Common Workout Mistakes - Bad workout form
We’re discussing common workout mistakes this week. We covered trying too hard on Monday and working out with a bad partner on Tuesday. Today, we talk about a different kind of mistake, bad form.
Overview
Any book, article or blog about fitness and exercise will eventually talk about form, but they rarely explain what form is. So before we dive into a discussion of bad form, let’s talk about good form and what it is. When you work out, you’re trying to exercise specific muscles. For example, if you do a sit up, you’re trying to workout your ab muscles. Yes, you’ll also workout a few other muscles but the main purpose of a sit up is to exercise the core muscles in your abdomen. Form, is your method of doing the exercise. If reps and sets are your quantity, then form is your quality. It determines how well you’re doing these exercises which in turn determines how good of a workout your muscles get.
Quick example of good form
Let’s take a look at good form for a second. Here’s a short little video of someone doing curls. Barbell curls are supposed to work out your biceps and they’re a very common exercise for people at the gym. The gentleman in the video has very good form. Notice that he’s lifting the weight in one steady and controlled motion. He’s doing the full range of motion, from arms almost straight down all the way to arms folded up by his sides. He’s also keeping the rest of his body relatively stable. These are the three key parts of good form. Try to move only the muscles you’re targeting, go through the full range of motion and move them slowly and steadily.
Now men are the most common misusers of form. For some reason, men tend to think that weight is the only thing that matters. They load up on the highest weight possible and then have to use bad form in order to lift it. However, women can also have a problem with form. I’ve noticed that women very often will have the opposite problem. Where as men are using bad form because they’re trying to show off, women will sometimes use bad form because they seem self conscious about their bodies and exercises.
Bad form in men
Men will typically have bad form in terms of speed and stability. Because they tend to use weights that are too heavy, they have to use more than the targetted muscles to lift them. Remember those bicep curls from the video? How often have you seen a guy at the gym doing those exercises, only instead of keeping his body stable, it seems like his whole body is rocking back and forth? That’s poor form. It means that person is lifting too much. His targeted muscles can’t handle it so he has to use his entire body to help. He’s not getting a very good workout.
Another common mistake is what I call “the kick”. Again, using the curl as an example, how often have you seen someone suddenly lift a weight really hard, allow it to slow down as it reaches the top and then essentially lets it drop down uncontrollably? Again, that’s bad form. This person cannot lift the weight they’re using. They’re “kicking” really hard for a second with their whole body to accelerate the weight and let it build momentum and the whole rest of their exercise is actually gravity.
Bad form in women
Bad form in women is less common but it still happens. From my observations, women typically have a problem with range of motion. Many women, given the exact same exercise, would only move the weight through a narrow range. Instead of moving the arms all the way up until the hands are at shoulder level, they curl just enough so that their arms are at a 90 degree angle. They’re cheating themselves out of half the exercise by using this bad form. Having talked to a few women about this, it seems like it’s an issue of self awareness or being too self conscious. One woman explained it to me as “if I go through the whole range I feel like everyone is watching me and thinking I’m some body builder or fitness freak.” I’m still not sure I understand this completely so if there’s a woman reading this article who could explain or elaborate, I’d sure appreciate it 
Keys to proper form
Regardless, both men and women seem to have problems with bad form. Remember, when doing an exercise, the three keys to good form are:
STABILITY - Keep your body stable. Try to move only the part of your body that you’re attempting to workout. If it’s a leg exercise, then your legs should be the ones moving. If it’s a bicep exercise, then your biceps should be moving, not the rest of your body.
FULL RANGE - Don’t stop half way. If you’re doing a curl then do the whole curl. If you’re doing an extension, then extend completely, not half way. Don’t cheat yourself out of half the exercise.
CONTROLLED SPEED - Do your workout slowly. Lift the weight in a slow and controlled manner. Even as your lower the weight you should still do it slowly and carefully. Don’t let gravity control the weight on the way down. Slow controlled motions are what you’re aiming for.
Summary
A lower weight exercise done with proper form is far better than an exercise done with more weight but poor form. If you need to lower the weight a bit to achieve proper form then do it. Proper form will help prevent injuries at the same time that it improves your workout.
As always, feel free to send me emails or add comments if you have any questions about this topic or any other fitness and health related subject.
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