Go to any gym and you will see two of the most common mistakes that people make while training. They use their hands and arms to lift the weight and use momentum to lift a weight. You can recognize these mistakes when you see someone jerking the bar with their hands and arms or swinging their entire body like an old-time clown punching bag that bounces back when you hit it.

In most exercises, the arms are used to hold onto the bar, but should not be used to do most of the work. For example, when you do a barbell, dumbbell or cable row, the arms hold on, but the movement actually starts in the back. The arms are just along for the ride.

If you engage the proper muscles to lift a weight, in this case, the back muscles, they will do the bulk of the work. This makes sense if you understand the goal of the exercise is to work the muscles of the back, in particular the lats, rhomboids, and trapezius. In a row movement, you want the muscles of the back to perform the work. Your back muscles, are much bigger than your arm muscles and can do more work. You will be able to lift more weight and get stronger than trying to use the arms to row. An added benefit is that there will be less stress on the elbow joints when you use your back muscles.

Using momentum is another way that you can rob your self of gains in strength or muscular development. When you use momentum to lift a weight, the muscles do not have to work as hard and do not get the stimulus to increase strength or size. Make sure you are in a good position to lift a weight and concentrate on using the muscles that are supposed to be worked in that exercise. Your muscles should contract before you see or feel movement in an exercise.  In our row exercise example, contract the muscles of your back to initiate the movement of the weight. Do not swing your body to lift the weight. A good cue to use in the row is to try to pinch a pencil between your shoulder blades to start the exercise.

Don’t be a jerk or a swinger when lifting weights. Avoid jerking with the arms to lift a weight or using your body as a swing to move the weight in an exercise. To improve your results and avoid injury and joint pain, remember to engage the muscles you want to work before you begin a movement.