Failing to keep form
When you're biggin' up at the gym, pushing yourself to the limits as you pump out rep after rep, it's very easy to inadvertently break form. This is especially true when you approach the end of your set, says a report from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, stating that giving it all you've got sometimes involves a little twisting and turning. According to the report, men and women contort, cheat, and swing their bodies with the greatest frequency when trying to squeeze out their last few reps.
Training to complete failure is not always the best idea. Some swear by it, while others (including researchers) claim that it sometimes does more harm than good. Sticking to strict form and working to the point of technical failure (which differs from complete failure, in that it refers to the point when an exercise can no longer be performed with proper form) is almost universally accepted as the safest and most effective way to train.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-17-2008 @ 5:57PM
Vishaal said...
Hey Chris
I'm having a hard time at the gym with weights. I thought I was not able to lift a slightly heavier load even though I've been on the same weight for a long time. However, I realized that my wrists are extremely weak. My wrists hurt whenever I do pushups, lat pulls, deadlifts, or I carry heavy free weights. They are really light as well, for example, when I carry 20 lb dumbells, my wrists hurt. What can I do to strengthen them? It's holding me back. Also, I didn't want to wrap my wrists either because I read that is bad and doesn't allow your wrists to strengthen naturally.
Reply
7-18-2008 @ 1:28PM
Unknown said...
Vishaal,
My first suggestion would be to talk with your doctor. He or she might recommend that you see a specialist. I'm always a bit hesitant to dispense advice on injury rehabilitation, as I'm really not qualified to do so. That said, if your weak wrists are not so much a result of injury, I do have a few suggestions that may help.
First of all, there's a chance it's not your wrists that are weak; it could be your grip/forearm strength. To help remedy this (if this is truly what is causing the problem, that is), try adding wrist curls, reverse curls, and even squeezing a squash ball to your workout. Another easy way to build grip strength is to layer a few pieces of newspaper on top of one another and then, using one hand at a time, crumple up the papers into as much of a ball as you can.
Backing up again, however, I still think it may be worth first talking with your doctor about.
Hope this helps.
7-17-2008 @ 5:57PM
Vishaal said...
Hey Chris
I'm having a hard time at the gym with weights. I thought I was not able to lift a slightly heavier load even though I've been on the same weight for a long time. However, I realized that my wrists are extremely weak. My wrists hurt whenever I do pushups, lat pulls, deadlifts, or I carry heavy free weights. They are really light as well, for example, when I carry 20 lb dumbells, my wrists hurt. What can I do to strengthen them? It's holding me back. Also, I didn't want to wrap my wrists either because I read that is bad and doesn't allow your wrists to strengthen naturally.
Reply