Mistake Number 3:  Bad Form

One of the biggest and most frequent mistakes I see in the gym is to use bad form when performing an exercise.  Bad form at its worst can lead to strains, sprains, or even more serious and sometimes permanent, injuries.  At its least, it renders your exercise ineffective.

Some of the more common examples of bad form usually fall into two categories:  (1) doing the wrong exercise and (2), doing the exercise wrong.

Doing the Wrong Exercise

Some people simply should not be doing certain types of exercises.  An exercise routine should be matched to a person’s existing condition, their physical body type, and their size and weight.   Some people just don’t have the physical range of motion or the muscle structure to benefit from certain types of exercises.

Others may be too big, too short, or too heavy to make proper use of the exercise machines, despite the fact that most machines can be adjusted within a wide range of settings.

I’ll give you a personal example.  Years ago, I carried quite a bit more weight in my midsection resulting in a bit of a “beer belly” (even though I don’t drink beer).  What did I do?  Why run to the gym and jump on the LifeCycle (a stationary bike).  I cycled for about an hour before going home feeling pretty good about all the calories I had burned.  The next day I could hardly walk.

What happened?  Well, I was pretty overweight and most of that weight was in my midsection.  As soon as I got on the bike and leaned forward to grab the handlebars, all that weight kind of sagged down between my thighs.  In fact, the only way to make room for my sagging belly was to push my knees out to the side — out of alignment, in other words.  After an hour of cycling, my knee joints had taken a beating.  It’s a wonder they weren’t damaged seriously.

In another case, I saw an instructor put a brand new student, who also smoked, through a pretty intense cardio routine.  The new student almost passed out before puking their guts out.  The instructor should have modified the routine to better fit the current condition of the new student (who was never seen again, by the way) instead of trying to “force-fit” the student into a cookie-cutter routine.

The point is that there are some exercises, and some exercise machines, that certain types of people shouldn’t be doing.  Make sure that your exercise routine is matched to your current physical condition and your body type as well as your height and current weight.

Doing the Exercise Wrong

Most cases of bad form are, by far, people doing an exercise incorrectly.  It should be obvious that doing the exercise wrong can lead to physical injury.  Not so obvious is that most of your efforts are ineffectual, and that’s a real shame.  You only have so much time to get to the gym so why would waste time and energy going through motions that don’t actually work your muscles correctly?

Performing an exercise incorrectly usually include the following:

• Poor or Improper Alignment. In most exercises, especially those involving weights, the large muscles of the body are designed to move in more-or-less straight lines.  This is what aligns the entire muscle against the load it’s trying to move.  Using bad form or alignment subjects a section of the muscle to an uneven amount of force increasing the chances that the muscle will strain or tear at that point.  Before you lift any kind of weight, do a quick mental check to make sure every part of your body is lined up properly.
• Using Too Much Weight. This is more of a “guy thing.”  Trying to lift too much weight before your body is conditioned for it can put more force on muscles and joints than they’re capable of handling.  Using too much weight also leads to the last item.
• Lack of Controlled Movement. If you’re trying to lift too much weight, you’re not going to be able to control the movement of your muscles through the full range of the exercise.  As a result, one of two things will happen:  you’ll either “sling the weight” using momentum instead of your muscles to press or push the weights ups, or you’ll shorten your movement by not extending all the way and thereby fail to execute a full rep.  In both cases, you’re not working your muscles completely or effectively.

In all cases, if any exercise or exercise movement doesn’t feel comfortable, by all means stop doing it and get some help.  Most gyms have trainers on staff that will be happy to show you how to use an exercise machine properly or that can help design an effective exercise routine.  Telling them where it hurts or what feels uncomfortable will usually help them come up with modifications to the exercise or adjustments to the machine that you can make in order to better accommodate your specific condition or body type.

Get the most out of your time at the gym by making sure that you’re using good form – doing the right exercise and doing the exercise right.

