As many people know, the main cause of injuries in the gym is due to improper technique. It’s a rare occasion when I can go to a gym and not instantly have the ability to point out people using improper technique for exercises. What’s even worse, I see this happen quite frequently when personal trainers are training clients. Personal trainers need to realize that clients look to them for expert advice, so they need to pay close attention to form when training. I want to list a few of the most common exercises that are done incorrectly at the gym. Here they are:

Squat

If you’ve ever watched someone do a squat, odds are you have seen them done incorrectly. Most people when performing a squat will lean forward. This can be extremely dangerous on your knees and your lower back. When doing a proper squat, your feet should be about shoulder width apart. You should bend your knees until your butt is parallel to the ground (note: make sure all of your weight is in your heels, knees should never go past your toes!). Keep a natural arch in your back, head up, and don’t lift too heavy.

Pulldown

You will often see a pulldown being performed behind the neck. Although this can work the areas of the back from a different angle, it can be very dangerous, especially to your rotator cuff. The ideal way to do a pulldown is in front of your body. While seated, you should lean back slightly, use your hands as hooks to pull the bar down to your chest, and contract your shoulder blades together as you are at the bottom range of motion.

Leg Extensions

The leg extension is such a basic movement that it seems impossible to mess up. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The common mistake with leg extensions is (full extension) at the top range of motion. You never want your knees to be fully extended during an exercise because it leaves your knees in a very vulnerable position, setting you up for a meniscus tear. The proper technique for this exercise is to always have a slight bend in your knees at the top range of motion. This exercise is also a smooth exercise, not a jolting motion. If you have to jolt to get the weight up, you’re lifting more than you can handle.

These are just a few of the many exercises that I see improperly done at the gym on a weekly basis. Apply these new techniques to your workouts to decrease your chances of injury in the gym. If you see someone doing one of these exercises improperly and you think they may be at risk of injuring themselves, do them a favor and politely tell them. Not everyone will be grateful for this constructive criticism, but they only have themselves to blame if they injure themselves down the road due to improper technique.

If you are unsure about the proper technique of an exercise, send us a comment, and we would be more than happy to help.

-Tom