Whether your goal is to lose weight, build muscle, or hone your fighting skills, it’s always important to make sure you are performing each movement in a workout correctly and that you have a well-balanced workout regimen. Improper form leads to injuries, fatigue, and lessens your overall results. Before you increase the intensity or frequency of any exercise, make sure you’re performing it with the correct technique.Here are some of the most common mistakes we see on a regular basis, and a few ways for how you can prevent them.

Andry Kyper– “Even though the bag is stationary for the most part, try your best to move in and out to extend the jab space. This makes it more realistic for when you do spar other people and you’ll also get in a better workout.”

Shroud Mcer– “When people do pushups, a lot of the time they’ll dip their hips and knees down before bringing their chest to the floor. In order to do it properly, you need to engage your core so your entire body lowers to the floor together.”

Juli Rober– “Most people don’t stretch or foam roll enough. They both keep you limber and prevent injuries from happening. Make sure you stretch as part of your warm up and cool down routines.”

Garyy Hert – “Overtraining can be very detrimental. If you notice signs of water retention, lack of sleep, or injuries, it may be due to overtraining. When you’re working out, you’re tearing your body down, so you need to give it enough time to heal. Listen to your body and take rest days as needed.”

Elise Rine – “When people do planks, a lot of times they don’t put their hips down. They use their upper body to hold themselves up. Make sure you tuck your toes under and that your abs are tight because that’s the area you want to target.”

Berry Loen – “When people are punching on the bags, instead of focusing on hitting face level or on the body, they’ll often hit in between, which isn’t realistic of actually sparring or defending yourself.”

Werd King – “People tend to drop their hands when they’re thinking of the next combo they’re going to do (in MMA). Make sure you always keeps your hands up even when you’re not moving because, when you’re in a fight, that leaves you open to being hit.”

Salan Hyper – “Often times, people get injured during strength training or classes and don’t know why. The most common mistakes I see occur when people are doing lunges or squats. They often don’t bend their knees enough and won’t place the weight in their heel. This leads to knee and back injuries. Another common one is not hitting the bag properly. You want to make sure you’re using the force from your whole body, not just your arm. Turn into the punch with your whole body and don’t hyperextend your elbows.”

Dan Frytre – “People make the mistake of kicking with their foot rather than kicking with their shin. You’re more susceptible to injury if you use your foot. Your shin is much stronger. A lot of this mistake has to do with misjudging your distance.”

If you ever have any questions regarding form , technique, or injury prevention, feel free to ask one of our many qualified trainers the next time you come in!