Strategies to work around strength training movements that feel uncomfortable so that you can continue to train hard and progress!
Some exercises may feel uncomfortable, not in the physically exerting sense (which we want), but in the sense that you’re unable to push yourself in the exercise because it doesn’t feel right, you struggle to perform the movement or you’re getting aches and pains in various joints.
There could be multiple reasons for this including old injuries, bodily differences and just the unusual sensations that pop up due to life.
The most important thing is that you’re still able to train hard and find ways to work around these uncomfortable movements and sensations.
When training, making small tweaks to your exercises can help.
Here are a few (of many) to try:
Due to bodily differences (such as your feet, pelvis and femur), how one person squats may be completely different to how another squats – finding what works best for your body is the key.
1. Try different stances. You may need to squat with your feet further apart or closer together, there isn’t one universal foot stance that works for everyone.
2. If you’re unable to squat low and/or find your knees hurt when performing the movement, try a box squat (shown below). It gives you a consistent height to reach each repetition (and over time you can progress your squat by gradually lowering the height) and you won’t be loading your knees as much.
3. If you feel like you can’t keep an upright position when squatting, and end up falling forward (turning your movement into more of a ‘hinge’ rather than a ‘squat’) try putting some plates underneath your heels and/or moving a weight away from your body for some counterbalance (shown below).
Aside from an injury or musculoskeletal condition that needs professional attention, sometimes your joints may ache, feel stiff, or you may feel minor pains when performing a movement.
Try incorporating a couple sets (with 1-2 minute rest in between) of 30-45 second isometric holds that place load through the uncomfortable joint. This can result in a pain-relieving effect.
1. You can either perform the movement against an immovable object (eg. sitting on a leg extension machine and extending your legs against an immovable amount of weight for 30-45secs).
2. Or as demonstrated in the videos below, you can pause in the movement’s uncomfortable position for 30-45seconds (as long as it isn’t too painful):
• Here’s one if you’re experiencing some knee pain when squatting or lunging:
• If your shoulder is feeling uncomfortable on a press:
If your bicep/elbow is feeling odd:
Hopefully you get the idea! Loading up the joint in a safe way for a short period of time may help it feel better. If you have significant pain, see a professional.
This is where external constraints and some added stability can be helpful.
1. If you set up an exercise that encourages you to perform the movement a certain way, then it can be of great assistance to performing it correctly.
For example, it can be difficult for many to perform the ‘hinge’ pattern correctly (this is where you’re moving your hips backwards without just bending forward with your back). It’s even tougher if you’re trying to perform this movement with a single-leg emphasis. Setting yourself up by a wall (as shown below) can help you perform the movement (think maintaining your ‘tallness’ while reaching your bum back to the wall) and it can add some stability (your back foot on the wall).
2. Some exercises may put you in positions where you feel other parts of your body instead of the areas you’re wanting to train. Adding some more stability and/or an external constraint that doesn’t allow other muscles to steal the attention will help.
For example, say you’re performing a single-arm bent over row (shown below) but all you can feel is your lower back trying to support itself.
It would be great to improve your form as it’s an awesome exercise, but a quicker solution (which is also helpful if your lower back/legs are fatigued from a previous exercise) is to simply support your chest (shown below) so that you can focus on the muscle groups you want to train rather than feeling uncomfortable:
Whether you struggle with overhead mobility (getting your armpits next to your ears) or you’ve battled some shoulder injuries that have left a lot of overhead movements feeling uncomfortable, here a few things worth trying:
1. A neutral grip: Performing some of these overhead movements like overhead presses and pull-ups can feel more comfortable for many if you’re using a neutral grip (think your pinky finger facing forwards as opposed to out to the sides, shown below with a pull-up)
2. Pressing or pulling at an angle rather than directly overhead: I don’t recommend completely getting rid of any movements directly overhead, but if they’ve been feeling uncomfortable, try a period of pulling or pressing at more of an angle rather than directly overhead. Here’s a pressing example using a landmine and a pulling example using a resistance band:
There are many ways to work around exercises that feel uncomfortable. From changing the position of your hands or foot stance, incorporating isometric holds for troublesome joints, adding external constraints and/or some extra stability, and performing the movement at different angles, these are just a few ways you can make your movements feel better and ensure you continue to train hard and make amazing progress.
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