My parents have lived in the same house in the same small town for longer than I have been alive. And I leave the big city of Toronto to go visit them quite often. As a result, I go to a small town YMCA to do my workouts when I’m there.

It’s at the Y where I come across exercises I thought had died off a long time ago. But to my surprise, I still see men and women doing useless, ineffective exercises while they try to burn off their belly fat, lose inches from their waists, and tone their muscles.

Here are 3 of the most ineffective techniques I’ve come across recently…

1. Broomstick Twists

You know this classic move.  Put the broomstick across your shoulders and rotate side to side, with the hopes it will whittle your waist down inch by inch.

It should be no surprise to any one by now, but this doesn’t work. All that twisting is a waste of time. If you really want to lose belly fat, you have to do a lot more than broomstick twists.

A better option: Interval training to burn off belly fat.  For example, after a warm-up, do a 1-minute interval, working at a pace slightly harder than your normal cardio intensity.  Then, significantly decrease the intensity for a 1-minute recovery period. Repeat 6 times and finish with a cool down.

2. Triceps Exercises

If you’re a competitive bodybuilder, than triceps and biceps exercises are fine to have in your program. But if you are a busy man or woman who needs more results in less time, doing any type of isolation exercise (such as triceps kickbacks) is a waste of your precious time.

A better option: Any type of pushup — including kneeling pushups or close-grip pushups (where your hands are about shoulder-width apart).  Your triceps along with the rest of your body will benefit as you burn fat and sculpt your body.

3. Exercises Standing on a Ball or Other Gadget

Lots of trainers are asking their clients to perform traditional exercises while standing on balls, half-balls, and inflatable disks. This is not only a waste of time, but also dangerous! Imagine the consequences if someone fell off a ball while doing an exercise.

A better option: Traditional exercises performed standing on the floor. This will enable you to get stronger and even improve your balance.  Strength is the key to any gains in balance, fat loss, and muscle mass. By doing exercises on a wobbly surface, you reduce the strength gains and therefore all the rest of the benefits.

[Ed. Note: Craig Ballantyne is an expert consultant for Men's Health magazine. If you're looking to burn fat, build muscle and quickly step into the body you have always wanted with just three workouts each week, check out Craig's fat-loss system, click here.]

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