Good form is almost everything in the gym. Its more important than how much you lift. Its more important than the type of equipment you use. And its certainly more important than how many reps you do.
Prioritizing proper lifting technique isn't just important to unlock greater strength and power-you'll also reduce your risk of injury if you're making sure that every movement is as efficient and safe as possible. But if the only thing you're paying attention to is how you execute an exercise, youre actually ignoring an equally important factor for maximizing your gains: How the exercise feels.
Research shows that focusing intently on the target muscle as you contract it can lead to greater increases in size. Known as attentional focus (or more commonly, the mind-muscle connection), the simple act of consciously feeling a muscle work through a full range of motion can enhance muscle fiber recruitment and activation. And the more fully and effectively you engage your muscles, the more theyll grow.
Your move: Face away from your gyms mirrors. By doing a 180, youll be forced to pay more attention to how the exercise feels than how it looks, and the resulting biological feedback youll receive can be even more valuable for assessing and correcting your form than what you can glean from watching your reflection.
The caveat: The benefits of the mind-muscle connection apply only to strength training and muscle building. If youre a power athlete or are doing an explosive exercise like the barbell snatch, dont worry about how the exercise feels-just focus on performing it correctly. When it comes to power-based exercises, focusing on the movement outcome will result in a more efficient lift.