Weight vs form

BroBroncoski

Just wanted to see what yll been focusing on more lol Both are equally important but for me its form, There used to be a time where I used to squat 5 with silliest form but that was long time ago. I still see people in my college gym struggling to squat weight on first set and adding single plates on second set too lol For me, I usually perfect form for particular weight and then increase it lol. Which is more important for you?

quellybelly

Form is always number one. I wouldn't want to risk getting hurt just to squat/deadlift/etc an impressive number!

ladybg81

Form all the way. Full range of motion. *kitten* to grass

mshippy77

Form is most important to prevent injury but you need to monitor the weights and increase in small increments if you need to but never sacrifice form and feel of the movement

jemhh

Form. I am an old lady with nobody to impress. Lol.

No, seriously, I just know that my strength is slow to come so I am happy to focus on form and eke out tiny gains along the way. I've been mostly eating in a deficit for a long time and have decided to move to maintenance in order to recomp for now so hopefully I'll be able to add weight a bit easier but form will still be #1 for me.

Of_Monsters_and_Meat

I'm waiting for the cross fitters to comment. I'll make popcorn.

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chivalryder

Form is more important than anything.

Also, speed is important slow speed + low weight > high speed and high weight. Yes, you can lift more at a higher speed, but then you're cheating yourself by using momentum to lift the weight, not your actual strength.

Someone who can lift a full range of motion with perfect form at a low weight will actually be significantly stronger than someone who does a hack job of a lift with a seriously heavy weight, and pumps the weights as if they were trying to race out the door.

Not to mention injury risk.

Lifting should never be about the number or how many plates are on the bar. It should be about controlling your body and technique.

It reminds me of a gymnast who was practicing dips and such on rings. A big, burly, experienced weight lifter approached him and told him she should be lifting weights because he will develop more strength faster. Rings are "too easy." The gymnast then invited the lifter to try to complete 5 dips on the rings.

The lifter took up the challenge, but failed. While dipping, he couldn't keep his hands steady and was shaking like a naked twig in a stiff breeze. He had no control over his own body, even though he was a very experienced lifter.

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daaaaaanielle

I would argue that form should be most important for literally everyone? There's no point being able to lift heavy if you do it with bad form and risk hurting yourself. I'd rather be able to do it right and make small gains than go heavier constantly and end up injuring myself.

970Mikaela1

Form. I'm old and fragile.

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jemhh

BroBroncoski wrote: »

jemhh wrote: »

Form. I am an old lady with nobody to impress. Lol.

No, seriously, I just know that my strength is slow to come so I am happy to focus on form and eke out tiny gains along the way. I've been mostly eating in a deficit for a long time and have decided to move to maintenance in order to recomp for now so hopefully I'll be able to add weight a bit easier but form will still be #1 for me.

Lol next time, add 15 pounds in your lifts. People often under estimate them self but yea once you perfect form your last set, Its time to put on some mo to keep
pushing.

I'm doing 5/3/1 now so I'm adding but working below my maxes more than right at them. I've tried adding weight at a faster pace but have found 5/3/1 to be pretty much a perfect pace for me and I like the amrap sets.

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slideaway1

Yeah, Ideally both, but I would not sacrifice form over trying to shift weights that I could probably move for 1 or two reps but could cause injury. Saying that I don't think that using good form should be an excuse to go light and simply go through the motions. I want to be hitting failure between 10-12 reps with good squeezes and contractions focusing on mind muscle connection. That's just what I find best.

rybo

This isn't a one or the other comparison.

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chivalryder

BroBroncoski wrote: »

chivalryder wrote: »

Form is more important than anything.

Also, speed is important slow speed + low weight > high speed and high weight. Yes, you can lift more at a higher speed, but then you're cheating yourself by using momentum to lift the weight, not your actual strength.

Someone who can lift a full range of motion with perfect form at a low weight will actually be significantly stronger than someone who does a hack job of a lift with a seriously heavy weight, and pumps the weights as if they were trying to race out the door.

Not to mention injury risk.

Lifting should never be about the number or how many plates are on the bar. It should be about controlling your body and technique.

It reminds me of a gymnast who was practicing dips and such on rings. A big, burly, experienced weight lifter approached him and told him she should be lifting weights because he will develop more strength faster. Rings are "too easy." The gymnast then invited the lifter to try to complete 5 dips on the rings.

The lifter took up the challenge, but failed. While dipping, he couldn't keep his hands steady and was shaking like a naked twig in a stiff breeze. He had no control over his own body, even though he was a very experienced lifter.

