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A lot of people go through
their workouts at too fast of a pace because they are short on
time, and in the process they forget to engage good form and posture.
I can’t stress enough how important form is to the productivity
of the exercise as well as to your health. For simplicity sake,
I’m going to divide this article up into three major sections:
body position, movement, and speed.
To begin, let’s start with body position. If you learn an
exercise wrong the first time, poor form often sticks with you
throughout the remainder of the routine, however long that routine
turns out to be. Simply slow down and just take the time to learn
the exercise properly the first time in order to save yourself
a lot of time in the long run. During most exercises, you will
want to maintain a straight spine in order to decrease your risk
of back injury. Always start an exercise with a solid base stance
to ensure proper stabilization during the movement. For example,
during a barbell row you want your legs wide enough apart that
you feel stabile and your spine straight, if not slightly concave,
to avoid straining forces on the back. When performing standing
bicep curls with dumbbells or barbells, you will want your feet
shoulder width apart with your back straight, and your knees just
slightly bent to take the pressure off your low back. However,
there are a few exceptions to this rule, one being the abdominal
crunch. To do the crunch properly, you should curl your spine
upwards while just lifting your shoulder blades off the ground.
That brings us to the second section: movement. As a general rule,
you should avoid locking out your joints during an exercise. The
legs and arms should be extended throughout the full range of
motion during the movement; however, the joint should not be locked
since this can lead to hyperextension and injury. When performing
a barbell chest press, the bar should be pushed away from the
body, extending the arms, however you should stop short of locking
out the elbows. The same goes for the shoulder press. This is
especially important when lifting very heavy weights. Once again,
an exception deserves mentioning: the triceps and calf extensions,
which do require locking in order to achieve maximum results.
Now let’s discuss
the speed of a repetition. When you rush your workouts you are
only shorting yourself. Always move at a speed that allows you
total control throughout the full repetition. Not only are your
muscles being put under exertion for a longer period of time,
resulting in a better workout, but it is safer for you as well.
One example of an injury that can incur while doing a poorly performed
standing bicep curl is a low back strain. I have often seen people
curl a weight that is so great that it requires them to swing
the weight in order to get it up, using the momentum of the swing
to aid them. Not only is this weight obviously too heavy for the
individual, they are actually in danger of injuring their lumbar
areas. So I can’t stress enough how important proper form
is to your workout.
To summarize:
• Take your time during your workout
• Start with a solid foundation
• Maintain a straight spine during most exercises
• Avoid hyper-extension of joints
• Move through the repetition at a slow enough speed that
allows total control of the movement
• If you can’t use good form, then the weight is probably
too heavy.
Hopefully this has helped you understand the various aspects of
proper form a little bit better than you did before. Have a great
workout!
Melissa Allen is a certified
personal trainer, Blackbelt & fitness consultant, as well
as the owner of Optimum Condition— personal fitness training
and kickboxing instruction. She is a regular columnist with various
newspapers and welcomes input from her readers. Please contact
her with any questions or comments that you may have by calling
(619) 252-4993, email her at Opticondit@aol.com, or visit her
website at www.optimumcondition.com. |
