I am a very strong advocate of form being your first concern when lifting weights.
Your first thoughts when preparing for any lift should be:
‘Am I in a strong healthy position to lift this weight’
‘Am I focusing on all the muscles involved in this exercise, making sure I am purposefully engaging them all to perform a strong and stable movement’
Everyone is different regarding how we are built and how we move so there is not a one technique fits all on how to do any exercise. However, if you do not know the basic mechanics of a movement and how to engage the right muscles to perform it then I would recommend seeking out someone that can teach you.
It is important to know how a movement should look
It may surprise you but the mirrors in the gym aren’t just there, so you can flex and admire yourself! Using a mirror when performing an exercise can be a great tool to check your own form and make sure you are in the correct position. I get all my clients to perform deadlifts and bent over rows in a mirror and ask them to check their back is not rounding at the bottom and their core is engaged before performing the exercise.
More importantly, how does it feel?
When performing an exercise, it is vital you know what the primary working muscles are. If you cannot feel these muscles working, then there is a chance you are performing the exercise incorrectly.
Alternatively, there are exercises where you may be putting unnecessary pressure on certain areas which can lead to injury. It is common to feel most of the muscles in the body engaging and working during an exercise like a squat or deadlift. There are some common areas however such as the lower back, knees, elbows, hamstrings and shoulders where you may feel a lot of tension and possibly discomfort during certain exercises. If you aren’t specifically working these areas, then it may suggest you are performing the exercise incorrectly and may lead to injury. In this case always ask for advice of a professional if the exercise looks correct and whether it is normal to be feeling it where you are.
Should I not try and lift heavy in the gym then?
Prioritising your form doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try and lift heavier, you absolutely should; but if increasing the weight comes at the cost of form then move back down and focus on getting good clean reps.
This is sometimes difficult to do, mainly because our ego is telling us we can lift heavier or we are comparing ourselves to others but when talking about health, in the long run, the positives far outweigh the negatives when it comes to putting form first!