Quality, THEN Quantity: The Importance of Establishing Proper Movement Before Adding Reps or Weight

What is my #1 goal as a personal trainer? Get people moving and moving WELL! I know not everyone is chasing a massive squat or looking to gain 20 lbs of muscle; sometimes a workout is a mental release, a way to get moving, or serving another equally important purpose. Regardless of your reason and drive for working out, focusing on PURPOSEFUL, PROPER, and SAFE movement is important!

I am sick of clients telling me they used to do CrossFit and then got hurt- who decided cleans were a good idea before having a solid foundation on a squat or deadlift? Even a body weight squat, if done poorly can put unnecessary strain on joints or re-aggravate pre-existing injuries, which nobody wants! I am not advocating for weight lifting here, although I'd literally recommend it to everyone. I am here to bring awareness to the fact that weight lifting- properly- is NOT what causes injury or joint damage. What causes injury are poor movement patterns caused by years of exercise without correcting them, bad trainers reinforcing them, and adding weight before solidifying foundational movements. Some of you that don't lift weights may be thinking, "why does this matter if my workouts are all body weight?" Well, we work out to feel better, right? Why allow for preventable injuries to get in the way of that??!

So how do we make sure were are keeping our bodies safe before loading up the bar or racing into a high intensity group fitness class? Here are a few strategies and tips to help you build a solid foundation in your exercise and truly build a stronger, healthier YOU!

-Film yourself doing exercises- this is step 1 so you can track your progress and compare your movements to the proper ones

-Refer to high-quality training certification libraries (most certifications post them for free! Check NASM or ACE), credible online trainers, or YouTube demos for tips on how to properly perform an exercise- these videos/demos can be used to check your form if you are unsure about an adjust that can be made

-Ask a trainer that you trust in your gym to watch you during the exercise and provide feedback- all trainers will have different styles, so choose wisely

Obviously in all these scenarios, different trainers and certification organizations will have different methods and practices of the "correct" way to move. When attempting to sift through all the information online about how to perform certain exercises and deciding which trainer or YouTuber is the most credible, my advice is not to focus too much on certifications and focus on HOW they are teaching. Certifications, experience, and teaching methods are important AND there are still plenty of bad trainers out there who have more certifications than you care to count. SO, look for these key points and implement these into your practice of movement to stay SAFE and MOBILE!

-Use your core to brace EVERY movement and keep your spine in a neutral position- both arching your back and hunching your shoulders can cause spinal injuries and will develop improper movement patterns over time

-In any lower body movement (squat, lunge, deadlift) keep your knees OVER your toes- allowing knees to bow-out or cave-in will cause unnecessary strain on your knees, hips, and ankles (yes knees affect the other parts of your legs) and can lead to injury

-Keep your feet ROOTED to the floor- your feet are the bolts grounding you in EVERY lift and movement, so foot and ankle stability is essential! Just because you don't lift things with your feet, doesn't mean you can forget about them!

I hope this helps somebody get better today and FEEL better in their exercise and movement! See ya next week!