Working out and exercising is fantastic and brings great benefits to the body, however one should not walk right into a gym and start lifting anything they want to. It’s quite common to see people start lifting weights without knowing that their form is incorrect. Even people who have been going to the gym for years may not realize that they have been using an improper form the entire time. What is proper form and why is it so important? The type of exercise you are doing will determine what the proper form should be, but generally you should research the proper positioning/alignment of your body to preform the exercise, as well as the range of motion of that particular exercise. These are so key because improper form can lead to serious injuries, or even worse, spinal damage.
One of the most important things to consider is your back. The spinal column is very prone to injury and proper back alignment is extremely important. For example, consider a barbell curl–if your elbows are in front of your shoulders then you are putting work on to the anterior deltoids. This is causing the tensions to move from the biceps to your shoulders. If you keep the elbows pulled back by to your sides and under the shoulders then you ensure that your biceps perform most of the work. In short, there are many things to keep in mind while exercising to prevent injury and see good progress, so if you are not sure about something, we highly urge you to ask a trainer. If you have any questions or if you are interested in having a personal trainer contact us today.