Doing an exercise and completing a set, and doing an exercise ‘properly’ and completing a set are two very different things. Something I see a lot of in the gym is people trying to force their way through a set with no technique or care. That’s not how you should be approaching your training program though. Training and personal fitness isn’t about who can do the most push-ups or lift the most weight it’s about your personal health, and part of that is taking the right amount of care in your technique.
For example a set of 10 push-ups performed with proper technique and timing is far more beneficial than a set of 20 push-ups which are done poorly and rushed.
Focusing on technique not only increases the benefits you gain from the exercise it also helps greatly reduce any risk of injury. In any sort of exercise you‘re putting physical strain on your body, and it doesn’t take much to cause some serious damage which is why making sure your technique is perfect is important.
So how do you perform correct technique?
Obviously each exercise is different, and some amount of research and advice from your trainer is always necessary, but there are 3 key things in any exercise that need to be worked on, and they are your body alignment and posture, breathing, and tempo.
Body alignment and posture:
Having correct body alignment is one of the most important aspects of any exercise. Correct alignment reduces strain on your joints and helps work target muscle groups more directly.
Here are some quick points to keep in mind when you’re exercising:
• Never over extend your joints
• Always maintain the natural curve of the spine
• Avoid specifically targeting and flexing the lower back
Tip: It’s essential to know the correct posture and motion for exercises like squats because they put a lot of strain on your knees and lower back and can cause serious harm if performed incorrectly.
Breathing: Breathing is the second biggest thing you need to work on when you’re performing an exercise. The body get’s a lot of its energy from the oxygen you breathe, so the worst thing you can do is hold your breath.
The key to correct breathing is control, and to breath out in the ‘lifting’ phase of an exercise and in again on the way down. Remember without oxygen your muscles can’t function properly and you won’t be able to lift as much weight.
Tempo: Tempo varies with the exercise it’s always important to have a controlled tempo. If you try to perform an exercise at top speed there is no way to maintain proper technique or to control your breathing.
If you rush through a set you also lose a lot of the benefits of your exercise because momentum is carrying you half the distance meaning you have less of a load on your muscles.
So if you’re one of those people who do whatever they can to get to the end of a set without worrying about technique, stop! You have a lot more to gain by maintaining correct posture, breathing, and tempo. You need to be focused on improving the motion of how you do the exercise with each rep. It doesn’t matter if you can’t complete a set either because that’s why you train. When you can successfully complete a set you know you’ve improved.