ARE YOU SABOTAGING

Your Results?

Today we are going to talk about form versus weight. Observing many people at the gym it is clear that many of the members sacrifice form for ease or ego. My original thought was this was a gender issue but as I review my observations in my head I realize it is not. The error applies to both although in various ways. Either way it diminishes your results and slows your progress toward your weight loss or fitness goals. It usually results in frustration, lack of consistency and eventually submission to your current state of less than optimal health/fitness.

Range of Motion/Form

Watching someone, usually a male place 18 X 45 lbs on both sides of the leg press equalling 1620 lbs and move it all of 5 inches causes me to shake my head and pray they do not get hurt. There is no benefit in doing that whether it is the leg press, bicep curls, bench press or any other exercise. If you are not completing the full range of isolated motion you risk injury, and epic fail. The exercise are designed to have a specific range of motion for a reason. They isolate the target muscle and protect the rest of your body from injury. Even slight deviations that are not well planned for a specific reason put you at risk. Find someone who has experience and learn the correct range of motion.

Too Much Weight

Now I need to be honest this one is commonly a male issue but I have also seen some females make it as well. It is related to being able to complete the full range of motions as well and this is why I am addressing it in this order. This is simple if you can not complete the full range of motion with 70-80 percent of the repetitions you probably have too much weight and need to reduce it to level where you are able to. So let's say you are able to complete 10 reps then 8 of them should be done with the best form which means the full range of position with the correct posture. I encourage you to go for the extra 2 reps or so to complete the burn but incomplete and poor form should not be observed on 50% of the reps

Too Little Weight

This too is a common problem that is often associated with women but again I have seen men doing it as well. Many who attend the gym do so as much for the social component as the training component and as a result there is usually a great deal of chit chat which for me is..... well you already know. Chit Chatting during a break is one thing but when you are able to carry on a conversation while doing a set you may not be doing enough to build muscle. Too little weight does not stress the muscle to create the tiny tears required to set the body in repair mode building new muscle fibers. You need to add some weight so that the last few (money reps) are as close to impossible to complete as you can get.

Too Few Repetitions

Setting the number of repetitions prior to the set is a common practice even with those who know better but have not implemented the practice of going to failure. Everyone seems to talk about the "Burn", but lack the will to really experience it on every set of every routine. Clearly this is related to the paragraph above and is easily remedied in one of 2 ways. While in the middle of a set you may realize the weight is too light simply add repetitions until you go to failure. Another solution may be to stop and adjust the weight and continue immediately until failure. Either way you will achieve the burn you want and accelerate your progress by making one of the suggested adjustments.

Too Much Rest

This is a direct byproduct of the social atmosphere in many gyms. And now with the advent of the smartphone it is becoming worse with each day. The rest between sets is important so that you are able to complete the next set correctly. It allows your heart to slow down and speed up burning more fuel. However too much rest allows the muscle to relax, blood flow to decrease and decreases the number of routines you will do due to time. Keeping the muscle warm and and full of blood (pumped) will increase the likelihood of you reaching the burn/money reps with each set. Additionally, you can bet you are aggravating someone who is waiting to use the equipment or the space you are occupying. 

So for those of you who are already up and moving I encourage to adopt the tips I have shared and maximize the results of your hard work. I guarantee you will get the results you desire and maintain it over time. I applaud your hard work and encourage you to work smarter, and more efficiently. The results you desire are not as far as the seem. 

So I want you to Get Up Get Moving and Get It Right so you may have it your way one day.

CHIT CHAT WON'T BURN FAT