If you are ever doing these type of exercises, try to do them in preparation for whatever you consider a "finished" drawing/painting.
Sometimes you will do these exercises in isolation and not even realise you are doing them wrong or that the exercises itself is useless for what you actually want to do.
For example, gesture is a big one. Some people will grind really abstract, loose gesture but not apply it to a figure.
You should always be thinking "could I turn this gesture drawing into a well proportioned figure drawing?" when doing them. Because that is the practical application of a gesture drawing. Otherwise you are just doing inaccurate, disproportioned doodles to warm your hands up but not helping your figure drawing.
