Importance of Using Proper Range of Motion and Perfect Form

[warriorf]

In this post I would like to address the importance of using good form and proper Range of Motion (ROM) during each exercise. It is not only important to your development as an athlete in terms of strength and work capacity - but to your risk of injury in and out of training.

Importance of Perfect Form
There are a couple of really important reasons why we adhere to good form during exercise.

The first is movement efficiency. When we perform an exercise with good form what we are doing is getting our body in a position to transmit force with as much efficiency and as much mechanical advantage as possible. With proper form we are able to safely use heavier loads through a full range of motion, and do it faster. This translates to more actual strength, increased work capacity, and dramatically improved performance.

The second is injury prevention. When your body is in proper alignment the force that you produce during an exercise is transmitted from your muscles throughout your bone structure. Improper alignment will place added stress on particular joints or areas of your body increasing your risk of a bad injury. Common areas affected are lower back, knees, neck, and shoulders. If you feel pain in any of these areas - chances are that your form is not good. It is your primary focus pay attention to good form during each and every rep of each exercise.

Importance of Full Range of Motion (ROM)
This is by far one of the biggest problems that I see. ROM describes your ability to take a joint and all attached muscles and bones through the most efficient and complete path for the given exercise. Each exercise has it's own ROM that needs to be adhered to. This will ensure that you are maximizing your strength and efficiency of the movement.

It is common to see both form and ROM faults during the latter phases of a high intensity routine. It is your responsibility to pay attention to each rep and confirm both proper form and complete ROM. Anything less than full ROM with good form will hinder your progress and make you susceptible to injury.

Correcting Your Form
It is much easier to learn a movement and practice it correctly from the start than to not pay attention to what you are doing and develop bad habits. Bad Habits are very hard to unlearn and make corrections to. Do it right the first time and every time after that.

If you are constantly being corrected for the same exercise day after day it might mean that you are not paying attention enough. Every single time you start an exercise you need to reinforce proper form and ROM. If you are not sure about proper form please don't hesitate to ask. Once I have corrected your form and you are capable of doing it properly I should never see those faults again. Always be aware of what you are doing and do it correctly. Anything less tells me you are not paying attention.

In the event that my explanations don't make sense to you or you are still having a hard time with an exercise, let me know so I can spend time with you either before or after class to fix it. We do things why we do them for a reason, safety and performance.

Exercise Modification
The goal in training is to use the heaviest load possible or perform the most challenging variation of an exercise, and do it quickly during our routines. This means that you use the heaviest load or perform the most challenging variation that you can - WITH PROPER FORM AND ROM. I want you to look for the hardest part of that ROM and work through it with strength and tenacity. I

If during a circuit you notice/feel that your form is deteriorating or the ROM is not what it should be make minor modifications to correct it. As you guys know if I see too many faults in ROM or form I will help you modify the exercise. The longer you have been training in the class you the more you should have the ability to make these decisions on your own. Again, this class required attentiveness and learning to build skill and performance. Soak it in and apply it daily. That is how we grow.

Happy Training
JR