Most fitness fans act as their own personal trainer in the gym: Setting their program, deciding their weights/resistance and executing the moves. Unfortunately, poor technique can creep in as a result. At best this can reduce the effectiveness of the exercise, but at worst, it can cause injury.
Personal trainers have identified five common gym errors that are at the heart of most people’s workouts. There are ways to correct them. Sometimes it’s as simple as reducing the weight or checking your posture in the mirror to perfect the move.
THE SIT UP/CRUNCH
The Common Error: Coming all the way up to your knees.
The Risk: Rising too high won’t engage your abdominal muscles as the hip flexors are doing all the work. You can actually create a rounded abdominal area by repeatedly performing this exercise wrongly!
The Correction: Engage your abdominal muscles first. Lift your shoulders off the floor while contracting (squeezing) your abs; hold for a second or two and then return to the start position maintaining the tension in your abs. Your hips should remain still and your lower back pushed into the mat throughout the movement.
THE SQUAT
The Common Error: Under-execution of the range of movement of the back squat, normally due to excessive weight loaded on the bar, and lifting with your back muscles rather than your legs (quads/hamstrings/glutes).
The Risk: Serious injury to your spine and spinal muscles.
The Correction: Keep your head up and squeeze your shoulder blades together and engage a neutral spine (natural arch in the spine). Squat down to 90 degrees keeping your knees back (avoid them going over your toes). Feel the weight pushing through your leg muscles and not your spine. If you can’t execute this technique, lighten the weight on your bar.
THE DEADLIFT
The Common Error: Lifting with your back muscles instead of your legs.
The Risk: Serious back injury.
The Correction: Keep your head up and engage a neutral spine. Lower from your hips and as you straighten up, focus on pushing through your legs and stabilising your hips. Ensure your spine is neutral throughout: it should not bend. You should feel the exercise working down the back of your legs – not your back.
LATERAL RAISES
The Common Error: Having bent wrists and/or taking your hands higher than your elbows.
The Risk: Excessive strain on your wrists can cause discomfort. If you lift your hands higher than your elbows – or your arms higher than your shoulders – you are lifting with the forearms and biceps, and not engaging the medial deltoid (side shoulder muscle) that you’re aiming to develop.
The Correction: Keep your knuckles in line with your forearms. Have a slight flexion in your elbows and don’t lock them out. Think about lifting the arm as a whole and focus on the movement coming from your shoulder.
THE LUNGE
The Common Error: Letting your knees come over your toes when performing the exercise.
The Risk: Serious injury to your knee joint and tendons
The Correction: Imagine the lunge as a four-part movement: 1) Step forward; 2) Drop down (not forwards) into the lunge; 3) Rise back up pushing through your front foot; 4) Return to your start position. Focusing on these four stages will help you engage your leg and glute muscles effectively.
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