Focus on Lowering & Lifting Weights Slowly & Deliberately

You have probably seen people at the gym putting a ridiculous amount of weight on the barbells and then lifting and lowering as fast as they can. 

? What’s happening: They are letting momentum do the work for them instead of the muscle. 

A better approach would be to lift far less weight and go as slowly as possible, feeling every sensation on the way up and the way down. This is much harder, and that’s why it will pay off.

…Deliberately avoid momentum in the short-term, and you’ll end up gaining a lot of it in the long-term!

Momentum.

Momentum is counterproductive in the gym because it decreases the work a muscle does, thereby decreasing the effectiveness of the exercise. 

What’s worse, it is dangerous to the joints and spinal cord, since it overloads these areas, causing unnecessary “wear and tear.”

Why is it important to exercise through the full range of movement?

Using a full range of motion when exercising is very important for developing and maintaining good flexibility. 

In addition, full range of motion activates more muscle groups and enhances the overall effectiveness of certain exercises.

One last thing.

Exercising with slow speeds (when lifting weights) also prevents common injuries that result from using excessive force or momentum. Making the exercise safer and more challenging which contributes to it being an extremely effective method.

Learn more about momentum and how it effects your workouts, in this video.