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You’re happy with your plank. You admire your squat form. You know your bicep curls look great. But tend to you do these common exercises all wrong? It’s totally possible, says physiotherapist David Reavy.
According to Reavy, 99% of those he sees in his physical rehabilitation clinic are doing these types of movements incorrectly. Oops. One good reason people perform standard exercises wrong has to do with their musculature. For example, super strong quads can compromise your lunge form, driving your front knee too far forward.
Do you usually have an acquaintance hold down your feet when you do sit-ups at the gym? That’s not good either. It can get rid of the activation inside your abdominals, meaning you’re employed less and miss out on results.
So how can you correct your fitness faux-pas? The easiest way is by using props, like resistance bands, and extremely concentrate on proper form. Doing moves the proper way will engage your muscles more proficiently, so you’ll build strength faster. Plus, you will also decrease your injury risk; if you aren’t careful, the incorrect move could put you from the gym altogether.
In this video, Reavy shows Health’s senior fitness editor the exercises many people tend to mess up-including lunges, bicep curls, squats, and planks-and how you can correct the most typical mistakes. Follow along to figure out what moves you may be doing wrong, and find out how fixing them will help you get fitter faster.
