Form vs Weight

Too often when I visit a gym I witness things that scare me. Sometimes it’s watching people perform dangerous exercises and other times it’s watching them perform what could and should be a safe exercise. I see folks sacrificing form in an attempt to use more weight or perform some target number of reps. this leads to a question I’m often asked. What’s more important … how much weight I use or maintaining good form? My answer is always BOTH. You should use as much resistance as you can without sacrificing your form. If in doubt, use a bit less and work on improving your form.

Remember you’re not competing with anyone, and you shouldn’t be trying to impress anyone either. What I assume you are trying to accomplish is increasing your strength, improving your performance, appearance and or your health. Your mindset need not and should not be one of getting the rep at any cost because the cost may be more than you think.

Don’t fear working the muscle to momentary muscle failure; just remember to arrive there in good form. Contrary to the opinion of many, working to muscular failure (the point where you cannot complete another repetition in good form) is in no way dangerous. It is not necessary to train that hard all the time, and some people simply don’t want to push that hard. Others thrive on it. I tend to find myself somewhere in the middle.

There is one definite benefit of being willing and able work hard, and that is that you don’t as rule have to work out as long or as often. In a world where no one seems to have enough time, this is a big plus.