3 Reasons Exercise Form is a Priority Over Lifting Heavy

We see it at least once every time we’re working out at the gym. Someone is lifting heavy weights, which is a good thing, but exercise form and technique is lacking. Is good form more important than lifting heavy? Here are three reasons why it’s so important to use good form and technique each time you workout.

A Repetition Away from Getting Injured

Executing proper form during each repetition with every set of each exercise, is important mainly because of one word…injury. Mastering technique for each lift you perform, in the gym or at home, will help keep injuries at bay. If for no other reason, this one is a big one. The last thing you want is to pull a back muscle during a deadlift or strain a shoulder pushing weight overhead. Rounding your back while executing a deadlift or squat will do exactly that! Good form, proper body mechanics, and core stabilization during any lift, will improve the efficiency of the movement and help to prevent an injury.

Improper Form Recruits Other Muscle Groups into Play

An exercise like a barbell biceps curl is not meant to be a total body lift. When someone uses momentum, swinging the upper body, in order to “assist” in curling the weight, it takes away from working the biceps fully. Another exercise that is often performed using improper form is the bench press. You can feel that low back arching off the bench as you read this. Any time someone uses improper form during a lift, that area will not get worked as efficiently compared with perfect form.

Good Exercise Form Helps You Reach Goals Faster

It takes someone much longer to reach their fitness goals when improper form is continually used. Not to mention, that person usually has to deal with a higher rate of injury. Using proper form places your muscle in perfect alignment, and from this vantage point, the muscle is able to generate the highest amount of force. This in turn, can potentially increase strength at a faster rate while reaching your fitness goals quicker, like hitting a new 1-RM.

It is obviously your call but using proper form when lifting heavy is beneficial regarding both (1) avoiding injuries and (2) reaching goals faster.

Stay Strong Together

Jefit, was named best strength training app for 2024, by PC Magazine, Forbes, and Garage Gym Reviews. The app comes equipped with an advanced customizable workout planner and training log. In addition, the app has ability to track data and offer audio cues. It also has a feature to share workouts with friends. Take advantage of Jefit’s exercise database for your strength workouts. Visit our members-only Facebook group. Connect with like-minded people, share tips, and advice to help get closer to reaching your fitness goals.

Author
Recent Posts

Michael Wood, CSCS

Michael Wood, CSCS, is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and Content Manager for JeFit app. Michael is a former Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of Connecticut and Exercise Physiologist at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. He is the Founder of Michael Wood Fitness, named twice to "Top 100 Trainers in America" by Men's Journal and voted Best of Boston by Boston Magazine. Michael previously taught at the University of Connecticut and Boston University. He is the author of TBC30: 6 Steps to a Stronger, Healthier You.