Form Is Everything - Getting the Most Out of Your Strength Training
September 15th, 2008 Posted by David Lemberg
Getting the most out of the valuable time you spend at the gym requires more than merely showing up and going through the motions. Most people do strength training to
- Increase overall muscular strength
- Increase muscle definition and muscle mass
- Lose weight and reduce body fat
- Increase flexibility and joint mobility
- Prevent osteoporosis
- Feel younger and feel better
People get these benefits on a sliding scale, depending on many factors. Key elements in the equation include proper focus, proper sequence of exercises, and very importantly, proper form.
Actually, form is everything. This is true for all exercise activities, including core exercises, aerobic exercises, and strength training. Basically, with proper form you’re using your muscles the way they were designed to be used. Training becomes efficient – no energy is wasted on improper use of supporting muscles or on trying to make your muscles move in unnecessary directions.
With proper form, your muscles get smart. Your nerve–muscle connections learn just how much energy a specific muscle needs to lift a certain amount of weight. The biochemistry and metabolism of your nerve cells and muscle cells get in synch. All circuits become optimized for peak performance.
What does it mean for a muscle to be smart? First, smart muscles have more and better nerve connections. You may have noticed certain muscle groups become stronger without becoming noticeably bigger. The additional strength is due to additional capacity – with proper training, more nerve fibers become connected to that muscle group. The result is more muscle fibers are recruited on each nerve stimulus – the muscle has become stronger without becoming bigger.
This result is much desired. Most of us want to be strong and lean, not strong and bulky. Strong, lean muscles are a direct result of paying attention to proper form. It’s not a question of more sets and more reps. What’s important is doing the exercises right.
Proper form includes good posture, focused attention, and an understanding of how the prime mover works. It’s easy to gain such understanding – it’s not necessary to have a degree in exercise physiology. Basic muscular form and function is available online. For example, here’s a good example of proper form for biceps curls at Wikipedia.
Proper form helps you get stronger faster and also helps you prevent injury. It’s worth spending a little study time to learn how all these moving parts work together!
3 Responses to “Form Is Everything - Getting the Most Out of Your Strength Training”
David,
I’m always amazed at the people I see working out who will sacrifice good form so that it looks like they are lifting “big” weights.
Most of the time, if you do the exercises properly, “big” weights aren’t needed to get the results you want.
Great post.
Chris Melton
By Chris - The Rotater on Sep 24, 2008