6 Common Bodyweight Exercises You’re Doing Wrong
Stop Making These Bad Form Mistakes
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m bringing you to an outdoor field to show you the 6 common bodyweight exercises you’re doing wrong.
As a fitness trainer, it’s in my nature to observe the style of workouts and techniques other people use in the gym.
For example, last Friday was a bodyweight training day for me.
During my rest periods, a young guy caught my attention.
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His was full of energy, moving fast, and the sweat was coming down.
He actually reminded me of a younger version of myself.
However one thing was off.
His Technique And Form Was Poor
For instance, his form was bad, his tempo was way off, and I could tell he really wasn’t contracting and firing his muscles.
I remember thinking to myself that this is the kind of person I’d train for free.
Someone who wants it, and is willing to work his butt off to get it, but he’s just missing out on using the proper technique, to really get results.
This is what gave me the idea for today’s video post.
I see so many people continually doing these 6 popular bodyweight exercises with bad form.
By completing these exercises with poor form, not only are you not going to get results, you’re also potentially going to injure yourself.
6 Common Bodyweight Exercises You’re Doing Wrong
Here are the 6 common bodyweight exercises that I see people doing wrong, all the time.
Bodyweight Exercise #1: Bodyweight Squat
The first exercise is the bodyweight squat, also known as air squats.
Squat Mistake #1: Rising Up On Your Tip Toes
Watch this squat mistake here.
- When lowering down and rising up during the squat, I see a lot of people going up on their tip toes.
- By rising up on your tip toes, this puts way too much pressure on your knees.
The Correct Form: The goal is to use the entire platform of your feet to push the ground away from you on the way up.
Squat Mistake #2: Knocking Knees
Watch this squat mistake here.
- Another issue during the squat is when your knees are knocking together when you lower down into the squat.
The Correct Form: The goal is to drive your knees out and keep them in alignment with your toes and ankles.
Squat Mistake #3: Too Much Forward Lean Of The Upper Torso
Watch this squat mistake here.
- Another situation occurs when you allow your upper body to lean forward too much as you lower down into the squat.
- This can create the “butt wink”, which is the posterior tilt of your pelvis, causing the rounding of the lower back at the bottom of the squat.
- This can cause potential injuries in your lower back.
The Correct Form: The goal is to keep your chest up as you look straight ahead.
Here Is The Proper Way To Do A Bodyweight Squat
Watch the correct squat form here.
- Before lowering in the squat, focus on engaging and feeling the tension in all the muscles in your lower body, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.
- Focus on creating all the pressure through the entire platform of the foot.
- Keep your chest up as you look straight ahead.
- Drive you knees out to keep them in alignment with your toes as you lower and rise up during the squat.
Bodyweight Exercise #2: Push Up
All right, let’s move on to the push up.
Push Up Mistake #1: Your Neck Is Not In Alignment With The Rest Of Your Body
Watch this push up mistake here.
- When your chest isn’t really doing much work because your neck goes through a longer range of motion than your elbows.
- This is not good as it puts your neck totally out of alignment with the rest of your spine.
The Correct Form: The goal is to keep your neck neutral to maintain a straight alignment from the top of your head to the heels of your feet.
Here’s another push up mistake a see all the time.
Push Up Mistake #2: Not Completing The Push Up With Full Range Of Motion
Watch this push up mistake here.
- Make sure you bring your chest down closer to the ground to get full range of motion.
The Correct Form: To optimally work the chest muscles, you must have more elbow flexion and extension during the push up.
Push Up Mistake #3: Sagging Hips And Core
Watch this push up mistake here.
- A lot of people don’t realize that the push up is similar to the form required to complete the straight arm plank. This means it’s important to keep your entire body flat and tight like a board.
- By keeping every muscle in your body engaged, especially your glutes, core, hamstrings and quadriceps, it will reduce the sag in the hips and core.
The Correct Form: Before completing a push up, flex your abs, glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps to create a tight body like a board.
Here Is The Proper Way To Do A Push Up
Watch the correct push up form here.
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- Every part of the body is in alignment and straight as a board.
- All the muscles in the body are turned on and firing, including your glutes, hamstrings, and chest.
- Focus on pressing the ground away from you.
- Complete each rep with a full range of motion.
Bodyweight Exercise #3: Crunch Or Sit Up
Let’s move on to the crunch or the sit up.
Crunch Mistake #1: Your Neck Is Not In Alignment With The Rest Of Your Body
Watch this crunch mistake here.
- When you basically just wretch and pull on the back of your neck rather than using your abs to pull your upper torso up. This will destroy your neck, rather than training your abs.
Here Is The Proper Way To Do A Crunch Or Sit Up
Watch the correct crunch form here.
- Place your hands behind your ears to reduce the need to pull your neck up.
- To complete the crunch on the way up, contract your core and abs.
- At the top of the crunch, focus on breathing out to create a lot of tension in your abs.
