Read exercise instructions, watch movement videos, yet When I’m running it myself, I feel something is wrong. Maybe your back feels funky or your arms are tired. core Either it looks suspiciously fresh, or the movement looks too clunky. Whatever is going on, something is wrong.
Suddenly you may feel ready to shelve certain exercises when you hear a simple phrase that changes everything. Visualizing your body moving in a certain way or doing a certain thing makes it all fit together. You’ll feel the right muscles working, the pain gone, and you’ll feel ready to repeat the entire set on your own.
These cues are gold training because they help you work towards proper form in a way that is easy for you to understand, imagine and visualize yourself. Not only is it important to make your workouts safer, but it’s also important for maximizing the effectiveness of your workouts.
“Form is key to activating the right muscles at the right time,” says a physical therapist. Kellen Scantlebury, DPT, CSCS,Founder fit club NY Say to SELF. for example, good form in deadlift gluteus maximus, back, and hamstrings— and reap the full benefits of this exercise.
Mastering good form can be difficult. That’s why many of his top trainers have developed their own exercise cues and visualization tips to help you understand your form. Exercise cues may sound like simple phrases, but they help you understand what to feel in your body, where to focus your energy, which muscles to use, and so on. It can make a big difference in how a movement is executed. Fired.
We asked Scantlebury and 10 other top trainers for cues on the best exercises they use with their clients to really help them nail their form in some of the most common and basic exercises. Read on for their favorite visualization cues and how incorporating them can help you avoid the most common form mistakes that can ruin your favorite moves.
1. Running
error: Stare at the ground as you walk.
What to visualize: An image of you holding a baseball in the space between your chin and collarbone.
Especially for new runners, it’s very common to look at the ground as you stride “as a way to feel safe in a new activity.” Kyra Dellenzo, CPT, and a certified run coach tells SELF. “It’s also common for people to stare at the numbers on the screen. treadmill.” but good running form You should keep your chin parallel to the ground to reduce the potential for neck strain and upper back pain and to keep oxygen flow even, says DeRienzo. You can imagine that your neck and head are in the correct position.
