Welcome to the Iron Graveyard, or as you might better know it, do this not that. This is the place where not so great exercises give rise to much better alternatives for a multitude of reasons. Let’s dig into the exercise options and see what you can replace them with to not only get better gains, but to do them more safely.

We start with the upright row.

To me, there is no worse exercise in the gym. Why? Because it has a close relative that is capable of getting just as many gains (if not more) and in a much safer way. The upright row combines internal shoulder rotation with elevation with weight driving you into internal rotation. Whether you have shoulder impingement, an inflamed shoulder bursa or just plain blanket shoulder dysfunction this is going to be a bad idea in the long run.

The better option is to perform the dumbbell high pull. The simple act of letting your elbows trail your wrists by keeping your elbows down as you pull high with the hands is a game changer. Your middle and rear delts will feel the brunt of this shoulder building exerise but so will your traps.

Next up we have the lying triceps extension. Now there isn’t anything inherently bad about the skullcrusher variation of this but it does take away a lot of the tension on the triceps at the top of the exercise. The downward force of gravity runs paralell through the forearm rather than more perpendicular and therefore takes some work away from the triceps. Not to mention, this exercise when performed as a skull crusher can be pretty tough on the elbows for some.

We move onto the one armed dumbbell row. Typically this is performed on a bench with one knee up. This causes a pelvic instability that, when combined with momentum of swinging a heavier weight dumbbell, can cause you to place a high amount of tension stress on the inguinal canal and create an increased hernia risk. Instead, keep both feet on the floor and do a tripod dumbbell row. Nothing is compromised at all in the row and you ensure that you are performing a great exercise, more safely.

We have to talk about the chest fly if we are going to start throwing exercises into the iron graveyard. For me, second to the upright row is the dumbbell chest fly performed unsupported on a bench. This is one of those exercises that stresses the anterior shoulder capsule the deeper you go on it and can result in a pec tear if you aren’t adequately loose when performing it.

Using the same exercise and dumbbells on the floor eliminates that risk. You still get a chance to perform a good eccentric overload exercise for the pecs without having to worry about the lack of a safe landing spot for the elbows at the bottom of the rep, where the muscles are most vulnerable to an overstretch. You still get a good stretch on the pecs at the bottom of a floor fly, you just have the extra benefit of having a safety net should you fail.

Finally, the lat pulldown behind the neck is not ideal. Your elbows tend to drift too far out to the side when performing this which takes you out of the normal scapular plane. Instead, perform a rocking pulldown or just a plain old traditional lat pulldown to the front. In either one, you’re targeting the lats with a great vertical pulling exercise without compromising the natural biomechanics of the shoulder joint.

These are just some of the exercises that exist in the iron graveyard.

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Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS served as both the head physical therapist and assistant strength coach for the New York Mets. Jeff earned his Masters of Physical Therapy and Bachelor’s of Physioneurobiology from the College of Health Sciences University of Connecticut Storrs. He is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).