Get Fit with Form

I know I’m not the only one that has seen poor exercise technique at a gym or in a class. You may have witnessed similar incidences yourself...someone doing a double leg lift lying face up on a bench, begins to lower both legs at the same time, and proceeds to arch their back, hold their breath, and maybe even grunts loudly. 

Paying attention to form and technique is crucial to properly training the muscles. The most obvious reason why is if you’re not performing the exercise correctly, you risk the chance of hurting yourself either right away or later. Another reason is that you are not receiving the full benefit from your workout. You are merely going through the motions. 

One common reason for improper technique is if the individual is new to weight training or exercise and hasn’t been taught properly. I think many individuals just assume they know what to do and will often walk right into a gym and start weight training even though they have had no prior experience and no knowledge. This makes no sense to me. Just because you’ve seen an exercise performed on television or in a magazine doesn’t necessarily mean it is good for YOU to be doing (refer to previous blog about core strengthening)!

Another more common reason people perform exercises with poor technique is they are lifting weight that is just too heavy. Who ever said lifting heavier weight is better when you cannot properly perform the exercise? Should you really be so concerned about looking strong, that you are willing to not only increase your risk of injury, but also sacrifice muscle gains at the same time?

Remembering to breathe is part of good technique! Your body and muscles need oxygen, so by holding your breath during even a single repetition of an exercise, you are depriving your body of valuable oxygen. Therefore, your body will experience muscle fatigue much sooner. 

Each exercise that you are doing may also have specific areas where bad form may result. There are many examples of this. Some standing exercises require that you keep your knees slightly bent, but often people want to lock their knees. Another example would be any sitting exercise. People have the tendency to slouch. However, sitting up straight and engaging your abs to keep your back straight is proper form.

Bad form isn’t just with exercise. In everyday life we should all be paying attention to how we sit or lift things. We need to prevent those nagging pains and unexpected injuries. These body pains are warning signs and they exist to tell you something is being done wrong to your body. If you pay attention, you will also improve your posture and mechanics!

Ultimately, proper exercise technique will increase your chances of building more muscle. So remember the next time you train to focus on breathing, maintaining control, and maintaining correct alignment and posture. You muscles and joints will thank you in the future!