We’ve put together four tips to help correct your form so you can maximize your workout. Whether you’re in barre class, at the gym, or working out at home, you can focus on these simple corrections to improve your practice. Barre fitness is an effective workout that helps tone and lengthen your muscles and improve posture.
When practiced with correct form and mind and body awareness you will see increased results, strength, and most importantly, it will help prevent potential injury.
There are common mistakes we see while working different muscle groups throughout class at MOD Fitness. Take a look at these four positions and their proper form so that you can make the best out of the time you spend in each workout.
Tabletop Seat Work – Hip Alignment
Common Mistake: We often see hips lifted or tilted during tabletop seat work paired with little abdominal engagement.
Correct Form: Maintain squared off hips during tabletop seat work and send intention to your abdominals to help them engage. Your hip bones should line up horizontally. This ensures you’re activating the correct glute muscles and not engaging your lower back during the exercise.
Lunge – Knee Alignment
Common Mistake: We find that with some clients the front knee will move forward of the toes.
Correct Form: As you lower into a lunge keep your front knee in line with you ankle. This proper alignment will maximize the time spent in lunge and protect your knees.
Plank – Back Alignment
Common Mistake: Clients will place the work in their shoulder blades which allows them to splay open and create a “valley” through the center of the back.
Correct Form: Instead, engage the pectoral muscles in your chest by pushing up and away from the floor. This will allow you to fill that space between your shoulder blades in your upper back and focus the work on where it needs to be.
Triceps – Shoulder Alignment
Common Mistake: We often see internal rotation and rounding of the shoulders.
Correct Form: Externally rotate your shoulders instead of rounding. This will help correct posture while toning and strengthening your triceps.
