5 Pieces of Home Fitness Equipment That May Do More Harm Than Good

This simple equipment is used to improve people’s balance and, more commonly, for rehabilitation and injury prevention. However, based on the level of your ankles’ strength, they can cause injuries. If, for instance, you’ve injured your ankles in the past, your chances of falling from the board are quite high. So you’d better ask for a professional trainer or a physical therapist’s help before jumping onto your board.

A very similar and safer tool that can increase your balance is a fitness ball. The “bird dog” exercise in particular targets your hips, legs, lower back, and waist the same way a balance board does. What you need to do is lie with your belly on the ball and keep your core straight. Then you can lift the opposite leg and arm, trying not to move.

4. Pull-up bars can make you land badly.

Many houses, either because they’re old or because they’re not built strong enough, can’t hold a pull-up bar. Many people have had their bars fall, resulting in minor or very serious injuries. One woman was even paralyzed after she did a complicated exercise and the bar collapsed. In another case, the screws of a bar bent, and the man exercising fell flat on his face, injuring himself.

A safer but equally good exercise would be to take a towel and wrap it around a door’s handles. What you need to do first is place a mat under the door to keep yourself in place, and make sure the hinges of the door are strong enough. You can then start your pull-ins by squatting down in a half-seated position while extending your arms. Then you pull your body toward the door frame and repeat the whole exercise.

5. Bent over rows can displace your spinal discs.

So instead of kneeling on a bench, you can stay standing while leaning forward and keeping one of your hands on the bench. With your other hand, you can hold your weight of choice and start pulling with your elbow, reaching toward your back. Slowly let your arm go back down so you avoid getting injured from the pressure.