Swinging in the gym...!
No, this isn't a new method of speed dating in the gym! We're talking about the guys who train with the most ridiculously poor form just because they want to get a few more reps done than the guy next to them.
One of the most common mistakes exercisers make during strength training is to use momentum. Momentum in everyday movements is completely normal as it is the body's way of conserving energy, but during strength training it is counterproductive as it decreases the work the muscle actually does and hence decreases the effectiveness of the exercise itself. It can also be dangerous by causing unnecessary overloading to the joints.
When momentum is used in training the exerciser may even appear to be bouncing or swaying. Using Newton's law of acceleration, momentum gains strength with each repetition of the exercise. The exercise becomes faster, the muscle works less, and the joints and spine work more because the exerciser is using momentum rather than forcing the muscle to do the work. The more weight being lifted and the faster the movement, the greater the risks caused by the use of momentum.
By applying these 4 training principles you will be able to stop the use of momentum and maximise the use of the muscle!
- POSITION - ensure correct joint and spine position before starting the exercise
- DISCRETE MOVEMENT - ensure the exercise has a definite start, middle and end (the end should be the same as the start!). This reduces the swinging through one rep to the next.
- PEAK CONTRACTION - a peak contraction is an isometric (muscle contraction with no movement) contraction at the mid point of an rep. This recruits additional motor units and increases the force generation.
- VELOCITY OF CONTRACTION - is the speed at which the movement is performed. By controlling the speed, momentum will be eliminated and will force the muscles to do the work.
Common exercises you see people using momentum to assists are :
leg extensions, back extension, tricep push-downs, bicep curls, tricep dips, seated rows
So now that we've got that sorted, what about this speed dating?
