WebMD "9 least effective exercises."

It's not common for a mainstream website to have solid training information. But this is a pleasant surprise from WebMD - a slideshow called the "9 Least effective exercises."

They suggested you ditch these and offer replacements.

#1 - drop behind-the-neck pulldowns for pulldowns in front. Sure. Unless you have sport-specific reasons to train this way, don't pull down to the back of the neck. If you're not sure if you do or not, you don't.

#2 - drop behind-the-neck presses for presses. Same as above.

#3 - drop upright rows for lateral raises. Good call. At the top position, upright rows internally rotate your shoulders and put them in a weak position. Lateral raises also work your shoulders, albeit to a lesser extant, without that positioning problem.

#4 - drop low-position feet leg presses for higher knee position leg presses. Okay, sure, I understand that low position leg presses put potentially more strain on the knees.

#5 - drop smith machine squats for bodyweight squats. Yes, yes, oh yes. The smith machine forces you into an unnatural movement pattern, squats do not. It's also nice to see they recommend you squat to 90 degrees, not the usual advice to avoid deep squats.

#6 - drop the wrong form on cardio machines. If you've been in a gym you've seen people draped over the machines, holding themselves up. Don't do that. Use good form and good posture. If you aren't sure what that is, ask a trainer or two.

#7 - drop exercises aimed at "spot reduction." You can't burn fat away from specific body parts by targeted exercise, and it's nice to see this affirmed without the usual "...but do 200 crunches anyway!" advice.

#8 - stop always lifting with a weight belt. It's for maximal strength reps, not for every exercise. Wear it too much and it detracts from your own core strength development. A bit weak as an ineffective exercise though...

#9 - stop wearing the wrong footwear for your activity. Really, really weak as an "ineffective exercise." But they aren't wrong. Use your cross-trainers for cross-training, running shoes for running, and Chuck Taylors for squatting and deadlifting. Don't mix up shoe types.

Serious kudos to a mainstream and widely-trafficked website like WebMD giving out good exercise advice!