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Bad form thread

Oldschool

Oldschool

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Get Shredded!
List and discuss the bad form that you see in the gym.
Not intended to be a bitch fest but an informational thread to bring bad habits and how to fix them to the masses.
 
One of the most obvious and common I see is people cheating on pullups. Sure you are pulling your shoulder height above the bar, but in order to get there you did some wild jerk and swing on the way up to create momentum. See it all the time.
 
I always see guys doing db curls but throwing their weights up with like a weird pelvic thrust instead of bringing them up in a controlled way.
 
Leaning back when doing biceps curls is common.

Leaning back when doing a pulldown (making it a row lol) is common.

Not working full range is common (unless the person is specifically looking to do partial reps for a reason).

Leaning forward too far when doing deadlifts. Same with squats.

Going to fast and using momentum when doing their reps.

Keep in mind, all these things gym members do to make it easier. It is what the body does...find the easiest way to get the job done. Unfortunately, it is a common cause for injury. And doesn't put the stimulus on the desired muscle.
 
This will require more bandwidth.
 
CoachCabo said:
This will require more bandwidth.
Click to expand...

Haha.

The partial rep thing is an epidemic! I even see 1/4 reps now all the time.....pathetic
 
REHH said:
Haha.

The partial rep thing is an epidemic! I even see 1/4 reps now all the time.....pathetic
Click to expand...
Wait, aren't 21s partial reps?

Seriously though, who can say when is the last time anyone you saw go rock bottom on the leg press (more aptly named "calf press") ?
 
The whole 1/4 rep squat with 3x more weight then the person could possibly handle kills me. If they would just lower the weight and do a real squat they'd actually see some changes in their legs.

One of the things I see a lot as well is the complete lack of control over the eccentric half of the movement. I see this across almost all exercises, especially with inexperienced lifters and especially the young kids. The most common exercises I see it in are cable pulldown/rows and chest presses.

Also on the tune of back work, people pull the weight way too fast with cables, effectively removing 1/2 the weight after the initial jerk. Then they go much heavier than they can really do and don't get as much out of it
 
REHH said:
Haha.

The partial rep thing is an epidemic! I even see 1/4 reps now all the time.....pathetic
Click to expand...

Yeah. See guys benching this way a lot. Rows too. Unless you are doing it to work around an injury or specifically to train using much heavier weight therefore shocking the muscle...no reason for it.

I look at how far there elbows are moving during the rep range. Maybe three or four inches tops. SMH
 
One that I just saw today that made me cringe was a guy doing seated cable rows using way too much weight and leaning way too far back at the top of the movement. He basically turned a seated cable row into a trap shrug. :wits:
 
IML Gear Cream!
Got my two boys (13 and 14 ) starting up training and from day one been drilling into there heads is good form, and that good habits once developed are just as hard to break as bad ones
 
CoachCabo said:
Wait, aren't 21s partial reps?

Seriously though, who can say when is the last time anyone you saw go rock bottom on the leg press (more aptly named "calf press") ?
Click to expand...

Today, when I did them, bitch.

...but the gal that was doing the quickie circuit machines behind me was doing this hilarious 6-inch bounce on the inner thigh machine, super fast with like 40 lbs. ridiculous.
 
Barbell rows by far. Guys loading up 315 and jerking with their whole body, probably getting a hell of an ab working though. If they lowered it to 225 or even 185 they would probably do their back a lot more justice.

I was guilty of it as well.



Also another I see that isn't so much form but getting the weights into place is on DB shoulder press. Rather than asking for some assistance they rather go at it alone and risk injury.
 
I dont even bother anymore. Most people dont know what they are doing in the gym. its that simple. I like the guys with full blown bacne wearing a weight belt to stretch.. or to do single arm tris with cables. They hold a special place in my heart.
 
Skinnyguy180 said:
I dont even bother anymore. Most people dont know what they are doing in the gym. its that simple. I like the guys with full blown bacne wearing a weight belt to stretch.. or to do single arm tris with cables. They hold a special place in my heart.
Click to expand...

I feel so bad for the people predisposed to acne that I can't even be mad at them. I've never had an issue with it so I can't relate but I assume that is probably the worst side effect due to AAS. It seems like you're fucked regardless.. Try and cover it up = sweat more = more acne. Don't cover it up and rub all over equipment with it and people hate you. Take more showers and it fucks with your skin even further. Use treatments such as acutane and a good majority that use it say the side effects aren't even worth the benefit.

