Proper exercise technique is a skill that is not easily learned. It's almost impossible to see the subtleties of certain exercises in magazines or online. Even after being taught by a personal trainer or other skilled professional, it takes practice to nail the correct form.
Exercise form is important for two main reasons:
1. Working the Correct Muscle
It still amazes me (years later) that a slight change in an angle or grip can cause different muscles to be worked or in some cases, put more pressure than necessary on certain joints. Take the bench press as an example. The correct way to press up the barbell or free weights is with straight, steady wrists. The second you are "pushing with your wrists" (top of the hand being parallel to the floor instead of straight up)you are not working your chest and instead, putting a lot of pressure on the wrists, a couple hundred pounds in some cases.
Similarly, if you don't give your pecs a quick flex and pull your shoulder blades together, the lifting will be focused more in the triceps, rather than the chest, the exercise to meant to target.
2. Preventing Injuries
Similar to my last point but worse, the wrong technique can not only shift focus on to different muscle groups but actually do more harm than good. Take the shoulder press, it's a very simple exercise but with one common technique mistake. Before the exerciser presses the weights above his/her head it's crucial to pull the shoulder blades back and together so that when the weights are lifted, they are raised right above the head instead of out in front of the body. This mistake can cause shoulder impingement's, stiffness and chronic discomfort.
An exercise like the squat can be fantastic for building (and even rebuilding) knee strength but the second those knees go over the toes, you put yourself at risk for knee injury.
With crunches, if you don't learn body awareness and techniques to activate your abs, you will be doing crunches with your upper body, and not hitting the abdominal region at all!
As you can see, there is more to exercise form and technique than meets the eye. If you are serious about training for the long term I would recommend hiring a personal trainer to start you off on the right foot. A trainer will teach you proper form to prevent injuries, increase result progression and to keep you exercising for years to come.
Kaleena Lawless
Personal Training Specialist
http://www.kalisthenixfitnessblog.com
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