Form is Everything
Proper form, without question, is the most important element for safe and effective strength
training. Using the proper form will help to minimize injuries and strains and ensure that the
muscle you are targeting is the one you are actually working. Some of the more obvious form
breaks are seen every day in every gym. At the beginning of every repetition remind yourself
to do the exercise correctly so you can get the most from that rep. The three most common
form issues are speed, range of motion, and isolation
Range of Motion (ROM)
Every exercise has a correct, or optimal range of motion. To a certain degree, however, your
range of motion for a given exercise will depend on your own flexibility or history of injury.
Always be sure to move the weight through the entire range of motion as outlined in the
exercise description or suggested by your trainer, so that all parts of your muscle benefit from
the exercise.
Speed
Every exercise that works by moving weights – including your own body weight – should always
be done with the weight under control. Move the weight slowly through your range of motion,
and don’t use momentum to lift the weight. Everyone has seen people jerking weights around.
Except when being done for specific reasons, this is counter productive. If you find that you
can’t complete your sets at the proper speed you are using too much weight. Drop back a little
and do the exercise at the right speed. You will feel how much more effective working out at
the right speed
Isolation
Every exercise is designed to work specific muscle group(s). When you recruit muscles not
targeted by the exercise you are defeating the purpose of the exercise and robbing the target
muscles of their workout. Have you ever seen a person throw their entire back into a simple
biceps curl? It is dangerous for the back and does nothing for the biceps. Another example of
this type of form break is using your legs to get the weight moving for an arm exercise. If you
can’t do the weight with the proper form you are lifting too much or your muscle is exhausted
and you should stop (see Sets and Reps, below).
Swing
Many exercises start with weights in a hanging position before you lift them. It is often tempting
to impart a little momentum to the weights by swinging on the horizontal before you lift them.
This is cheating – but cheating yourself and your workout. Most often swing is done
unconsciously. Try to concentrate on your form as you lift, and eliminate the swing.
Breathing
Breathing correctly is an important aspect of proper form, and a simple one to master. As a
rule of thumb, inhale when you are working with gravity, and exhale when you are working
against it. You should not hold your breath and bear down during normal strength training.
Your muscles need oxygen to work properly – give it to them by breathing correctly.
Eccentric
Use the "Negative" or "eccentric" part of the exercise to help get the most from your workout.
Every resistance exercise has two parts – the positive lift and the negative drop. Always
execute the negative part of the exercise under control as this will significantly benefit the
effectiveness of your overall training.
Proper form, without question, is the most important element for safe and effective strength
training. Using the proper form will help to minimize injuries and strains and ensure that the
muscle you are targeting is the one you are actually working. Some of the more obvious form
breaks are seen every day in every gym. At the beginning of every repetition remind yourself
to do the exercise correctly so you can get the most from that rep. The three most common
form issues are speed, range of motion, and isolation
Range of Motion (ROM)
Every exercise has a correct, or optimal range of motion. To a certain degree, however, your
range of motion for a given exercise will depend on your own flexibility or history of injury.
Always be sure to move the weight through the entire range of motion as outlined in the
exercise description or suggested by your trainer, so that all parts of your muscle benefit from
the exercise.
Speed
Every exercise that works by moving weights – including your own body weight – should always
be done with the weight under control. Move the weight slowly through your range of motion,
and don’t use momentum to lift the weight. Everyone has seen people jerking weights around.
Except when being done for specific reasons, this is counter productive. If you find that you
can’t complete your sets at the proper speed you are using too much weight. Drop back a little
and do the exercise at the right speed. You will feel how much more effective working out at
the right speed
Isolation
Every exercise is designed to work specific muscle group(s). When you recruit muscles not
targeted by the exercise you are defeating the purpose of the exercise and robbing the target
muscles of their workout. Have you ever seen a person throw their entire back into a simple
biceps curl? It is dangerous for the back and does nothing for the biceps. Another example of
this type of form break is using your legs to get the weight moving for an arm exercise. If you
can’t do the weight with the proper form you are lifting too much or your muscle is exhausted
and you should stop (see Sets and Reps, below).
Swing
Many exercises start with weights in a hanging position before you lift them. It is often tempting
to impart a little momentum to the weights by swinging on the horizontal before you lift them.
This is cheating – but cheating yourself and your workout. Most often swing is done
unconsciously. Try to concentrate on your form as you lift, and eliminate the swing.
Breathing
Breathing correctly is an important aspect of proper form, and a simple one to master. As a
rule of thumb, inhale when you are working with gravity, and exhale when you are working
against it. You should not hold your breath and bear down during normal strength training.
