Home Training Fix your form for better results and lower injury risk

Fix your form for better results and lower injury risk

Pedro van GaalenOctober 2, 2023012.2k

You need to lift heavy to build muscle and reshape your physique, but you also need to lift safely, using proper form to engage the right muscles to avoid injuries.

Lifting with proper form and technique becomes especially important when you start adding more plates to the bar or when executing more advanced compound exercises.

READ MORE | Fix Your Form To Squat Like A Boss

Reasons for sloppy form

Many lifters make common mistakes unconsciously and unintentionally as they never learnt correct form from the start.

Some mistakes stem from the conventional advice shared in the weights room that we know today is wrong or inaccurate.

Performing an exercise properly requires movement mastery, which may require using bodyweight initially or a lighter weight until you get the movement pattern and firing sequence correct.

Here are 3 reasons why you should fix your form:

1. Targets the right muscles

Lifting weights with poor or incorrect form means the exercise doesn’t work the targeted muscles in the intended manner to deliver the right muscle-building response or gains in strength.

2. Lowers your injury risk

The major concern is that poor form increases your injury risk. Injuries often happen because poor lifting form shifts the stress off targeted muscles and primary movers.

3. Slows your progress

And shifting the stress onto smaller, potentially weaker muscles due to poor technique can also make it difficult to lift progressively heavier weights, which can slow down progress in the weights room.

Get expert guidance

This is where a qualified personal trainer or coach can prove invaluable. A trained and experienced fitness professional will teach clients proper form while they build their strength and fitness base, which makes them less prone to injury and helps them progress at a faster rate.

And they will teach you how to manage different training loads, which ensures that you don’t train too much or too little, ramp up too quickly, or fail to include enough rest and recovery time.

In addition, their trained eye will quickly pick up on any biomechanical imbalances or weaknesses. Addressing these issues early on can avoid injuries and time off from training while also helping to improve your performance when addressed with a suitable rehabilitation or strength training programme.

You can also follow our form guides on the this webiste to check your form and nail your technique for the best results and an injury-free, more enjoyable gym experience.

Author: Pedro van Gaalen

When he’s not writing about sport or health and fitness, Pedro is probably out training for his next marathon or ultra-marathon. He’s worked as a fitness professional and as a marketing and comms expert. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.

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Pedro van Gaalen

When he's not writing about sport or health and fitness, Pedro is probably out training for his next marathon or ultra-marathon. He's worked as a fitness professional and as a marketing and comms expert. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.