Quality Over Quantity

By: Karyssa Shaw

The Importance of Technique

Have you ever thought about the number of times you were excited to hit a PR (personal record) when you're training. Or what about the thought of lifting a 3 digit number instead of a 2 digit number? It's exciting... right?! Many people have a hard time ignoring their ego when it comes to increasing weight. Too many times do we get patients that walk through our doors that end up hurting themselves when lifting because they were lifting a weight that was way too heavy for them. They just get so caught up in the number instead of their technique. Unfortunately, this happens A LOT with the high school/college age population. Not saying that the younger crowd is the only one that does this, they're just the ones we see most of. So let's chat about why technique is so much more important than the number on the bar. 

It is super important for coaches to teach technique, not only to help their athletes avoid injury, but also because it will help them realize that sometimes your technique is actually way more impressive than the numbers. Believe me, I would much rather receive a compliment that my technique is pristine rather than hearing amazement over how much weight is on the bar. I have a family member who coaches a high school football team, and unfortunately, most of the players are too focused on building their rep max at a high number instead of strengthening the smaller muscles with better movement. I am not attacking his coaching ability at all, but when I see him post videos of his team online during their lift, I find myself cringing because I can just feel someone hurting themself because their technique is absolute junk. My thoughts to myself are "well what is going to happen when your star defensive lineman slips a disk in his back because he was deadlifting about 200 more pounds than he should be?" or "what will you do when you have no QB because he decided to bench press every plate in the gym?". So many questions rush through my head and as much as I would love to reach out to him and offer help, I feel like I would be crossing the line since it's not my team. Even though, I have more knowledge on training than he does. I have nothing against these players or the coaching staff, I just wish they took priority over what is most important, which is technique. 

I get it, big numbers are exciting. But getting to those big numbers should involve practice of proper technique. Start light. Slow and controlled lifts will lead to easier movement of heavier weights (even though that sounds counter intuitive). The quality of the lift is leaps and bounds more important the the quantity (weight) that is being moved. This goes for any athlete; not just high school or college kids. Teaching them young will give them a better outlook on what training should consist of when they get older. This also means that they are more likely able to avoid injury. 

If you need some assistance on proper technique with your lifts, we are here to help! Give us a call today and start Personal Training with some of the best Trainers in the game!