Bodyweight Exercise #4: Mountain Climbers
All right, here is the mountain climber.
I see a lot of people acting crazy with their mountain climber form, where it looks more like an on the floor cowboy dance.
Mountain Climber Mistake #1: No Muscle Engagement
Watch this mountain climber mistake here.
- Your body and knees are flopping and flying everywhere because you are not engaging any of your muscles.
- Your hips are piked up high and bouncing around because your core and glutes are not contracting.
- You are focusing on speed rather than form. This is not the proper way to do a mountain climber.
The Correct Form: focus on contracting your muscles and keeping your body tight, rather than completing each rep sloppy and as fast as you can.
Mountain Climber Mistake #2: Not Driving Knees Far Enough Forward
Watch this mountain climber mistake here.
- Here’s an example of when the knees are not driving far enough forward.
Here Is The Proper Way To Do A Mountain Climber
Watch the correct mountain climbers form here.
- Focus on keeping your neck in alignment with your spine.
- Keep a tight body and flat back by engaging the muscles in your entire body, while especially focusing on firing your core and glutes.
- Drive your knees forward towards your elbows.
Bodyweight Exercise #5: Walking Lunges
All right, next up is the walking lunge.
Walking Lunge Mistake #1: Lunging On Tip Toes
Watch this walking lunge mistake here.
- Once again, going up on your tippy toes when lowering into the lunge.
- While lunging, your knee is going past your toes, placing a lot of unnecessary pressure on your knees, which can cause injury when performed incorrectly.
Walking Lunge Mistake #2: Lunging With Poor Posture
Watch this walking lunge mistake here.
- Completing the walking lunge with your back slouched and improper posture.
- This usually occurs when your core is not tight.
Walking Lunge Mistake #3: Not Lunging Deep Enough
Watch this walking lunge mistake here.
- This walking lunge mistake occurs when you are not going deep enough with your lunges.
- The lack of depth requires little to no muscle engagement.
- You’re essentially just going through the motions, rather than activating the muscles.
Did you hear my knees cracking while I was demonstrating the walking lunges with those mistakes?
This does not feel good and is exactly why you need to do them right.
Here Is The Proper Way To Do A Walking Lunge
Watch the correct walking lunge form here.
- Chest is upright.
- Knee is in alignment and staying behind the toes.
- Getting nice and deep into the lunge so your back knee is lightly tapping the ground, or just above it.
Bodyweight Exercise #6: Forearm Plank
Let’s move on to the forearm plank.
Forearm Plank Mistake #1: Hips Sagging
Watch this forearm plank mistake here.
- No engagement of the core causing your hips to sag and drop.
Forearm Plank Mistake #2: Hips In The Air
Watch this forearm plank mistake here.
- Here is an example where your hips are too high, so your body doesn’t form a straight line.
- To bring your hips down, focus on firing your core and glutes.
Here Is The Proper Way To Do A Forearm Plank
Watch the correct forearm plank form here.
- Everything is in alignment, allowing your body and back to be straight.
- All your muscles are turned on, contracting, and tight.
Those were 6 moves you can do to Live Lean, using only your bodyweight as resistance.
Want To Workout Along With Me?
If you’re looking for more bodyweight workouts that teach you the correct form, go check out my Live Lean 15 bodyweight home workout video program.
You can do these workouts at home or when you’re traveling at a hotel.
When you buy the program, you’ll get all 7 digital workout videos as instant downloads.
You’ll also get the Live Lean 15 Program Manual which includes nutrition information.
Simply hit play and follow along with my technique, form, and intensity, as you workout right beside me.
This will get great results.
Go here to pick up my Live Lean 15 workout program.
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Questions Of The Day:
- Do you do these 6 bodyweight exercises with correct form?
- How many of them do you do wrong?
Share your experiences in the comment section below.
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Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
Good tips and presentation. I think i need to workout in front of a mirror or something cause i can
never tell if my form is right! Thank you.
I’ve been doing them right the whole time! Yea me!!!
Thanks brad…..
hahahaha love it!
I don’t know but this is comedy at the same time very helpful for people
like us. 🙂 haha.. I love this channel. <3
great episode! I giggled a couple times too! perfectly informative and
entertaining — that’s infotainment baybee! xo
You’re doing this video because you love to help us out – and make us
laugh!!! 🙂
I think i need to workout in front of a mirror or something cause i can
never tell if my form is right!
Hey brad I love watching your videos but I was wondering can you make a
video about how to live lean while having a cold. Thank you and love your
videos keep them coming, really and inspiration to me.
Great video as always. hey Brad I’m a member of team lean but I can log in. can you help me please ..
Instructional as usual (y)
This was kinda funny. I found myself laughing.
Omg! Thank you so much!! My mountain climbers were so wrong!!! haha
6 Body-Weight Exercises You’re Doing Wrong #LiveLeanTV