
And now, an honorable mention:
Biceps curls using the Scott machine/Scott bench
The main strength of this exercise is also what makes it risky as hell - it locks your arms in place and it forces your biceps into maximum extension - in other words it helps train your biceps in isolation - significantly reducing help from other muscle groups (front delts) or the rocking/leaning of your body forward to give some extra momentum for your lift.
If you use light to medium weight on this machine, it's a great exercise. You'll definetly feel the pump so to speak.
However, people tend to overload the sh*t out of this exercise 😓Guess what happens ...
Yeah ... the distal biceps tendon breaks; that's the tendon that attaches your biceps to your radius bone. Don't believe me - search online for "biceps tendon tear" - but we warned ... it's PAINFUL even to watch.
I hope you see a common theme with all of these exercises - they are dangerous when not using proper technique AND when your EGO gets the better of you.
That's why learning the correct form, for any exercise, is CRUCIAL. Also, always leave your ego at the door when entering the gym. No good ever comes out of ego lifting. Better stay safe and live to lift another day 😄
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