# Good form and common mistakes > Good form mainly lowers your chance of injury. The common mistakes are doing too much too soon, skipping the warm-up, holding your breath, swinging weights and not resting. Get the movement right with light weights first, and ask a qualified professional to watch you if you're new to strength training or unsure. - Type: Guide - Topic: Getting Moving › Technique & Injury Prevention - Reviewed by: Andrew Schox, BSc(Hons) PGradDipPod MPod, Podiatrist (2026-10-21) - URL: https://twikka.com/learn/good-form-and-common-mistakes - Updated: 2026-10-21 - **Good form mainly lowers the chance of injury:** in strength training, injuries are mainly linked to poor technique, poor exercise choice and overuse [1]. - **The usual mistakes are simple to fix:** doing too much too soon, skipping the warm-up, holding your breath, swinging weights and not resting [2]. - **Form comes before more weight or speed:** get the movement right first, then build up [3]. - **A qualified professional can teach better technique** if you're new to strength training or unsure about an exercise [4]. - **If an exercise causes discomfort in a muscle or joint, change it:** swap it for another with the same goal, or change how you do it [1]. ## 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 spine [3]. 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 overuse [1]. A well-designed strength programme that includes instruction in technique is safe for healthy older adults [3]. 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 outwards [1]. 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 exercise [3]. How to act on this: - **Check yourself.** Use a mirror, or ask someone to watch you [4]. - **Stay in control.** Keep movements controlled and breathe normally [2]. - **Build up gradually,** matching how much you do to your experience [1]. - **Change what bothers you.** If an exercise causes pain or discomfort in a muscle or joint, stop or change it rather than pushing through [1]. ## 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 work [5]. Raising how hard and how much you do in small steps avoids the abrupt jumps that raise injury risk [1]. - **Skipping the warm-up.** Before strength exercises, warm up for about five minutes with stretching and light aerobic exercise [2]. - **Adding weight before the movement is right.** Proper form should come before more load, speed or intensity [3]. 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 gradually [2]. - **Swinging or throwing weights.** Control the weights at all times, without using momentum [2]. - **Holding your breath.** Breathe out on the harder part of the movement and in on the easier part [2]. - **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 ill [2]. - **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 instead [4]. > **Try this:** At your next strength session, warm up for about five minutes, then do each exercise slowly with a light weight while you watch yourself in a mirror. Breathe out on the effort. ## 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 technique [4]. 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 physiologist [2]. Other sources of help include your doctor, a qualified personal trainer and a physiotherapist [2]. Having a professional check how you do your exercises improves the quality of how you do them and reduces the risks of doing them badly [6]. For healthy adults aged 65 and over, including supervised sessions (two out of three sessions a week) in balance and strength programmes is recommended [7]. 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 small [8]. Supervised sessions can cost more and need fixed times, which may make them harder to keep up [6]. 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 degree [9]. ## 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 loads [3]. ## Quick answers ### Is it normal to feel sore after exercise? Yes. Muscle soreness that comes on a day or so after new or harder exercise, and fades over a few days (rarely more than five), is normal. Exercise doesn't have to hurt to work: soreness isn't needed for progress, so there's no need to aim for it or push harder to get it. ### What should I do if I've been injured before? Tell any instructor about earlier injuries or medical conditions before you start, so exercises that don't suit you can be changed or swapped for others with the same goal. Whether an exercise is safe depends on the technique used and on your own situation, including injury history and fitness level. ## Sources 1. Bonilla DA et al. (2022). Exercise Selection and Common Injuries in Fitness Centers: A Systematic Integrative Review and Practical Recommendations. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912710 2. Better Health Channel. Resistance training – preventing injury. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/HealthyLiving/resistance-training-preventing-injury 3. Fragala MS et al. (2019). Resistance Training for Older Adults: Position Statement From the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003230 4. Better Health Channel. Exercise safety. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/HealthyLiving/exercise-safety 5. My Health London (NHS). Exercise safely with CVD. https://www.myhealthlondon.nhs.uk/be-healthier/move-more/exercise-safely-with-cvd/ 6. Collado-Mateo D et al. (2021). Key Factors Associated with Adherence to Physical Exercise in Patients with Chronic Diseases and Older Adults: An Umbrella Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18042023 7. Lacroix A et al. (2017). Effects of Supervised vs. Unsupervised Training Programs on Balance and Muscle Strength in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0747-6 8. Matarán-Peñarrocha GA et al. (2020). Comparison of efficacy of a supervised versus non-supervised physical therapy exercise program on the pain, functionality and quality of life of patients with non-specific chronic low-back pain: a randomized controlled trial. Clinical Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269215520927076 9. Healthdirect Australia. Exercise physiologists. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/exercise-physiologist --- Source: Twikka (https://twikka.com/learn/good-form-and-common-mistakes). General information about physical activity, not medical advice.