Form – Jenna Jamieson, Author

Less may be more…with reps!

By Jenna Jamieson | January 13, 2015 | Comments 0 Comment

I was finishing up my workout last night and began thinking about how many people choose to focus on the number of reps they do rather than the form of their rep. Proper form is very important, and I would go as far to say it is vital to a successful workout regime. I will use crunches as an example, but push-ups, squats, and lunges are other exercises that are also great examples of how using improper or incorrect form can hurt you rather than aid you in your fitness goals. So, let’s consider 100 crunches as your goal. You decide that 100 is a great, solid number and after several years of pushing yourself hard in the cardio room you feel it is time to work on your strength and core by doing crunches. You begin doing bicycle crunches where you rotate your legs inward and outward as you do your crunch (see the picture below if you are having a hard time visualizing what a bicycle crunch is). You get to 40 crunches easily, but after 40 you start getting tired yet you continue struggling and forcing yourself through the reps to get to 100. After pushing yourself through the reps you feel accomplished, but you also recognize that your muscles weren’t actually working at the end like they were at the beginning because you weren’t able to push your arms as close to your knees as you should have due to exhaustion. This is where bad form is actually hurting you because it is no longer working your muscles in the way that they should be working if you do the exercise in the correct form. My suggestion and advice is to remember not to do 100 crunches unless you can actually do 100 proper form crunches. If you cannot do 100 proper form crunches then it is better to do the number that you can do maintaining the correct form. If you can only do 40 proper form crunches then do 40 proper form crunches rather than 100 crunches with 60 crunches being in poor form. It is better to build yourself up over time by starting with the number of crunches you can do using proper form and adding increments of 10 reps over time.

My point is if you aren’t where you want to be yet, you soon will be and using the proper form to get there will be much better and will get you there faster than doing improper form because you are playing a “numbers game” in your head. Remember quality OVER quantity in your workout will help you see your results faster and maintain them over time.

Why is that? This is because you are using your muscles properly and efficiently, which allows them to be stretched and strengthened in ways that help condition them over time. In other words, the proper form is ensuring that you maximize your results. Thus, without the proper form, the muscles you are seeking to improve don’t get worked properly, the muscles become overly tired and lose the correct form, and you don’t make a lasting effect on the body muscles you are working.

So, with that, consider your FORM every single time you are doing crunches, squats, lunges, and push-ups so that you are doing the proper form and thus maximizing your results when you exercise. After all, if you aren’t using the correct form, the only person you are cheating is yourself because your results won’t be the results you want to see and feel.

~jj

Breathing, Form, & Rest Time

By Jenna Jamieson | October 16, 2013 | Comments 0 Comment

Today’s tip focuses on breathing, form, and rest time. Often times, people struggle with maintaining the stamina and energy to go for a long trail run or workout without getting too exhausted 10-15 minutes after starting. One thing that really helps me (and is a learned technique over time) is to maintain controlled breathing. In order to do this, you really need to find a steady rhythm and flow (which often takes time and patience to develop), but counting your breaths as you breath in and breath out can sometimes be helpful. Further, steady, controlled breathing while exercising will help you conserve energy and push you through your workout. This will help you gradually improve your stamina and energy over time, which in turn will allow you to go for longer runs, maintain higher intensity workouts, and make you feel less exhausted during your workouts. Be patient because finding your rhythm and flow for controlled breathing can be challenging when first starting out.

Next thing to think about is your form when you are doing exercises. Along with your breathing, stretching and increasing your flexibility will really help move you forward in your workouts. It helps warm up your body and prepare you for what is ahead without using too much energy too soon. Additionally, remember that while you may feel more successful when you do many reps of each exercise, if you are not using the correct form when doing exercises such as squats, push-ups, lunges, etc. then you are not only hurting yourself, but you aren’t utilizing your energy efficiently to obtain maximum results. In order to use the correct form, go at a slower pace if necessary and modify or adjust exercises to fit your level and lifestyle. For example, do “girl” push-ups at first if you need to and work your way up to doing a normal push-up. I like to remind myself that when exercising, “quality” of correct form, trumps “quantity” of reps per exercise. Eventually, once you master your quality it will become second nature and you can then begin quality and quantity at the same time during your workouts! 😉

My last part for today, is to remember that rest time throughout your workout and at the end of your workout are as important as your actual workout! It is very important to stay hydrated when exercising, so I always have a water bottle alongside me. In order to refrain from stopping frequently to take drinks and rests (which also means a break in your heart rate), I have timed, controlled breaks to maintain a steady pace for myself. For example, I might give myself five 30 second breaks during a 45 minute workout, but do whatever works best based on your fitness goals and lifestyle. During your 30 second rests, remember not to take big gulps of water when you rest as this can lead to heavy breathing, using more energy. Instead, take several small sips when you take your 30 second rests to conserve your energy and give you additional energy to continue. Lastly, a great way to help yourself ease into your post-workout is to have a post-workout routine. Rather than ending a long run with sitting on the couch to return your heart rate back to its normal rate, walk for 3 minutes or have a stretching routine. This is important because you don’t want to stop a workout with your heart racing, but rather you want to steadily bring it back down. For example, I do crunches and hand weights to slowly allow my body to return to normal. Happy exercising2behealthy! 🙂

~jj