Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Bad Habits and How to Fix Them


Poor Technique
Correct Technique is the most important part of working out, preventing injuries and achieving the results you want.

Fix It!
Think S.E.A.K:
  • Stand Straight – put your body in alignment, think of a straight line from your ear, shoulders, hips and feet
  • Eyes Up – keep your eyes level and directly in front, this helps prevent you leaning forward and rounding shoulders
  • Abs Braced – your core is your powerhouse, stabilize and activate it!
  • Knees Over Second Toe – woman tend to turn in from having wider hips and the angle this creates

Not Warming-Up 

Heading straight into a heavy weight session without warming up will do damage. Just as going for a run without warming up first. Range of motion and circulation are limited without warming up and can result in sprains, tears and joint aches.

Fit It!
5-10 minutes of walking progressively increasing the intensity until you are lightly sweating.
Include a warm up set at a lower weight to the weight baring exercise you will do be doing.

Not Training Opposing Muscle Groups
Imbalances in the body can be due to training and lifestyle. It is easy to only train muscles you can see in the mirror, creating what I call ‘mirror muscles’. This means that while some muscles in the body are built up the muscle that works in synergy with them are being overlooked. Lifestyle circumstances like sitting down all day, weakens and tightens hip flexors while over stretching and deactivating the Glutes.

Fit It!
For every exercise that works the front of the body (chest, biceps, quads), be sure to do an exercise that targets the rear (back, triceps, hamstrings). If you’re unsure what the opposite muscle would be ask a personal trainer, coach or anatomy book.

Too Much Too Soon
More sets! More Reps! Heavier Weights! Run longer! That’s the way to get quick results right? Nope! You’ll probably end up with an injury though. While range of motion and technique are the first to go, increasing things to quickly can results in torn ligaments, tendinitis and other overuse injuries.

Fix It!
Find a starting weight you are comfortable with where if you’re aiming for 3 sets of 10-12 reps you can complete 10 reps feeling tired by the 10th rep. Once you can complete all 12 reps move up to the next set of weights dropping back to the 10 reps, working up to the 12 reps.

Continue to do this, watching technique and you will improve strength while helping to prevent injuries. Build up and listen to your body as success is really just the sun of small achievements. So stay consistent and you will reach your goal!


"If you can imagine it, you can create it. If you can dream it, you can become it" William Arthur Ward 

 Px


With thanks to
Robbi Shveyd, Advanced Wellness San Francisco, Joan Pagano, Strength Training for Women, Woman’s Health Magazine


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