Feel like your gym routine’s getting a bit stale? Looking to mix it up and get the most out of your favorite machine?

You’re in luck! Today we’re going to take you through the best alternative exercises for your favorite pieces of equipment and why you should try them out!

Hamstring Curl Hip Thrust

The lying hamstring curl machine is primarily used for building toned thighs and improving leg development. This is obvious from the name!

However, the same machine is a great way of practicing hip thrusts. The pad is far gentler on the hips than a barbell, and the locked movement path of the device forces good patterns in the hip thrust.

You can use this machine with higher reps or when starting to learn to use the glutes. This is a great way to transition into other forms of hip thrust utilizing the barbell.

Reverse Fly on the Chest Machine

The reverse fly is a great way to prepare the shoulders and balance the muscles at the joint’s front and back.

Many gyms don’t have specialized equipment for this purpose; however, the cables can be difficult for beginners.

The solution is to use the chest flye machine to perform this exercise. You can sit facing the pad and focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together while your hands move backward against the resistance.

This is a great way to develop the upper back in a slow, controlled manner.

Lying Cable Bicep Curl

Want to get great arms? Well, prepare to get creative with your local cable machine.

You can achieve a perfect cable curl by laying down on this machine, and performing this is somewhat unconventional. Still, it provides a much better angle of resistance to your workout and better results! Your curls while totally horizontal.

Leg work on the bench

What’s the bench for? You probably guessed bench press, or maybe even shoulder press.

Well, it’s also a great way to build leg strength. Performing Bulgarian split squats or step-ups on a bench is one of the best ways to develop leg strength unilaterally.

That means you’re using one leg at a time – a key way of developing balance and sport-specific skills when training the lower body. Try these out after squats; you’ll feel them in totally different places as you have to stabilize and balance.

Smith Machine 1-arm press

The smith machine has some problems – such as forcing you into unnatural patterns and stabilizing the bar, taking the challenge off your stabilizing muscles.

However, this is also a great reason to use it for accessory exercises. The best example is the 1-arm shoulder press. This is a great way to build the triceps and shoulders while challenging single-arm strength.

While it isn’t going to be a stability exercise like a single-arm dumbbell press, you can push through and hit the big muscles without worrying about failing due to stability (and cracking yourself on the head!).

These five exercises might not be what you expect, but they’re a great way to innovate your training and bring new results. Progress isn’t always about doing what everyone else is – it’s about using what works for your goals!

Try these out, and let us know what you think or if you have any unusual exercises to suggest!