If you are ever in need of a short 5 minutes of procrastination, type this month’s headline in to Google Images. Hilarious…. and you know why? Because, funny things are often those things to which we can relate. It’s that moment where, in your mind, you are gracefully placed on your yoga mat, demonstrating the perfect triangle in your downward-facing dog. You glance up to the mirror to discover that your back is hunched, your sleek yoga pants have slipped, rather cruelly, to expose your winter- wobbly midriff and, oh my… is one leg shorter than the other? The moment when you are pumped with your tunes, breaking in to a slight glow; you’re feeling pretty good having cracked all the mysteries of the cable machine…. only to be interrupted by some well-meaning (hideous) person, who tells you that, in actual fact, you are posing a major health and safety risk by positioning yourself between the cables. “Oh”.
But you know what? It’s not what you look like… thank goodness, because some of those yoga poses are not kind on the eyes. But it IS important to use correct form. Correct form is the difference between injury and gains. 25 press-ups using poor form is likely to lead to injury, eventually, if not now. You are enormously better off correcting your form, and only being able to do 1 or 2 press-ups using correct form. In fact, it is essential. Tuck your pride in your compression vest and go back to basics.
So, how do you know if you are performing exercises correctly? Well, you will need a mirror or a willing friend with a video camera, and a stick; a broom stick or brush with a pole about 1.5 metres, and a simple functional screen, such as the one I shall detail below. A functional screen is a simple test which will reveal the location of some of your weaknesses:
- Dress right… You need to be able to see your feet, knees, torso and arms. T-shirt & shorts are fine.
- Stand with your feet parallel between hip & shoulder length apart. Feet must be placed facing forward. Correct your feet if they should wander inwards or outwards.
- Take your stick and hold it on your head, so that your arms are making a 90 degree angle. Now push your arms up, until your elbows are fully extended.
- Squat a slow as you can, move slowly, keep your arms stretched up and your body upright. Do four repetitions.
Now score yourself.
Do your feet stay aligned?
If your feet turn outwards, it could mean you have tight external hip rotators. Look for stretches you can do to loosen these, such as a seated hip stretch.
Do your knees stay over your feet?
If your knees move inwards, the muscle on the outside of your hip (gluteus medius) may need to be strengthened. Exercises such as the single leg lunge can help.
Do your heels stay on the floor?
If your heels lift off the floor, you might have tight calf muscles. Look for exercises to loosen the soleus.
Do your hips reach parallel to the floor or lower?
If you cannot get the depth in your squat, there could be a range of muscles that are not reaching their potential. Counterbalance squats and bridging will help.
Do your arms stay overhead?
If your arms lean forward from your torso, then it is important for you to stretch the muscles of the chest. Look for exercises to stretch the scapula and latissimus dorsi muscle.
This basic functional screen is an indicator of muscles you might want to strengthen. It is not an in-depth analysis. What I hope to achieve is for you to be mindful of your form. Get your video function going, DO observe yourself in the mirror and analyse your form. Spend time correcting it. A word of warning; do not do this in a packed out gym, especially if you have a propensity for tight lycra and sweatbands. It will kill your social standing. BUT, done in privacy or in a quiet spot of the gym with a friend… it will change your game and your gain. Most importantly, it will help to safeguard against imbalance and injury.