I thank the skin gods often. And I know what you meant, but I wanted to express my sympathy for those with it
 
Intense said:
I feel so bad for the people predisposed to acne that I can't even be mad at them. I've never had an issue with it so I can't relate but I assume that is probably the worst side effect due to AAS. It seems like you're fucked regardless.. Try and cover it up = sweat more = more acne. Don't cover it up and rub all over equipment with it and people hate you. Take more showers and it fucks with your skin even further. Use treatments such as acutane and a good majority that use it say the side effects aren't even worth the benefit.

I thank the skin gods often. And I know what you meant, but I wanted to express my sympathy for those with it
Click to expand...

I did not make it to today with out having to go through accutane.. But when I had it I did not wear stringers... Honestly this is one particular guy that Just kills me. He is clearly geared up and always wearing the same Stringer tank(days in a row), with board shorts skinny bowlegs and a weight belt. And honestly I have never seen him do an exercise that calls for a weight belt.. I rarely see him do anything but stretch.
 
Intense said:
I feel so bad for the people predisposed to acne that I can't even be mad at them. I've never had an issue with it so I can't relate but I assume that is probably the worst side effect due to AAS. It seems like you're fucked regardless.. Try and cover it up = sweat more = more acne. Don't cover it up and rub all over equipment with it and people hate you. Take more showers and it fucks with your skin even further. Use treatments such as acutane and a good majority that use it say the side effects aren't even worth the benefit.

I thank the skin gods often. And I know what you meant, but I wanted to express my sympathy for those with it
Click to expand...

I don't have terrible bacne...but I do get a few here and there.

I beg my gf to pop them and she does.

Hurts like a mfucker.
 
Intense said:
Barbell rows by far. Guys loading up 315 and jerking with their whole body, probably getting a hell of an ab working though. If they lowered it to 225 or even 185 they would probably do their back a lot more justice.
Click to expand...

I literally just watched some kids do this today. I happened to notice it because of your comment on here haha. Bent over about 3" and jerking it up then letting it fall with almost no control
 
Get Shredded!
For whatever reason, watching people do Hack Squats pisses me off.

So here's the scenario 95% of the time.

Whoever it is, warms up. Feet in a good position. Decent depth.

Weight added.

Feet move up a little on the platform. Decent depth.

Weight added.

Feet move up a little on the platform. Not great depth.

Weight added.

Feet move up MORE on the platform. Awful depth.

If you are moving your feet up on the platform while doing hacks, Stop. They are supposed to be lower on the deck gdi. If it hurts your knees, use less weight or don't do them.
 
I did see this the other day it was a first for me. Someone was doing a normal deadlift decent weight but every time he would get to the lockout he would take a half step back and hold the whieght as long as he could then he would drop it. I'm not sure it was bad form but a great way to tear something in his knee or back imo.
 
^^^^^
Was he doing an isometric contraction at the top of the movement?
 
I believe he was moving around way to much to be doing that. It was like a shoulder shrug tap dance movement
But who knows maybe he was attempting to but it sure looked and sounded painful.
 
Lots of good posts here, we tend to see these kinds of things.

Does anyone ever feel inclined to comment or give advice? Hate to see ppl hurt themselves especially if they have good intentions.

However, I am reluctant bc unsolicited advise often backfires...ego gets involved and it is taken personally as an attack. So instead I usually don't say anything.
 
I never give advice, unless it’s an obvious newbie. I hate people that give unwarranted advice especially when they look like shit. However when I got out of high school, I was given advice by this jacked Kevin Hart look alike that I’m grateful for. Dude showed me that proper form yields way better results than “ego” liftin’. Also I quit doing deadlifts because I couldn’t stop rounding my back. Got advice about deadlift form that I’m thankful for, also deadlift rep range. You don’t have to rep out with deadlifts apparently. I guess what I’m saying is everyone had to start somewhere and I’m grateful dudes went out of there way to correct me, I don’t usually because some dudes get all sorts of pissy when it comes to constructive criticism. Gym arguments are as weird as internet fights.
 
There are some people out there that love giving bad advice and there are some people that offer great advice. It’s a crapshoot really. I gotta get better at explaining myself. I seem to be writing Stephen King novels every post. Damn.
 
Augustine5I said:
Lots of good posts here, we tend to see these kinds of things.

Does anyone ever feel inclined to comment or give advice? Hate to see ppl hurt themselves especially if they have good intentions.

However, I am reluctant bc unsolicited advise often backfires...ego gets involved and it is taken personally as an attack. So instead I usually don't say anything.
Click to expand...

I've been tempted a few times when it's someone who's obviously new and what they're doing is likely to cause them injury, but usually in those cases it's a dude, and I feel like most dudes wouldn't appreciate being given unsolicited weightlifting tips from a woman. The chicks I see with bad form usually aren't lifting enough weight to hurt themselves with it, so I figure they're not actually serious about any of it to begin with.¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
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