Does Exercise Technique Matter?

Believe it or not there’s a segment of physical therapists that actually believe technique doesn’t matter since the human body is infinitely adaptable.

To an extent there’s some truth to that.

If you had a limp, you could probably use the principles of progressive overload and eventually run a mile with said limp.

But at what cost?

Let’s say you have a hurt left knee. Having a limp could potentially

• make the limp worse

• overuse the right side since it’s working harder

• irritate the left hip and ankle since they are working harder

• make your back hurt because you’re uneven

• make you run REALLY slow

Why are you limping?!

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So does technique matter?

The positives of exercise technique

• Efficiency. Good technique is mechanically efficient. Usually it relates to straight lines and gravity.

• Durability. By exercising with good technique, you develop the CORRECT muscles through a FULL range of motion.

• Performance. Better efficiency + durability = better performance

The negatives of exercise technique

• Real life doesn’t always let you do things “right”

If you’ve ever changed a tire or had to move out of a 3rd story apartment, you realized not everything is put in easy to reach places where perfect technique is an option.

The hope is that you’re strong enough to withstand those awkward postures, and limit your injury risk WHEN you have to be in them.

• It’s highly individualized.

I coach and teach people to lift weights every day. To get you to FEEL the same stimulus I have to cue the exercise to YOUR body, not the opposite. Sometimes that requires me to

Completely throw an exercise variation out

• Intensity CHANGES technique. When you add intensity (speed, fatigue, load) your body will recruit muscles differently anyway. A body weight squat, a 135# squat, and a 405# squat are three DIFFERENT movements as far as the body is concerned.

Obviously technique matters

SO I tricked you, there’s really no negatives to having good exercise technique. The “negatives” i listed are just nuances to stress the factors involved in fixing technique. Good technique balances

• physics

• your own body proportions

• the goal of the activity you are doing

The way I approach “technique” is I look at it as skill. Do you have the SKILL to manipulate your body through space.

Before I can actually fix an injury, I have to make sure you have the SKILL to do the movement correctly.

We can’t progress it unless you do.