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S.  Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.”  This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – for a limited time.  Just click on the title to be taken to the download page.  Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: form, weight lifting, weight machines, alignment, biomechanics, posture, muscle strain, injury, exercise, fitness

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1. Top 10 Exercise Mistakes: Number 2
2. Top 10 Exercise Mistakes: Number 1
3. Fat Burning Exercise with Weights

Although a case of the flu isn’t that big a deal for most healthy adults, this disease tends to hit children and the elderly the hardest with over 150 dead in Mexico alone.  As a result, many countries are issuing travel restrictions as well as more closely screening people crossing their borders.

With all the fear and confusion creating numerous conflicting stories in the media, it’s difficult to know which information to trust.  However, there are a couple of simple, common-sense things that you can do to protect yourself and your family from the flu.

First, understand what you’re fighting. What is “the flu,” or more specifically, the “swine” flu?  Swine flu is the name given to the most recent outbreak of the flu virus.  It’s a type of flu that’s not been seen before.  It contains parts of some of the strains of flu that we’ve dealt with in the past including American Swine and avian, or bird flu.

This strain of flu virus is spread like any other flu virus:  primarily from airborne transmission but also from surface transmission as well.  In other words, the virus spreads from infected people sneezing or coughing which pumps the virus into the air where healthy people breath it in.  It spreads by surface transmission when infected people wipe their runny nose, for example, and then touch a door knob, phone, or other surface.  If a healthy person touches the contaminated surface and then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth, they become infected also.

The symptoms are those of the common flu: headache, fever, sneezing, coughing, runny nose, and muscle aches.  In the vast majority of cases, most people recover without any problems.  However, special care should be taken for those that are most at risk for complications – infants, people with existing respiratory problems, and the elderly.

Second, cleanliness is your best defense. Since the virus spreads through surface transmission, your best defense is to frequently clean common areas at home as well as at the office with a sanitizing cleanser.  You should also carry a bunch of pre-moistened wipes or a tube of hand sanitizer and wash your hands often.  Make sure your kids get into the habit of frequently washing their hands with soap and/or a hand sanitizer also.  This one suggestion is probably the most effective thing you can to do prevent your family from coming down with the flu.

So what about airborne transmission?  Is a surgical mask effective?  Well, yes and no.  The flu is a virus, something so small that a surgical mask isn’t going to stop it.  However, in most cases, the virus is spread by someone coughing or sneezing so the virus isn’t going to be coming out in single units.  They’re going to be in clumps clinging to the droplets of water or mucous that’s part of every sneeze.  In these cases, the “clumps” may be large enough to be trapped by the surgical mask.

You’ll find conflicting reports about the effectiveness of surgical masks.  They’re probably most effective in preventing infected people from sneezing on you, something that’s likely to happen in crowded situations like a subway or sporting event.

Third, keep yourself and your family healthy. This means making sure that you and your family is eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, drinking plenty of fluids, getting moderate exercise, and getting plenty of sleep.  You want to make sure that your immune system is in peak condition and ready to fight off any attacks.  I don’t advocate taking mega-doses of vitamin C or anything else but a good multivitamin wouldn’t hurt.

Fourth, if all else fails. If all else fails and you or a member of your family gets sick, make them as comfortable as you can.  There’s no real “cure” for the flu but there are all sorts of over-the-counter medications for the symptoms.  If you or your family member is part of the high risk group (infants, elderly, or existing respiratory problems), then keep a very close watch and get medical attention if their condition appears to worsen.

If you’re the one that’s sick, stay home, drink plenty of fluids and get plenty of rest.  Most people recover within 5-7 days.  If it lasts longer than this, see your doctor.

Finally, this flu is really no more serious (or any less serious) than the other strains of flu we’ve experienced so the precautions are pretty much the same.  The best advice is to maximize your chances of warding off the disease by keeping common surfaces clean, washing your hands often, and by practicing good health habits (eating right, exercise, staying hydrated, getting plenty of sleep).

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy

Technorati Tags: healthy, sneeze, cough, Avian, Bird Flu, Flu, Flu Virus, Runny Nose, Swine Flu, virus

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