WARNING – Good Form Will Mess You Up!

It hit me like a ton of bricks.  Not only the irony of the situation but the epiphany I had after I “practiced what I preached.”

After I had just finished with the extensive back rehab program on my YouTube channel and on the site, I injured my back.  I was pulling a heavy deadlift and I strained my back.

I begin putting my own protocol to task.

Was it going to work?

Could I do the exercises with good form?

I knew when I started to use the exercises needed for my specific injury, I would of course adhere to good form.  Not only good form, but precise form.

Tempo Was the Factor

Tempo then became the main focus of the protocol.  I would control the concentric, amortization and eccentric phases of each exercise.  More specifically each exercise would follow a:

333 tempo

3 sec – concentric

3 sec – amortization (isometric transitional phase between concentric and eccentric phases

3 sec – eccentric

So what happened when I focused on form and created more time under tension?

Ever been kicked in the face by a horse?

Yeah, it was hard and it hurt. (that’s what she said)

For my particular injury, I was focusing on back extension. (most people get this confused with back raises).

Slowing down the movement and focusing on form added a whole new level of intensity to the exercise.  Modifying the tempo has a host of different benefits depending upon what phase you focus on.  My goal was to increase the overall duration of the tension, motor unit recruitment and strength mobility of my upper back.  For my injury, the worst thing I could have done is to immobilize the issue.  That would have delayed the healing.

What Did I Learn (or What Was Reinforced)?

Form is critical.  Not only form, but good form.  Changing the tempo will increase the intensity of the movement 10 fold and this is critical to targeting specific adaptations.

Does form break down under load?  Hell yes!  Sometimes even when the lifter is unloaded.  This is where the assessment comes in.  But the goal is to always strive for good form. Keeping and maintaining good form is not easy, but it will keep you safe and help you reach your potential.

Next time the bottom of your squat isn’t “comfortable” or your lockout for your overhead press isn’t achievable, put yourself into those positions for a longer duration.  Get into the bottom of the squat and sit there for 1-2 minutes or do some overhead shoulder mobility work as the primary focus of your workout.

“Get comfortable being uncomfortable” – Zach Even-Esh

Smitty