In the movie classic “Hook”, Captain Hook played by Dustin Hoffman has a classic line that he delivered a dozen times during the movie. Depending on situation he would mutter "Good Form” meaning he approved or “Bad Form” showing disapproval. At one point in the movie, Jack (Peter Pan’s son) is being wooed by Captain Hook at a baseball game that has been set up in Jack’s honor. At one point, a runner attempts to steal second base and the short stop pulls out his musket and shoots the runner dead. Captain Hook yells, “No, No, No, Bad Form, we are playing by Master Jack’s rules”. The audience giggles that killing a runner is only “bad form”

Well this is not all too different from many of you who are killing your muscle growth with bad form. And frankly this is not a laughing matter if you understand the consequences.

I was watching a young guy yesterday doing seated curls on a plate load curl machine. He was curling (I am using this term loosely) the entire stack. As he did his curls, I was noticed what muscles he was really working. He moved the entire body; his legs were pushing up and down as his upper torso swung back and forth pivoting around his lower back. Arms did move an abbreviated distance. I could not help but think to myself “No, no, no, bad form where playing by bodybuilding rules”.

Are you hung up in doing the most weight instead of the best form?

 

If so, you are probably not working the intended muscle. So instead of this guy maximizing his arm development, he was doing legs, back and who know what else. I realize it is cool to say I can bench 315lbs or as in this case curl 150lbs, but is this goal?

Are you bodybuilding or trying to set a power lifting weight record? If you are at this site, I assume you want to build muscle and maximize gains with efficient training. Therefore, let's get with good form!

Why Exercise with Good Form?

• Let’s do the obvious first. Good form focuses the exercise on the intended muscle to create growth. This is what bodybuilding is all about!
• Good form prevents injury. Sloppy form often causes contortion of other parts of the body (often times the spine) and you can dislocate a joint or vertebrae or strain a muscle.

How do know if I am doing Good Form?

• Pay attention to you muscle. Feel which muscles are being exercised. If you are doing arms, the arms should be the ones burning at the end of the exercise.
• Watch others doing the exercise or ask someone more experienced to show you the best form. Guys at the gym are willing to help, if you are willing to learn.
• Get comments from others real time on your form . Ask your partner or someone else to watch you during your exercise and get feedback.

How do Keep Good Form?

• Define Good Form. Read or watch others that are doing the exercise to know what good form looks like.
• Understand what full movement of the body parts. For example in tricep extensions, a full movement would be about 90 degrees. Start in fully locked elbow position and then rotate at elbow 90 degrees. Understand this for each body part.
• Do a very light weight on any new exercise before raising it to muscle building poundage. This will establish the right position, posture and feel of the exercise before moving to the next set.
• Pay attention to your body movements. If you arching, swinging, or rocking your body, you probably are doing bad form.
• Slow down and maintain control of the weight. Resist allowing the weight to fall, drop or spring back to position.

What is common Bad Form in exercises?

• Bench Press- Arching the back or bridging as some call it. Bouncing the weight off the chest.
• Squats- Leaning forward at the lower bad. Bouncing the weight upward by contacting the back of the leg with the calf.
• Curls- Swinging the weight by rocking the body
• Triceps extensions- Rotating the shoulder instead of a full movement on the tricep.
• Wide Grip Pull-ups- Jerking the feet help move the body upward.

If you want your gym time to be muscle building time, exercise Good Form because when good form is combined with sweat, it eventually hardens to muscle!

See what good form has done Jang's triceps!

"Sweat eventually hardens to Muscle".....Scott

This article is property of Bodybuilding Program Zone and may not be reproduced without written permission from Scott Jameson. Besides it wouldn't be right....Scott