Form Check

One of our Sydney based instructors Milo - @crotontraining - regularly shares some knowledge via podcast. We have the pleasure of it in text for you to read and absorb.

When I say the word ‘form’, I am referring to the execution of an exercise. Good form would be the most effective way of performing a movement to get the desired result, while bad form might place emphasis on body structures in a way that is ineffective or potentially puts the trainer at risk of injury.

I mentioned in an earlier podcast (connect with me on instagram for more) that push-ups are an exercise that I see performed with poor form regularly. Common form mistakes in the push-up include bending at the hips, or letting the hips drop, or letting the elbows flare out. Another mistake that people make in the push-up is limiting their range of motion by not fully extending the elbows at the top or stopping short of 90 degrees at the elbow at the bottom. These form mistakes seriously limit how much a trainer will get out of the exercise. With regards to range of motion, only practising the middle phase of push-ups will leave the trainer weak in their end ranges- which is a big problem if you eventually want to learn how to handstand or planche.

I believe that most of the people that I see performing inadequate push-ups do it simply because they don’t know what good form is, or because they don’t realise that they are breaking form because of a lack of body awareness. The most obvious fix for this is to have a coach instruct execution of the exercise and then have them check your form. If this is infeasible then filming yourself from side on and from the front will give the trainer some feedback.

If form is failing in an exercise simply because the exercise is too difficult then the exercise should be regressed. With push-ups this would mean going back to incline push-ups until enough strength has been built to perform full push-ups cleanly.

Every exercise should be done with awareness of form, but here are some other form breaks I often have to train people out of in particular: Heels lifting off the ground or flexing of the back in squats, or one or both knees dipping in. Arching of the back in leg raises, hiking up of the hips in planks, keeping scapula protracted in rows and kipping in pull-ups. Pull-ups and squats are also examples where people often neglect to use full range of motion.

Form for an exercise can vary to suit the desired goal. Continuing with the same example as earlier, performing push-ups with upper arms at 45 degrees to the body in the bottom position, where shoulder blades are retracted, and then protracted (or abducted) as the top of the movement is reached, is excellent form for general strength and hypertrophy of the shoulders, triceps and chest. If, however, push-ups are being used as an accessory exercise in a planche program, the body will be kept in a hollow position with maximum shoulder protraction throughout the movement and hands placed closer to the body and further down towards the hips. By approximating the planche position this will be taxing to many of the muscles used in a planche hold including the serratus anterior, shoulders and upper abdominal muscles.

If you need help with training hit me up on instagram @crotontraining. Thanks for listening, I have been Milo, this has been Calisthenics Podcast.