Trainer Tuesdays: How important is form when I exercise?

Trainer Tuesdays

Welcome back to the weekly edition on Trainer Tuesdays. Make sure to check in at our blog every Tuesday evening to learn the expertise of our great staff. Aside from being fantastic exercise coaches, they are also extremely knowledgeable in many aspects of health and fitness; so, it's time that you get to know them a little better! Each week, we will post a frequently asked, or sometimes just a fun fitness related question followed by the answers of each of the trainers at Fitness Together Brecksville.

How important is form when I exercise?

Justin Traft: So most of you have mentioned or wondered what's more important form or

Trainer Justin Traft instructing proper form on the Lat Pulldown

weight. Well I am here to set the record straight. Since becoming a personal trainer in 2008, I have heard a lot of different views from many different accredited organizations. The real truth is form is everything. If you don't have form while doing a basic exercise then you're really not benefiting from the exercise the way you should. Only when your form is mastered during the exercise you are doing, should you go up in weight. So many people today you see in the gym throwing their back into it or swaying to get the last rep or worse sacrificing there own biomechanics to achieve a weight that they're not ready for yet. Then that is when injury occurs. Yes, in some cases when you are going for size gains you'll have those reps where you break form, but that should only be occasional and if there is no risk of causing injury. If I only had one word of advice to our clients because honestly I could go on forever about this "Until the end of time you will always benefit far more with good form, then you ever will just trying to throw a weight up to say you did it." Happy training everyone.

 Jessica Regula: Form is VERY important when it comes to exercise! Without proper form, you are more likely to suffer from injuries during your training.  This will take a toll on your progress as you cannot workout as frequently or as hard. Furthermore, proper form ensures that you are focusing on isolating the muscle in which the exercise targets. This makes for a more effective workout, as you are singling out particular muscles, rather than employing other muscles or using momentum as most of us do when using incorrect form. Some ways that you can make sure you are performing an exercise correctly, are to use mirrors, a friend, or (my personal favorite) hire a personal trainer!!! Form should be your top priority in a workout, the rest will come easy once you master the correct way to perform a particular exercise.

Personal Trainer Adam Teplitz instructing proper form on the Chest Press

Adam Teplitz: It cannot be stated enough ... Proper form is crucial when strength training. Proper form and technique ensures that you're working and targeting the muscle group you want to develop and grow. One of the most important reasons to maintain proper form during weight lifting exercises is to prevent injury. When you lift heavy weight, this can cause the body to become misaligned. This can place your tendons, muscles and joints in positions that can potentially cause strains or tears. The rule of thumb here is to lower the weight if you have to sway your body to lift the weight. As stated above, proper form ensures correct muscle targeting. I'll use bicep curls as an example. If you're swinging your whole body during the exercise and using your back, chances are that the biceps aren't getting worked; or, if you're elbows are coming forward when curling your shoulders are doing the work instead of biceps. Lower the weight to focus on keeping the back straight, elbows back and isolate the biceps. In addition to correct muscle targeting, proper form also leads to proper breathing techniques. Proper breathing techniques are essential for weight training. It helps to generate more force , and reduce the chance of heart problems. Remember to leave your ego at the door, lower the weight if needed, and focus on the form.

Joshua Teplitz: When exercising, form is one of the most imperative aspects of having an efficient workout.  If movements are performed properly, you are creating healthy habits of maintaining perfect posture while minimizing the risk of injury during your training session.  Great form leads to increased performance of the muscles and assists in reducing tension in specific areas throughout the body such as the spine, lower back, and hips.  Poor form can contribute to the tearing of the muscles and a variety of freak injuries in the gym, which is why it is necessary to ensure that the instructed form of the given exercise is executed satisfactorily.  Without proper form, the exercise falls apart and the targeted muscle group tends to not do as much of the work.  When everything in the body is aligned during a workout, your muscles are put into a position to grow and repair accordingly.      

Personal Trainer Kelly Bailey instructing proper form during group exercise

KellyBailey: Exercise form, especially when training with weights, is very important. The number one reason that proper form is important is that it keeps you safe. Most exercise injuries occur because people attempt to add too much weight or too much speed, but cannot maintain good form. This is one of the reasons a fitness professional starts most people with body weight exercises...if you can't perform an exercise properly without weight, it's not likely you'll be able to perform the exercise safely with added weight. Form is also very important for getting the most out of your workout. Twenty body weight squats with perfect form will be much harder than twenty body weight squats with poor form. Taking the same exercise - the body weight squat - performed correctly, works more than just your legs. It should challenge your legs, back and abdominals. This makes the exercise far more effective. 

Done with correct form, weight training safely targets the correct muscles and you will achieve faster results from your workouts!

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