Your muscles need oxygen to work properly – give it to them by breathing correctly.
Eccentric
Use the "Negative" or "eccentric" part of the exercise to help get the most from your workout.
Every resistance exercise has two parts – the positive lift and the negative drop. Always
execute the negative part of the exercise under control as this will significantly benefit the
effectiveness of your overall training.
Techniques
The techniques being presented here are a few of many. Use them to bring variety into your
workout. You'll enjoy it more and get more from it.
Stripping
Stripping is increasing intensity by progressively removing weight at the end of a routine. It
involves working beyond failure. In your final set of an exercise, once you have reached
failure, stop momentarily, reduce your workload a little (often by "stripping" plates from a bar)
then immediately start again, to failure. Repeat this until the amount of weight being lifted is
negligible for you. This will result in a very significant "pump" because it recruits every possible
muscle fiber. But remember - maintain good form.
Pyramiding
Pyramiding is a series of low rep, high weight sets aimed at increasing mass. It involves
changing the reps/sets routine to one optimized for gaining size. Each set in a pyramid uses
more weight at fewer reps.
Important Notes: Pyramiding places a lot of strain on your muscles and supporting
structures, and shouldn't be done over significant lengths of time. It is best used with
exercises/muscles involving more than one joint - for example bench press, lat pull, squat, leg
press - as opposed to exercises that involve only one joint - for example biceps curls, quad
extensions, triceps press backs, etc.
Screaming 7's (21's)
Screaming 7's is a workout methodology designed to break range of motion monotony. It can
be used to add variety to your routine. This technique uses varied ranges of motion to work
your muscles in different ways. Each set consists of three seven repetition subsets. Take the
normal range of motion for the exercise you are "7'ing" and divide it into three ranges - 0 to
60%, 40 - 100 %, and 0 to 100%. Then, without stopping to rest
SuperSets
Supersetting involves combining two exercises executed consecutively into one "super" set.
Combining two exercises that work on opposing or antagonistic muscles is an effective way to
increase the intensity of a workout, make efficient use of your time, and implement active
stretching. Typical examples include:
Go Heavy/Go Light
An extremely simple way to add variety to your workout is to do your normal
The techniques being presented here are a few of many. Use them to bring variety into your
workout. You'll enjoy it more and get more from it.
Stripping
Stripping is increasing intensity by progressively removing weight at the end of a routine. It
involves working beyond failure. In your final set of an exercise, once you have reached
failure, stop momentarily, reduce your workload a little (often by "stripping" plates from a bar)
then immediately start again, to failure. Repeat this until the amount of weight being lifted is
negligible for you. This will result in a very significant "pump" because it recruits every possible
muscle fiber. But remember - maintain good form.
Pyramiding
Pyramiding is a series of low rep, high weight sets aimed at increasing mass. It involves
changing the reps/sets routine to one optimized for gaining size. Each set in a pyramid uses
more weight at fewer reps.
Important Notes: Pyramiding places a lot of strain on your muscles and supporting
structures, and shouldn't be done over significant lengths of time. It is best used with
exercises/muscles involving more than one joint - for example bench press, lat pull, squat, leg
press - as opposed to exercises that involve only one joint - for example biceps curls, quad
extensions, triceps press backs, etc.
Screaming 7's (21's)
Screaming 7's is a workout methodology designed to break range of motion monotony. It can
be used to add variety to your routine. This technique uses varied ranges of motion to work
your muscles in different ways. Each set consists of three seven repetition subsets. Take the
normal range of motion for the exercise you are "7'ing" and divide it into three ranges - 0 to
60%, 40 - 100 %, and 0 to 100%. Then, without stopping to rest
- Do 7 reps from 0 to 60%
- Do 7 reps from 40 to 100%
- Do 7 reps from 0 to 100% If, at the end of the three 7's, your muscles aren't screaming,
add weight for the next set. If you couldn't complete all 21 reps, remove weight for the
next set.
SuperSets
Supersetting involves combining two exercises executed consecutively into one "super" set.
Combining two exercises that work on opposing or antagonistic muscles is an effective way to
increase the intensity of a workout, make efficient use of your time, and implement active
stretching. Typical examples include:
- Bench Press and Seated Row
- Lat Pull and Military Press
- Ham Curl and Quad Extension
- Biceps Curl and Triceps Extension
- Pectoral Butterfly and Rear Deltoid
Go Heavy/Go Light
An extremely simple way to add variety to your workout is to do your normal
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