Are you new to the gym? Are you eager to begin your workout regimen and make a long-term commitment to changing your body?
If this is the case, you must ensure that you proceed properly. A good approach and proper technique will be more important than lifting heavy weights.
Unfortunately, many people begin a workout session improperly, short-circuiting the results that they would have obtained.
Please spend some time learning the most common weight lifting mistakes that new lifters make and avoid them at all costs. In doing so, you will see the benefits of weight lifting. Continue reading to know more.
1. Yanking Your Head and Neck When Doing Crunches
Many people do crunches in the wrong way. They complain of neck pain for yanking the head and neck instead of lifting the torso by the abdominals’ power.
When doing crunches, avoid yanking your neck by placing your fingertips and thumbs behind your head. Also, don’t lace your fingers together.
Keep your elbows wide, and the shoulders relaxed. Determine whether the placement of your shoulders is correct by checking the elbow using the edges of your eyes. If you can’t see the elbows, then the placement is proper.
2. Too Much Leaning When Doing Squats
When squatting, allowing your knees to go past your toes exerts incredible pressure on the delicate tendons, ligaments, and cartilage that keep the knee in place.
Wrongly doing squats will pressure the knee, resulting in an injury. Avoid doing wrong squats by keeping your feet and hips apart. Then point your toes straight or curve them outward.
When squatting down, ensure your knees move in a straight line and the direction of your toes. Don’t squat too low in such a way that the thighs are lower and parallel to the ground.
When standing up, be sure to press through your heels and rise with your legs straight and relaxed.
3. Curving Your Back When Doing Bench Press
Some weight lifters may think that doing poundage that includes bending your back and squirming is proper exercise. However, the amount of weight you lift above your chest does not determine the strength of your chest muscles.
Arching your back improves your mechanical advantage at the same time increasing the risk of injury.
Instead, ensure you keep your back in contact with the bench throughout when doing a bench press. Make sure you do not arch your back to unusual positions.
4. Too Much Lowering of Arms When Doing Chest Exercises
If you lower your elbows too much while doing exercise, your chest muscles feel good. But in reality, your chest muscles and shoulder ligaments are at risk of snapping like a rubber band for being pulled too far.
Furthermore, pulling your arms too far can shove your humerus socket joint. In such a situation, nearby muscles, ligaments, and tendons twist themselves to an unusual position.
In such a case, you may not feel pain at the moment, but you may experience shoulder pain hours later due to injuries to your joint.
Ensure your arms and elbows are slightly above chest level when doing chest exercises to avoid such injuries.
5. Exercising With a Lat Pull-down Bar in the Wrong Way
Most people who exercise with a lat pull down always pull the bar straight down to their lap instead of the chest. Such an error puts your shoulder joints and muscles in danger.
Another common error is pulling the bar unevenly. Leaning downward when pulling the bar downward and staying upright when the bar moves upward is also a mistake. This means that you are using your body to generate momentum instead of your muscles.
These errors can also cause shoulders injuries.
Doing lat pulls correctly involves choosing the proper weight lifting techniques. Sit down while taking the bar. Then make sure your thighs are under the thigh bar.
Lean backward slightly while ensuring the lower back supports your abdominal muscles. Then pull the bar to the top of your chest while lifting the chest to meet the bar.
6. Sitting Too Quickly After Doing Bench Exercises
After doing exercises on the floor or a bench, ensure you do not jerk suddenly into a sitting position. Doing so will result in your blood pressure being impacted, resulting in a moment of dizziness.
If you experience dizziness while lifting heavy weights, you can lose control of your movement. This can result in injuries.
Avoid such situations by rolling to the side and using your arms to achieve a sitting position. You can also hug your knee on your chest to help you get up.
7. Raising Your Hips Away From the Support Pad When Performing Leg Curls
When individuals use the leg-curl machine, their hips raise off the support pads, and their buttocks stick out around 2″.
This mistake results to work being transferred from the hamstrings to the hips muscles. Thus, the hamstrings don’t become stronger.
Avoid this mistake by raising your upper thighs a few inches above the pad. Then you can bend your knees for a quick upward lift.
Avoid the Above Weight Lifting Mistakes
Weight lifting will only give the intended results if done correctly. However, without the proper guidance, you may injure your muscles because you’ll make weight lifting mistakes. If you are new to the gym, you should consider joining a fitness facility to find a personal trainer.
At Dynamic Fitness, we offer a gym that goes above and beyond friendliness, cleanliness, and equipment. A gym with all amenities you could want in one location.
Join us today to start a new journey of a healthy lifestyle.
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