Thursday, November 10, 2011

Muscle versus Momentum

This concept crosses my mind almost daily, especially if I am in the middle of a workout...I find myself often looking around the gym to try to see what others are doing, possibly learn new ideas, but often trying to figure out what is being done incorrectly, what can be done to fix it, or how I would alter the exercise. Call me crazy but I guess it's the student/new trainer in me. Anyway, I'm not trying to point fingers or single anybody out, but when it comes to muscle versus momentum (meaning you are using MOMENTUM instead of your MUSCLE to complete the exercise), it is most often seen in males....at least from my observation. It can typically be seen by the person that is trying to bench press, squat, curl, just to name a few, an excessive amount of weight, because they feel it is more beneficial or maybe they are trying to prove something...However, they incorporate momentum/speed into the equation, in addition to compromising form which leads to ZERO benefits and risking injury. So with that being said I advise everyone to slow down, it should take approximately 6 seconds total for a rep (approx 3 sec on the lifting and 3 sec on the lowering), go for a lower weight for whatever exercise you are attempting and really focus on proper form and contracting the muscle you are working when you are lifting...Follow those guidelines and you will see results so much quicker!

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