Yes, Yes, Yes, it matters!
The quality of your exercises in fitness is so important. You could be working out 7 days a week at 2 hours a day, but, if you are not putting out quality work, then you are not reaping the benefits of your program.
1st and foremost…
Please put the book down when you are working out. There should be a time and a place for reading and it is not during your workout. If you were walking or bike riding outside, would you be reading your book? No! Then why bring it to the gym?
If your goal is to read your book and not have a workout, then go for it! But, if your goal is to actually workout, then ditch that book and focus on your time at the gym.
Try, instead of 1 hour on your cardio equipment of choice at a steady state pace, go for 1/2 hour with cardio intervals. Start at your steady state pace and every few minutes do at least 30 seconds or more of a faster pace to get your heart rate up a bit higher and then go back down to your steady state and repeat.
This will give your body a challenge! Make you work harder, burn more calories in less time and force your body to make adjustments to the new workload which has all kinds of internal benefits for your body.
Now, for those strength exercises!
I don’t even know where to start here. All kinds of crazy happens.
I see poor form, fast uncontrolled movements, too light of weight, too heavy of weight, made up movements that I have no idea what they are trying do, except maybe injure themselves.
What you really, really need with strength is focus!
Cut out all of the distractions. Leave your friends at home with your phone, your music, your books and your ego! Yes, your ego, I cannot tell you how many times I see someone taking on a weight they have no business taking on. Why? Purely for their ego. Trying to prove something to their friends, other members and I guess to themselves. What I see, is form that is suffering, undue stress on the joints of the body and injury that can occur. The gym is not a place for your ego, so please leave it at home and on your next workout really focus on your movement patterns.
Let’s discuss a few things to work on:
Form
Form is so important with each exercise you do. Before you begin any exercise you need to do a check list of your body and set your form before beginning any movement.
- Stand or sit tall
- Bring your shoulders back and down, open up your chest
- Pull your navel into your spine to support lower back and stabilize body
Those are just some basic checks when starting any exercise in the seated or standing upright position. But, each and every exercise has it’s set point and check list of how your body should be positioned at the start, execution, and end of the movement.
Control
Control is another important thing to focus on. You need to control each movement for each exercise with muscle strength, not momentum, gravity, or any other factor.
So, in order to control the movement you need to stay within your strength limits. The weight should be challenging enough to lift, but at the same time, you must be able to maintain control of it through the entire range of motion. That means you should not have to swing it into position or allow it to fall out of position. Slow the movement down to ensure you are guiding the movement with your own strength and control.
Range of Motion
Lets first define range of motion, what does this mean? Range of motion is the full movement of a joint, usually its range of flexion and extension.
Our joints will have a natural range at which they can bend and extend. When doing strength exercises you should be working through your personal full range of motion. Why? Would you like to keep that range of motion? Do you want to be able to reach up and grab things? Do you want to be able to reach down to pick something up? Do you want to hinge forward and be able to tie your shoes? Well, I do! The good news is, we have the ability to improve that range.
What I see a lot of is half range and pulsing movements. And, that is okay to mix in with your exercises, but, only if you are also bringing that joint through its full range of motion. Use your workout time to improve or maintain your range of motion so that you do not lose it. It will help you to become more flexible and agile.
With all that said, how can you improve your form, control and range of motion?
Educate and focus!
Educate by researching the exercises you often do, study the form and range of motion. Then, take that knowledge to the gym and focus on implementing that knowledge into your workout.
Better yet, educate yourself hands on by hiring a personal trainer to work specifically with you on form, control and range of motion. Allow them to watch you and give you adjustments on these points. Sometimes, a trainer can see things that you do not even notice you are doing and one simple adjustment can make all the difference.
Next time you walk into the gym, think quality over quantity and make every movement count!
Image courtesy of patrisyu at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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