This is part two of the series where I will look at another six exercises that I see performed incorrectly on a regular basis.
If you are serious about building muscle or improving your body shape, technique and exercise execution is your first stop.

If you don’t know how to perform exercises by contracting the right muscles, how do you expect them to grow?
If you can’t contract your glutes, how are they going to grow?
If you want bigger biceps but don’t use them during bicep exercises how can they grow?

If you missed part one, you can read it here; https://www.mcfuturefitness.com/common-mistakes-corrections-in-exercises/

In part one we covered;

Below is a list of the articles which will covered in this article;

• Bent Over Row
• Leg Press
• Leg Curls
• DB Curls
• DB Shoulder Press
• Glute Kickbacks

Bent Over Row

BENT OVER ROW – Common mistakes & corrections

MISTAKES
– Using too much weight
– Back rounded
– Swinging
– Using momentum
– Pulling upwards in a jerking motion
– Putting excessive pressure on the lower back.
– No control or use of the scapula

CORRECTIONS
– Chest up, spine neutral
– Push the hips back
– Pull back towards your hip
– Initiate using the scapula.
– Use the right amount of weight
– Don’t worry about what weight Timmy next you is swinging up & down.

CUES
– Before starting the lift, create tension in your hamstrings. Push the hips back and get a stretch in your hamstrings.
– Tighten your lats. Think of screwing your elbow into your side and imagine squeezing an orange in your armpits.
– Pinch the shoulder blades back and down.
– Keep your whole body still and pull the bar to your belly button, pulling through the elbows.

Leg Press

LEG PRESS – Common Mistakes and Corrections

 

MISTAKES

– Glutes lifting up off the seat.

– Not pushing through your heels

– Letting your knees cave in.

– Pushing your legs with your hands

– Not controlling the movement.

– Locking out your knees at the top of the movement.

– Using too much weight.

– Not breathing correctly

– No bracing of the core

 

CORRECTIONS

– Keep yourself driven down into the seat

– Keep your knees apart.

– Push through your heels.

– Use handles to hold on and lock you down into the seat.

– Don’t lock out your knees. Keep them soft at the top.

– Control every inch of the movement. Slow coming down and up fast.

– Be sure to breathe each rep and tighten your core.

 

CUES

– As you push up, think of driving yourself down and back into the seat.

– Put the force on the outside of your feet to keep the knees out.

– Imagine squashing a pen under your heel.

– Foot position depends on what muscle group you want to target more.

– You should be able to wiggle your toes throughout the movement. This will keep the force through the heel.

– Breathe in to the belly and brace tightly.

Leg Curls

LEG CURLS – Common Mistakes and Corrections

 

MISTAKES

– Glutes lifting up off the seat as your pull your legs in.

– Lower back arches inwards and hyperextends

– Not being tightly secured into the machine, giving room to move around.

– Not controlling the movement, using momentum instead of a controlled movement.

– Feet pointed downwards, taking tension off the hamstrings.

– Using too much weight.

 

All these things are ways of making the hamstrings do less of the work.

 

CORRECTIONS

– Keep your driven down into the seat

– Keep lower back tightly against the pad

– Make sure you are set up correctly in the machine and tighten yourself into it so that when you pull in there’s no room for you to move.

– Keep your toes pointed upwards.

– Control every inch of the movement. No swinging.

 

CUES

– As you pull in, think of driving yourself down and back into the seat.

– Think of pulling in through your heels.

– Imagine catching a ball at the back of your knee at the top of each rep. Catch your hamstring.

– On the way out imagine fully stretching and lengthening your hamstring.

– Make weird facial expressions like me 🙂

Dumbbell Curls

 

DB Curls – Common Mistakes and Corrections

 

MISTAKES

> Using a swinging movement to lift the weight.

> Using a weight that is too heavy.

> Using wrists at top of movement.

> Arching back.

> Half repping.

> Not having control of the movement.

 

CORRECTIONS

> Keep your chest up and shoulders back.

> Elbows in fixed position.

> Tense your tricep at bottom of movement.

> Control every inch of the movement. Slow coming down and up fast.

> Be sure to breathe for each rep and tighten your core.

> Lighten the weight.

 

CUES

> Keep your elbows in a fixed position close to your torso.

> Keep your upper arm still as you lift the weights by contracting your biceps.

> Keep wrists in a locked position as this allows full tension on the biceps.

> At bottom of movement, tense your tricep before you repeat the exercise to allow full lengthening of biceps.

> Really concentrate on keeping the tension on your biceps throughout the movement by squeezing at the top and stretching at the bottom.

> Leave your ego at the door.

Shoulder Press

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BurcQ947aHU

 

DB Shoulder press – Common Mistakes and Corrections

 

MISTAKES

> Back arched.

> Elbows flared out.

> Half repping.

> Not controlling the movement.

> Pushing out in front and not overhead.

> Wrong set up with arm and wrist position.

> Using a weight that is too heavy.

 

CORRECTIONS

> Chest up and shoulders back.

> Controlling the movement. Up fast and slow coming down.

> Glutes driven into the seat.

> Elbows tucked in.

> Pressing straight overhead.

> Using full range of motion.

> Elbows and wrists in line with each other.

 

CUES

> Press the dumbbells up over your ears.

> It may feel like you are pressing behind your head to get you to press straight overhead.

> Tuck your elbows into your armpits.

> Push yourself into the bench.

> Fully extend shoulder at top of the movement.

Glute Kickbacks