Stupid and smart, at its extremes, are the two things that co-exist on the gym floor. 

There will be a guy who understands strength progression and would be tracking his training, whereas the other would be stacking plates on the bar for a squat PR, where the maximum movement he will achieve is his knee moving a bit.  

Funnily enough, the latter guys would happily post their videos on social media with the #neweeeknewpr (LOL).

Keeping such guys in mind, here are a few things you shouldn't be proud of doing at the gym:

1. Leg Press PRs

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Set 1 - 2 plates each side

Set 2 - Add 3 more plates

Set 3 - Add 2 guys

Set 4 - Just hope you don't land at the hospital

Leg press is the most common exercise that gives people a false sense of strength. Mainly because they hardly have any range of motion there.  Annoyingly, some trainers promote this nonsense even when they know their clients cannot handle much weight.

I've written a piece on it here

2. Ab Punches

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I thought this stupidity had worn off until I saw it again recently.  A guy doing hanging leg raises and his gym partner punching him when his legs came down!

When doing leg raises, you're working on the function of spinal flexion. Punching is plain stupid. It doesn't make any sense. Oh, but what it does is increase your chances of injury.

3. Training Away To Failure

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There is consistent data that shows that regular training to failure leads to:

a. Impaired recovery

b. Higher risk of injury

c. Lesser gains

d. Lesser adaptations to training

Still, you will see bros shouting 'lightweight baby' and taking every set to failure.

*facepalm*

4. Being Sore After Every Workout

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This is the USP that bro-splits have. Bro-split - 1 body part a day training. Guys who train this way will do 10 exercises for a body part and be sore to even move that body part for a week. How does that training make sense? The one that makes you feel disabled?  

And yes, there is data that shows that even when the number of sets and reps are equated, exercising the body part 2x a week results in greater strength and hypertrophy.

5. Running Like A Maniac On The Treadmill

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If your goal is to build an impressive physique, weight training has to be your bread and butter. Not cardio. Then there are those who will run marathon distances on the treadmill. By doing this, you're just hurting your joints that will impact both your gains and health long term.

Enjoy running? Do it outdoors.

And yes, you should not only stop being proud of these 5 ridiculous things, but try and stop doing them completely. 

Author bio:

Pratik Thakkar is the co-founder and director of GetSetGo Fitness, an online fitness company and the founder of Mars Nutrition, a nutrition supplement company. Both his companies are geared towards providing you with the right information and products without any false or fake claims. You can reach out to him at pratik@getsetgo.fitness and follow him on Instagram.