5 Keys to Perfect Exercise Form
While seeing results often requires leaving your physical, and sometime psychological “comfort zone”, we must first work to develop our personal comfort zone, both within our fitness program and more importantly, our body. This may mean becoming comfortable with your new habits, walking into an oft intimidating fitness center each day, and in this case, improving your body awareness when performing exercises.
5 Keys to Perfect Form:
1. Comfortable & Safe - before beginning the exercise, make sure you are comfortably in position, safe from losing your balance, and operating the exercise equipment correctly to avoid injury. If on a machine, check out the picture to make sure you are in the correct position.
2. Posture - train the way we want to live, stand, and sit. If we exercse with bad posture, we’ll walk into a room and stand with bad posture. Whether seated or standing, keep your chest up, neck neutral, and your shoulders back but relaxed.
3. Breath - learn to control your breath. Although there are some exceptions, the rule of thumb is to exhale with exertion. Just make sure you DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH while performing any resistance exercise. This causes your blood pressure to rise and limits the oxygen required for energy recovery.
4. Feel it in the correct muscle - “Work your body, not the machine”. Before performing any exercise, you should be aware of why you are performing the movement, i.e. what muscle are you attempting to work. Keep this in mind as you perform the movement to improve the “mind to muscle link”. If you aren’t feeling a stretch, fatigue or “burn” in the muscle(s) you are working, you are probably doing the movement incorrectly.
5. Minimize momentum - When performing any physical activity, momentum often equates to lack of control, and therefore, increased chance for injury. Moving your body through a range of motion is the result of your muscular strength and the momentum you create. Attempt to dominate your movements with muscular strength and control, not momentum. Always attempt to control the cadence of your movement as you concentrate on the muscle you are attempting to work.
Summary. To challenge your body in different ways, it is important to periodically change the exercises in your workout. Therefore, we want to see people attempt new movements, and not be held back being unsure how to perform new or unfamiliar exercises.
Do not let the worry of poor form stop you from doing so. Keep these tips in mind when attempting any machines or exercises, and before long, you’ll be finding new ways to keep “your body guessing”, and your workouts fresh and challenging.
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