Good form. We hear this all the time in the gym. But, what does it really mean? For me, there is more to it than simply placing yourself in a position that looks right and then moving from A to B.
Let me explain….
Let’s take a squat using a bar, for example. First, take into consideration what muscles create the movement:
1. The glutes to extend the hips.
2. The quads to extend the knees.
These may be the main movers of the exercise, but are they the only muscles at work? The answer is no, as the rest of the body also works, but statically.
The muscles of the core keep the lower back stable; the muscles in the spine keep it in neutral and help prevent it flexing and/or rotating; the muscles around the shoulder stop the shoulders from rounding. If this is all in proper place when you squat, then you train more than just the legs that are moving the weight from position 1 to position 2 and back again.
All the above muscles of the upper body are also working to create stability, so it makes sense that if you get the position right you will strengthen the body in the correct way, creating good movement pathways, strength and stability.
In real money this means you:
1.Limit your chances of injury.
2. Create better movement patterns benefiting your performance in the gym or any other activity as well as your movement in day to day activities.
3. Strengthen the desired muscles in each given exercise.
With all that in mind, to think of the act of weight training as maintaining your body’s position against load, rather than moving a load from one position to another, is what I consider to be the definition of good form.
Adopt this in all your exercises in the gym and, not only will you get stronger in the right places, but you are less likely to suffer an injury and may even remedy existing ones.
See you next time.