Lifter should have called him out on squatting lmao but well yea, weight do matter for gains and strength but you gotta make sure to perfect for it first or you'd be squatting over 6 and yet not be hitting correct spots for gains lol

A great man once said:

"The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens."

TAsunder

rybo wrote: »

This isn't a one or the other comparison.

Often it is. You see a lot of people with pretty poor form in a variety of exercises who do not seem to care about form and would rather use a completely absurd form and lift more than focus on technique. Especially in functional fitness classes.

chivalryder

I've seen a LOT of people end up being forced out of lifting for months at a time because they made weight a higher priority over form.

It's not a matter of IF you injure yourself with poor form. It's a matter of when. It doesn't matter how strong or experienced you are. If you're doing it wrong, you will injure yourself.

slideaway1

I also think that gains can be made without necessarily increasing more and more weight each week/month etc if you have reached a plateau. Obviously the goal is to keep improving and getting stronger, but adding an extra rep each set, adding an extra set to a routine, reducing rest, adding supersets can also continue with gains even if the weight has stopped incrementally increasing.

MireyGal76

I think there is a balance... I spent a fair bit of time doing 95lb squats to perfect my form... but that means sheet when you aren't challenging your lift... I'm only now seeing where my form starts to break now that I'm at 135lbs.

If it isn't heavy enough, it's easy to have great form. If it is too heavy, it's easy to hurt yourself. The trick is finding that sweet spot... improve form, and then add more weight.

Cchioles

Quality Over Quantity Right? Obviously You Need Heavier To Gain, But If Your Not Doing It Correctly, It's A Waste

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MireyGal76

BroBroncoski wrote: »

MireyGal76 wrote: »

I think there is a balance... I spent a fair bit of time doing 95lb squats to perfect my form... but that means sheet when you aren't challenging your lift... I'm only now seeing where my form starts to break now that I'm at 135lbs.

If it isn't heavy enough, it's easy to have great form. If it is too heavy, it's easy to hurt yourself. The trick is finding that sweet spot... improve form, and then add more weight.

Fuark yea. I make sure my every rep is perfect form but also if its getting easier. I increase few up and repeat

Do you have someone that you work out with? How do you monitor form while you're doing your reps? Is it based on feel? On self videoing and then adjusting?

I workout at home, on my own. I'm still learning, so I take vids... but the problem with that is that the feedback is almost coming too late - too late for me to feel the difference between a good rep and a bad one.

How do you perfect form when you are doing solo lifts?

Also, I don't have proper guards to protect me from a heavy lift fail... at least, not until I build some in (I made my own squat rack / bench kit)... so I'm finding that for squats, I'm not taking to full depth once I hit near fail because I don't know how to get out of a failed lift without hurting myself.

chivalryder

Cchioles wrote: »

Quality Over Quantity Right? Obviously You Need Heavier To Gain, But If Your Not Doing It Correctly, It's A Waste

Is this a title for a book?

MireyGal76

chivalryder wrote: »

Cchioles wrote: »

Quality Over Quantity Right? Obviously You Need Heavier To Gain, But If Your Not Doing It Correctly, It's A Waste

Is this a title for a book?

If it is.. they published it with a typo.

Sam_I_Am77

Both are important. Proper form must be learned first, but in order to improve, weight must be intelligently added over time to support the progressive overload or you're just spinning your wheels. Some people are afraid of adding weight due to fear of breaking form or being ridiculed by the "form police."

Also, speed is important slow speed + low weight > high speed and high weight. Yes, you can lift more at a higher speed, but then you're cheating yourself by using momentum to lift the weight, not your actual strength.

It would actually be much more accurate to say something like, lifting a load at high intensity with bad form is less productive than a sub-maximal intensity with a slower tempo and good form. If you lift a load at say 80%+ and you try to use a slow tempo you're gonna have a hell of time getting through the concentric. Heavy loads should definitely be executed with controlled explosiveness during the concentric phase of a lift and within the context of using good form. Even though the bar may actually move slowly due to the load, that doesn't mean the effort used to move the weight was "slow".

Generally speaking lower weight or sub-max intensities use a slower tempo, but the concentric phase is still generally fast, whereas the "slow" (e.g., 4/2/1 tempo) is really in the eccentric and possibly even a pause at the base of the eccentric (e.g., hole of the squat). Though this is not applicable to all, there are modalities of training (i.e. Dynamic Effort or Power Training) that utilizes sub-maximal loads that are moved explosively.