The Fight Shape Blueprint

Step 2 of 6: Train With Proper Technique

Efficiency has long been something I’ve valued, sometimes to obsessive-compulsive levels.

Efficiency is all about eliminating and minimizing wasted resources, with those resources most often being time, energy and money.

I remember as a kid, ripping and folding toilet paper as I was doing a #2 and laying them out on my bare thigh, so that when I was done, I could rapidly wipe and get the hell outta there so I could go back out and play road hockey.

Perhaps too much info for ya, but hell, we’re friends, and now I’m sure you get an idea of just how deeply efficiency is ingrained into my being.

Exercising with proper technique is the most
efficient way to perform the movement.

This means that it uses the least amount of energy and puts the least wear and tear on your joints.

It also means you’ll require less time to get the same result, or achieve a better result in the same amount of time as performing an exercise inefficiently.

And here’s a story that illustrates how you’ll blow money by training with bad form:

A few years back I was lifting weights at the gym and saw a guy doing fairly heavy Deadlifts, but with horrible technique: his back was rounded, he raised his hips before his upper body, his elbows were bent and his weight looked like it was shifted to the balls of his feet.

After he completed a set, I asked…

“Would you like a few pointers on proper form?”

“No, I’m good,” he said with a look of disdain.

I was just trying to be nice, but he wasn’t having it, so I continued my workout.

A month later, I entered the gym and glanced into the Physio clinic that is attached to the gym and saw this very same guy getting his low back treated!

Just looking at his form I knew this was the likely result and hopefully he learned his lesson.

Unfortunately, he had to learn it the hard way.

Here’s the thing…

If you’re reading this, I already think of myself as your Coach.

“DROP AND GIVE ME 20!”

Kidding. 😉

Seriously though, I don’t want you to make this same mistake, so from this point forward, commit 100% to training with proper form and making it priority #1.

How much weight you can lift or how many reps you
can do are secondary to technique… ALWAYS!

This means you never go past TECHNICAL FAILURE, which means you stop as soon as your form breaks down or better yet, 1 rep prior.

This means when you learn a new exercise, get the movement down before you add weight.

So when you watch my videos or anyone else’s, pay attention to all of the form cues and practice them.

And here’s another big reminder…

You’re not going to get it right the first time!

Expect to be clumsy, awkward and feel like you’re doing it wrong.

This is normal.

Give yourself a break… Just don’t give up!

Keep focused on all of the cues and sooner or later, everything will fall into place.

I’ve been training consistently since I was 16 (almost 20 years!) and I’m still learning, adjusting and tweaking how I perform even the most basic exercises like Squats.

The path to long-term success in fitness (and every other endeavour) is to maintain the “student’s mind” and see every rep as an opportunity to learn and grow.

And before you go, I want to know what the WORST display of technique you’ve seen in the gym?

Let me know in the Comments below.

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