Form is Important

When people work out they are most of the time more worried about getting their reps in and being done than doing the exercise correctly. Form is crucial when it comes to seeing results

Some may be wondering what form is. When it comes to exercise, form is the way your body carries out the exercise. Form predicts how well your outcome of the exercise will be. I am guilty of this myself. When I am not in the mood to work out and I am just ready to get it over with, I often go fast and my form is halfway effort. But the truth is, It is not about how many reps you do, it is about how many you do correctly.

For example, if you are doing a squat for the purpose to workout your glutes and your knees are over your toes or your legs are not at a 90-degree angle, it is not targeting your glutes but more your legs.

You know the old saying it is not what you say but how you say it? The same rule applies when it comes to your form. It is not what you do it is how you do it.

Good form is most of the time slow and controlled. If going slower makes you more tired it is okay to take a couple minute breath between each set of exercises. Many people think bad form only happens when you are lifting weights which is not true. Even body weight workouts can be done with bad form. If you do a plank with your back up in the air, your abs are not being targeted at all.

On the treadmill and stair stepper, it is habit to lean over and help lift yourself up to take pressure off of your feet. But that does not help you burn calories.

Bad form can also be harmful to your body. It is very common in exercising such as Crossfit to lift heavy weights and not squat properly or raise the bar over your head without hurting your back due to poor form. If you do participate in Crossfit, make sure you do not push your weight limit and have good enough form before you move up in weights.

Below are pictures of two different glute exercises being performed with correct form. Next time you try a new workout routine make sure you have proper form!