Form over all else.

When it comes to achieving your goals in the gym with the minimum risk of injury, form is paramount.  If your form is not perfect, or as close as you can get to perfect, you greatly increase your chances of getting injured while training.  Most, if not all, training related injuries could be traced back to trying to lift too heavy of a weight with little or no regard to how the weight is being lifted.  It is more common for men to fall into this trap because we have more of a problem leaving our ego at the gym door.  “How much can you bench press?” is a common question among gym goers.  A better question would be “How much can you bench press with perfect form for the required number of repetitions necessary to stimulate muscular growth?”

Using body- english or rocking the weight up to the finished position will definitely allow you to lift more weight; however, the stress placed on the low back structure, tendons and other joints makes this a risky situation.  Try reducing the resistance and squeezing the weight using only the targeted muscles to the top position.  While at the top pause for a second and squeeze the muscles as hard as you can, then lower the weight under control before attempting another repetition. This technique will stimulate far more muscle fibers than just swinging the weight from the bottom to the top with the help of momentum and inertia and then letting gravity take the weight and having it fall to the bottom.

To insure that you are using proper form keep these tips in mind:

1. Keep your core (abdominal muscles) tight at all times.
2. Keep a slight bend in your knees to allow your legs to support your weight while protecting the low back.
3. If you are performing a bent over movement, keep your back as straight as you can with no slump or curve, again to protect the low back.
4. Always lower the weight in a controlled fashion.
5. Keep good form until you have placed the weight on the floor or rack.
6. NEVER swing or heave a weight.
7. If in doubt of how fast your rep speed should be, slower is better than faster.
8. Keep a neutral curve in your neck (don’t look up, down or to the side while exercising). Never pull on your neck during abdominal exercises.
9. Know which muscles you are suppose to be working with each exercise.  Have a trainer show you or pick up a book on exercise and learn what each exercise is supposed to do.  If you feel a movement in another muscle group than you are working, you may need to improve your form and/or lower the weight.

 

Remember, injuries only sidetrack our abilities to reach our goals so anything we do to prevent them in the first place will go a long way to insure we reach those goals in a timely manner.

Ron Hill, CFT – Owner of Ron’s Personal Fitness, LLC in Bartow, FL.