How to perform PERFECT REPS and spare your joints!

Welcome to this week’s newsletter!

Today we are going to dive into HOW to perform your reps for safety and longevity with your resistance training programs.

This is an important topic for me personally, as the truth of the matter is we can massively reduce joint wear and tear by altering how we execute ANY exercise.

There’s some key components that go into safe exercise form and these are:

• Setting the exercise up correctly (for YOU)

• Working through the safest range of motion (for YOU)

• Using a controlled tempo and rep speed

• being INTENTIONAL throughout the exercise

• Knowing when to finish each set safely

Let’s break all of these down….

Correct exercise set up…

It doesn’t matter whether you are using a seated leg press or performing a free weight exercise like a back squat.

How you set yourself up is vital…

When using any machine make sure you adjust the seat height or anything that is adjustable to your specific dimensions so that you feel comfortable before you start.

If it’s a free weight exercise ensure the bench, the rack, safety bars (if needed) and everything else is set up appropriately and safely for you.

It’s also worth thinking about specific body positions such as foot placement for lower body exercises, and head and spine positions for upper body exercises for example.

Take the time to get this right BEFORE you start your first set…

Below is an exercise video for the leg curl to demonstrate the set up and things we need to be thinking about when performing this exercise.

Working through the safest range of motion…

What is a safe working range of motion??

It means that you move through an exercise without exceeding the limitations in how your body moves.

For example, barbell squatting to a depth that allows you to maintain a neutral spine throughout.

On the flip side an example is bringing the dumbbells down too low during a chest press and exceeding your active shoulder range of motion.

Essentially you are FORCING yourself to get into a position under load which is not good for your joints.

In many ways this also ties in with set up, as the set up can ensure you work through a safe range of motion specific to you.

Watch the DB chest press exercise video below to illustrate how to determine this for you.

And give you some food for thought in general…

Using a SLOW and CONTROLLED rep speed…

Nothing increases unnecessary joint forces than fast, bouncy and sloppy reps will…

Yes it can be humbling to have to lower the weight as you slow your speed down, but your joints will thank you in the long term.

AND you will soon build your strength back up I assure you, with better form!

Use tempos such as 3-4 seconds down and 2 seconds on the way up.

Focus on and squeeze the working muscles too, and now you are placing the tension in the right places.

More on your muscles and less on your joints!

Be INTENTIONAL!

This ties in with the above as a slower and more controlled rep speed will help you be more intentional.

Think about the muscles you are working - ZONE IN on these with every rep.

Be especially mindful about how you transition out of the bottom position too.

Stay engaged and don’t bounce out of the bottom as this is where joint forces are at their highest.

Try to lock the rest of your body in place so nothing else moves too.

For example, when you perform a DB press, FIRMLY plant your feet, keep your spine and rib cage still and only move from the shoulders and elbows.

Movement or instability elsewhere leaks energy and takes it away from the muscles you are trying to focus on.

How to finish each set SAFELY…

By all means work hard and push yourself as it is necessary to making progress.

BUT it can be a fine line between this and grinding out sloppy reps when you’re extremely fatigued.

Leaving at least one rep in reserve can help mitigate this problem.

For the record, one rep in reserve means ending the set with one more rep in you before complete failure.

I would argue that with exercises like deadlifts and back squats, 2 reps in reserve may be more advisable simply as the spine is under load.

A lot of research indicates that we don’t have to train to complete failure to make progress, so hopefully that puts your mind (and body) at ease!

The exercise videos above also talk about ending the set safely so watch them through to give you more of an idea.

So to wrap up…

Proper exercise set up and execution has a huge impact on longevity, injury prevention and training results too!

If you want to know more about how I can help you set up an exercise program that is suitable for you, or if you are potentially interested in coaching.

Please feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn, or email me on [email protected].

For now thanks for reading today, and stay tuned for the next edition of Train For Life next Saturday!

Daryl