Struggling with pain when you exercise? Or, maybe you aren’t seeing the results you should be.
Maybe it has to do with your form, the way you are actually doing the exercise.
Here are four common exercises that can easily be done incorrectly, and some tips to help you rock them.
Push-ups
I, personally, hate push-ups. But, I believe people should be able to push, pull and squat their own bodyweight, so I suck it up and do push-ups with almost every workout.
But, this is an exercise that can go sideways really fast.
A quick tip is to learn the push-up in an easy environment and then layer on from there.
So, start on your knees, and for those of you who aren’t strong in the upper body also start with your hands on an elevated object (like a bench or a chair).
From the ground, start on your stomach, with your knees in contact with the floor, your fingertips wider than your shoulders, and your elbows almost on top of wrists.
Staying on your knees press yourself up in a solid plank, keeping your neck lined up with the spine, your ears away from your shoulders, your elbows tucked in a bit and your core tight.
Lower slowly back to the ground until your chest is just a couple of inches off the ground and then press back up again.
Squats
A common mistake I see when people first initiate a squat is they try to keep their upper body vertical.
Instead, allow your torso to tip forward slightly, while your rear end sits back. Think about sitting in a chair leading with your butt.
Throughout the squat keep the alignment with your spine. A common mistake is to over arch your low back, or to “wink” your tailbone under.
Squat as low as it feels comfortable, aiming (at the very least) to thighs parallel to the floor.
If you find you can’t squat very deep it could be due to tight hips or tight ankles. If this is the case, try a wider stance and add some mobility drills into your routine before you start your workout.
Lunges
Lunges tend to be a knee killer for a lot of people. If you are one of these people, then I suggest a reverse lunge.
Start with feet hip width apart and step backwards a good stride. While keeping the front knee in line with the ankle (don’t let it cave in), lower your back knee down towards the ground, pause and then lift it back up and step the feet together again.
Not only does this take some of the pressure off of the knees, a reverse lunge also places a bit more focus on the glutes and hamstrings - which tend to be weaker muscle groups on people.
Plank
One problem I have with the plank is a lot of people have poor posture to begin with and then go into a plank position with bad posture – strengthening this undesirable posture even further.
Not cool.
To correct this start on your stomach, position your elbows under the shoulders with your wrists in line with the elbows, palms facing down (think of the sphinx). Keep this arm position as you press your body up into a plank (staying on the knees to modify).
From there improve your plank even further by shrugging your shoulders back and down and aligning the neck and spine.
PJ Wren is a local personal trainer and writer who can be reached at www.thestudio.ca, or through her online fitness programs for women at www.fitnesswithpj.com.
