We’ve all seen (or been) that person in the gym who lifts with scary form. Deadlifts with backs like Lucky Charm rainbows, Squats that aren’t even close to parallel, Overhead Presses that look like a person desperately trying to start the wave at a pro-wrestling event, Bicep Curls and Tricep Pushdowns that look manic and rushed…
Listen, you need to get your form checked, and you need to do it regularly. I don’t care if you’re a powerlifter, bodybuilder, CrossFitter, whatever. I don’t care If you’ve been lifting for 20 years or have some certification in a decorative frame. We all have form issues, and they don’t end just because we learn how to perform the lifts for the first time.
About a year ago, I significantly increased the frequency with which I do squats. One day, a few weeks into this new program, I took a video of my Deadlift (live on FB, ironically) and was shocked to see EXTREME rounding in my lower back. This was despite having good form just a few weeks earlier. My new squat volume wasn’t allowing enough recovery by the time I did my heavy Deadlifts.
All sorts of things can cause your form to break. Being a beginner, being tired, changing your program, having an injury, etc.
If you’re a beginner, find someone who understands what the form looks like and run it by them. There are entire Facebook groups and web forums for taking videos, uploading them, and getting form feedback. If you don’t have a qualified coach, please, find and make use of these resources. I know you probably don’t want to video yourself and post it everywhere. We don’t like to be on display until we are good at something, I know. But please do it anyway, even if it’s to only one person once a month.
If you’re not a beginner, trust me, I know you don’t want to hear everyone else’s opinions of your lifts. But bad form could cause an injury and/or hinder your strength and muscle growth progress. Please, get it checked.
As a coach, I literally watch videos every day of people’s lifts and provide feedback. I also watch random people who aren’t even my clients lift and see the feedback they get from others so that I am always learning and improving as a coach. Yet, I still have my go-to places for my own form checks. Because, despite all the knowledge and ability to pick it out in someone else’s form, it’s sometimes difficult to detect in my own.
And, if you are someone who already has your form being checked in a gym of some sort, go ahead and post it somewhere anyway. Sometimes, people who lift together or in the same places have the SAME form issues and all need to be corrected. Groupthink is a powerful thing.
Post to a group. Message me a video sometime. I won’t be able to do it all the time, but I’m happy to jump in and give feedback here and there!
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