3 Exercises People Usually Do Wrong — And How to Correct Them
Getting your body in shape needs a lot of dedication and willpower to stick to your training schedule. It takes a lot of effort to make that positive change in life and working towards your fitness goals. You will come across a lot of people who choose certain workouts blindly without feeling the need to seek guidance or advice from an expert. Many such people end up performing the most popular and common exercises incorrectly. This can prove to be harmful as it can cause an injury by doing so over the years. Read on to make sure that you are working out the right way with the right technique:
1- Squats
This is the most common workout of all. If done the correct way, a squat can tax a number of muscles, help build up the muscles in your leg area, and also improve your body posture.
What goes wrong-
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Going only half or a quarter way down
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Knees slumping in
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Working on your toes
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Back rounding up
These mistakes not only make you put in extra strength but also put you at a great risk of injury.
How to fix this:
The right way to squat is by adopting a stance which should be slightly wider than your shoulder width. Your toes should be pointing out at or about 45° with your chest upwards and shoulders arched towards the back. Once you have achieved this position you need to bring your arms together right in front of your stomach area. Keep your arms straight, bend your knees and hips. You will find your knees being pushed outwards while keeping your back straight. This is the right way to do a squat. Keep your weight on the heels and push with your hips while you get up.
2- Push-ups
Push-ups have a lot of variations since they can be close gripped, wider, performed on the fists or with the feet elevated, by clapping in between repetitions or with one hand. Let’s focus on the most basic push-up form which is done with the hands slightly outside the shoulder width and the feet placed on the ground.
What goes wrong-
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Spreading the elbows far out until it is perpendicular to your body
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Going halfway down
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Only bending the hips instead of moving the body
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Bending the forehead so it reaches the ground first
Doing it the wrong way can keep you away from the benefits and can also dangerously lead you to a shoulder joint damage.
Plant your feet together while standing on your heels and place your palms a little wider than the shoulder width. When you rise upwards, make sure only your heels and palms are touching the ground. The back needs to be straight and your body should move up and down only with the help of your arms. Now go down slowly till your chest touches the ground and push up till your arms are locked out. Repeat this process.
3- Sit-ups
This is another simple and basic exercise which is often performed incorrectly.
What goes wrong-
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Pushing the head too forward
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Pulling the chin towards the chest
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Placing the hands on the back of the neck and pulling it
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Just rocking back and forth by going too fast
Keep your knees up along with your feet firmly on the floor as you lie on it. Point your fingers towards the temples and flare your elbows outwards or have your arms crossed on your chest. Start moving like performing a crunch but lift your body upwards from the hips till you are around 60°-70° from the floor. Make sure you keep your lower back straight while doing this. Then lower yourself slowly towards the ground.
So, these are a few common exercises that can benefit you a lot if done in the right way. Exercising and eating right is the key to a fit body.
