Today is most people's first day back at work after the Christmas break, and if you're anything like us, you'll be sporting a bit of festive pudge.

That honed physique we spent so much of the year working on at the gym has been reduced to a bloated, wheezing ball of cholesterol and clogged arteries. Was it worth it? Well, yes, of course it was. But, now many of us are thinking about getting back into shape.

Before you even think of hopping onto an exercise ball we felt we needed to bring you this video warning -- a collection of exercise and workout fails you might want to avoid.

Cowboy Hip-Hop Workout
Imagine a line-dancing workout video. Then throw in the word "hip-hop" about four dozen times, and you're probably about a third of the way to how irredeemably awkward this is.



Medicine Ball Fail
We love that the guy explaining the exercise in this next clip probably knows exactly what's going to happen to this muscle-bound meat-puppet he's tricked into performing it. Also note the proportionally tiny head of the guy on the left. If your head looks this small on your body, stop going to the gym.



Try Less Weight
We love this guy's commitment and that he's got the confidence to go shirtless during his workout. We're not sure what this machine is called, but we really don't think that's how you use it. We were genuinely worried that if he actually managed to reach the other handle he might get torn in two.



Homemade Gym Equipment
So, you've got your new gym equipment and put it up, but there are a pile of screws, washers and bolts left over. They're not important, right? Wrong. This clip does beg the question, why was he filming it in the first place?



Treadmill Fail
The treadmill fail could have it's own best-of compilation, but this one is among our favorites. Check out how unscathed this man's dignity is. He bounces up and looks genuinely smug. We can all learn from that.



Leg Exercise Fail
How do you know if an exercise you're doing has gone badly wrong? If you can see your own anus, that's a big clue. For example ...



Star Jump Fail
Ah, the humble star jump, the first weapon in every gym teacher's arsenal. Who knew it was possible to get them so epically wrong?