What to do when a movement does not feel ‘right’?
Sometimes we do an exercise, and it just does not feel good during the set, but we push through the discomfort without addressing it. We rest and hit the next set only to feel the same thing. After the third attempt you just move away from the exercise entirely, changing it out with something that feels ‘healthier’ on your body. While this can certainly be a good call in some cases, I want to offer another method that may allow you to identify the reason the exercise does not feel healthy to you.
All I want you to do is slow down the reps. Change the tempo.
Let’s create an example. Kaladin (Stormlight fans know) is currently performing a Barbell Bench Press (cannot only rely on stormlight for strength). He is benching 200lbs for 10 reps and feels a little discomfort in his right shoulder as he is performing his reps. He finishes his set out, rests, and gets back under the bar for his second set. Halfway through and the pain is back and he’s at a loss.
What I want Kaladin to do is take the weight down about 15%, or 30lbs, to 170lbs. Then I want him to try another set of 8-10 reps but with a slower tempo. Tempo being the speed at which he performs a rep. Let’s say he started with a 2-0-1-1 tempo. This would mean he spends 2 seconds bringing the bar down to his chest, pauses at the bottom for 0 seconds, spends 1 second pushing the bar back to the starting position, and lastly spends 1 second holding the bar at the top before bringing it down into the next rep. Now what he should do, is a rep at a 3-1-3-1 tempo. 3 seconds down, 1 pause, 3 up, 1 pause.
The goal of doing this is to try to find any faults in his(your) form while performing the exercise. Is he (are you) flaring his elbows too high during the transition at the bottom, is he bouncing too hard and taking the weight off his chest, are his shoulders extending through the top of the rep, are they shrugging up to his ears? Kaladin should be focusing on these things as he slowly performs the reps. In my experience just slowing the reps down, and focusing on your form, often eliminates the pain or discomfort during the set. It will at least help identify what may be the culprit or where in the movement you feel said discomfort. That alone opens other avenues besides just scraping the exercise forever (which may be the best course of action for some people!).
Let’s say he does this and experiences no pain/discomfort during the slowed down set. Great!! Now I would slowly add weight while trying to maintain the same tempo. If you really hate the slower tempo (It can be grating mentally) then move to a 2-1-2-1 tempo. Maybe he feels discomfort only in the bottom 2-3 inches of the movement. I would have him perform the exercise with a squat pad on the bar, or down to a yoga block. Limit the range of motion and see if that addresses the issue in the moment. While I will always strive to get the full range of motion out of all exercises, sometimes it makes sense to dial it back a little. At least while you address underlying mobility issues that do not allow you to get all the way down pain free. At this point I would like to mention that all this advice is for a non-competitive lifter. Someone who just wants to stay healthy, get strong, and may or may not enjoy lifting. The extra 2-3 inches at the bottom of the press will not matter in the grand scheme of things and feeling healthier is always better. In this example, if you cannot make it through the bottom few inches of the press without feeling pain, and its important to you to have that full range of motion for that specific exercise, I would recommend seeing a licensed PT for a more detailed look at what may be a limiting factor.
We went really in depth into just the Barbell Bench Press with this, but it can translate to almost any exercise. The DB Row, Barbell Squat, Goblet Squat, Deadlift, Shoulder press, etc. Take the weight you are using down 10-15% and perform the next set at a slower tempo. 1-3-1-3, 2-3-2-3, 1-4-1-4. 2-4-2-4, are all tempos that have worked for people I have worked with. Pay attention to your body and form during these reps. Look for ranges/positions where pain starts to make itself known. Another idea would be to film yourself doing said reps. Seeing yourself performing the set from a side view could give you clarity about where you are going wrong with your form.
My hope in writing this is that someone takes a movement from painful to pain free. Keeping an exercise in the mix they may love doing. If you have any specific questions please reach out to seanstrongcoaching@gmail.com and I will get back to you as soon as I can! Stay Strong!
Love you all!