12 Jul Recognizing if You are Using the Wrong Form When Exercising

Whether you are following an exercise book or video while working out at home, you may start to feel concerned about whether or not you are performing your exercises correctly.  Feeling concerned about whether or not you are using the proper form is a legitimate concern, as following the wrong form will not provide you with the results you are after and can even lead to injury.  So, how can you be certain you are performing your exercises properly?

While there is no way to be absolutely certain your form is correct without having a trained professional by your side, there are a few signs that will tell you that you are on the right track.  For example, if you are performing the exercise correctly, you should:

·    Experience fatigue in the muscle that is being targeted by the exercise
·    Feel the target muscle doing the work as you perform the exercise
·    Not experience pain or fatigue in other muscle groups that are not related to the muscle that is being targeted
·    Be able to perform a full range of motion as you workout

Unfortunately, many people use the wrong muscles when exercising in order to give themselves the extra “oomph” they need to move the weights.  If you find yourself pulling on other muscles when you are working out, you should reduce the weights you are using so you can perform the exercise without depending upon other muscles.

Don’t feel bad if you discover you are performing an exercise incorrectly after you have performed it several times.  It is easy to perform several repetitions of an exercise before you realize that your form is incorrect.  By making changes to your weights and by remaining focused on the muscle you are targeting, however, you will be certain to perform the exercise correctly and to get the benefits you are after.