Good form and common mistakes

Why does good form matter?

Good form matters mainly because it lowers the chance of injury. Injuries in strength training mostly come from heavy, repetitive loads, awkward positions or incorrect technique, and extra care is needed for the shoulder, hip, knee and spine³. In fitness centres, the most common injuries are to the shoulders, then the elbows, knees and lower back. They are mainly linked to poor exercise choice, poor technique and overuse¹.

A well-designed strength programme that includes instruction in technique is safe for healthy older adults³. Two shoulder positions are described as high risk: presses behind the neck, and the end-range “high-five” position, with your upper arm out to the side at 90°, elbow bent at 90° and shoulder rotated fully outwards¹.

Breathing is part of good form too. Strength exercise raises blood pressure, and breathing normally rather than holding your breath dampens those rises in low- to moderate-intensity exercise³.

How to act on this:

• Check yourself. Use a mirror, or ask someone to watch you⁴.
• Stay in control. Keep movements controlled and breathe normally².
• Build up gradually, matching how much you do to your experience¹.
• Change what bothers you. If an exercise causes pain or discomfort in a muscle or joint, stop or change it rather than pushing through¹.

What are the most common exercise mistakes?

The most common mistakes are doing too much too soon, skipping the warm-up, holding your breath, swinging weights and training the same muscles again without rest. Each has a simple fix.

• Doing too much too soon. The general principle is “start low and go slow”: begin with activities you can manage and gradually increase how hard you work⁵. Raising how hard and how much you do in small steps avoids the abrupt jumps that raise injury risk¹.
• Skipping the warm-up. Before strength exercises, warm up for about five minutes with stretching and light aerobic exercise².
• Adding weight before the movement is right. Proper form should come before more load, speed or intensity³. When you're starting out you may only lift a few kilograms, and that's fine. Once you can easily do 12 repetitions with a weight, increase it gradually².
• Swinging or throwing weights. Control the weights at all times, without using momentum².
• Holding your breath. Breathe out on the harder part of the movement and in on the easier part².
• Not resting. Rest a muscle group for at least 24 hours before working it again, and don't train when you're over-tired or feeling ill².
• Two exercises to watch. Full squats push the knee past 90 degrees and can strain the knee and lower back, so half-squats (a 45-degree bend of the knee) are suggested instead. Sit-ups with your feet held by a partner, or with your legs straight along the floor, strain the lower back and tend to work the hip and thigh muscles rather than the abdomen, so abdominal curls are suggested instead⁴.

When is it worth having a professional check your form?

It's most worth it when you're starting strength training, aren't sure how to do an exercise, or have an injury or medical condition. Poor technique is a recognised cause of injury, and a gym instructor, coach, exercise physiologist or physiotherapist can teach you better technique⁴. Resistance training can be dangerous if your technique isn't right, so if you're unsure, ask a registered fitness professional, gym instructor or exercise physiologist². Other sources of help include your doctor, a qualified personal trainer and a physiotherapist².

Having a professional check how you do your exercises improves the quality of how you do them and reduces the risks of doing them badly⁶. For healthy adults aged 65 and over, including supervised sessions (two out of three sessions a week) in balance and strength programmes is recommended⁷. Supervision doesn't always add much, though: for long-lasting, non-specific low back pain, supervised exercise gave only slightly more improvement than exercise at home, and the difference was small⁸.

Supervised sessions can cost more and need fixed times, which may make them harder to keep up⁶. Think about what you can realistically stick with.

How to act on this:

• Ask a qualified instructor, exercise physiologist or physiotherapist to watch you do the exercises you plan to use, especially before you add heavier weights.
• Ask about qualifications before you book. Exercise physiologists are allied health professionals with a university degree⁹.

When to check with a health professional

If you're starting exercise after a long break, it's always a good idea to see your doctor first.

For an injury or a health condition, see a health professional, such as your doctor or a physio. They can advise on which exercises suit you.

A sore muscle or joint during or after exercise, or soreness a day or two later, is a sign to ease off. See a doctor or other health professional if it persists or gets worse. Feeling sick, sweaty or unwell, unexplained discomfort, or breathlessness or dizziness that doesn't settle are not things to ease off for. If they have settled, see a doctor soon. If unusual tiredness shows up, get it checked by a doctor.

Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure (or pain spreading to the arm, neck, jaw or back, especially with sweating or feeling sick), severe breathlessness, fainting or collapse, signs of a stroke, a serious injury, or someone who isn't safe.

If you take blood pressure medicines, a longer cool-down helps avoid dizzy spells after you stop. If you have heart disease and your doctor has cleared you for strength exercise, start with lighter resistance, progress slowly and keep to lower to moderate loads³.