Site navigation and social media links
Exercise Form and Body Types
Fitness | February 08, 2015
Following proper form is important when exercising at the Zgym, but remember: form is a guide, not something set in stone. The varieties of different body types for men and women are as numerous as people on this Earth. Everyone has different physical peculiarities. Some of us have long legs and short torsos, long torsos and short legs, wide or narrow hips, etc. Therefore, our form when performing exercises at the Zgym may look slightly different when compared to one another.
However, don’t get me wrong. The basic principles of form still hold true. For example, when I’m discussing squats, your knees should never buckle inward, your lower back should never round and you should always drive from your heels. These general rules hold true for all of us across the board.
What may differ are some details within the movements. Let’s stick with squats as my example. The differences in form that can occur from person to person are contingent upon multiple factors. These include the length of our limbs, height and mobility. When performing squats some may prefer a wider or narrower stance or pointing your toes outward to achieve a fuller range of motion and maintain proper form.
Also, some of you may not be able to achieve as deep a squat without losing form and risking injury. While a limited range of motion for any exercise is often a mobility issue with our ankles, hips, shoulders, back, etc., our range of motion can also be limited or differ based on body type and bone structure. In other words, don’t fret if your form does not look exactly like mine when you’re working out with me at the Zgym. It shouldn’t. Not completely anyway. Most importantly, don’t force yourself past your range of motion if you’re feeling tension or strain. That’s how injuries occur.
One of the reasons why I’m a firm believer in body weight exercises and HIIT routines is that they easily translate to various body types without increasing the chances of injury. While proper form is a crucial detail to effectively workout with me, the risk of injury is infinitely less than weightlifting routines because we are not burdening ourselves with heavy barbells and dumbbells that can exponentially increase the chances of hurting ourselves.
What adjustments do you make with your form when working out with me? Any specific movements you find troublesome?
Related Posts
-
Sexy Calves in 4 Minutes
Drills
-
My Exercise Equipment
Bodyweight only | Exercise Ball | Hand Weights | Jump Ropes | Kettlebells | Pull Up Bar | Resistance Bands | Sliding Discs
Private Member |
Great article Zuzka!
Yesterday I couldn’t do the goblet knee ups because of my knees & lymphedema,so instead I did 20 goblet squats with overhead press.It’s the same with pistols squats,I can only go half way & jump lunges are replaced by normal backward lunge.
It used to matter to me to be able to do everything that you do but I’m finally learning that it’s ok to modify when I need to.
At nearly 48 yrs I’m so much fitter & healthier was I was in my 20s or 30s. 🙂
Private Member |
This is great!! You are the only person I see that is looking at this point of view… I have my hips injured because of this exactly… And had to learn again how to move all over again… because the way I was doing didn’t respect the drawing of my natural body lines… lucky me I Was able to fix myself and now on… even if the lesion will be here forever… now I Know how to deal with it without losing any mobility. Hope I hae figured it before! But better late than never!! ^^
Thanks so much for your article.. it is great! And the movements I had to change were the squats and some streching moves…
Private Member |
Agreed. I have narrow hips but hold all my weight there. There are just certain things I can not do because my big fat butt is taking me down. I modify and do the best I can. I figure it’s better than doing nothing at all. Same when I do my races. I may be slow but at least I’m running them.
Private Member |
I have long legs and a short torso so I find basic squats difficult as I can’t maintain proper form…I end up leaning forward forward too much with my upper body and as a result of that I can’t squat that deep. The same applies to burpees, I just can’t do them, no matter how much I try and I think it’s because of my body type. Please help! What adjustments can I try?
Private Member |
Nina, I had the same problem you did w/ squats. I’ve had many different trainers consult with me to discuss what they feel I should do differently. What has worked for me has been a deep, wide stance squat. It makes it far easier for me to keep my back straight and not lean forward when I am pushing up through the heels.
Private Member |
This is great!! You are the only person I see that is looking at this point of view… I have my hips injured because of this exactly… And had to learn again how to move all over again… because the way I was doing didn’t respect the drawing of my natural body lines… lucky me I Was able to fix myself and now on… even if the lesion will be here forever… now I Know how to deal with it without losing any mobility. Hope I hae figured it before! But better late than never!! ^^
Thanks so much for your article.. it is great! And the movements I had to change were the squats and some streching moves…
I have long legs (1M) and short torso (73cm)… so the squats were a problem… also have big hips and tiny waist so the stability wasn’t easy… now I don’t do deeps squats anymore and my torso stays in the right place when I squat
Private Member |
lodz, poland
Oh, I have almost the same problem- legs 104 cm, torso 71 cm 😀 I keep telling myself this is the reason I can’t do at least one proper pistol squat 😀 I can go all the way down but I can’t get back
Private Member |
naples, fl, usa
Besides pistols? Hmmmmmmm. I sometimes use a different foot position (squats and lunges ). Also worh push-ups I tend to vary my hand position for various reasons (can’t do as many close so switch to wide wtc etc). If my back feels right I sometimes will bend my knees so I don’t lose my straight back (ESP w yoga)
Private Member |
naples, fl, usa
If my back feels tight***
Private Member |
lodz, poland
it’s impossible for my ankles to follow my knees when doing squats, as my thighs are too long comparing to the shins 😀
Private Member |
LONG legs and SUPER short torso makes pistols SO hard. I also look silly doing dive bombers because my torso is so short. LOL. But I wrap my legs around each other a dozen times in Eagle Pose. 🙂
Private Member |
santa cruz, ca
Yeah, I’m in your same boat. I can do pistols, though. But yes, there is little torso, and so there is very little back bend to work with, right? And when you’re in down dog position, as with monkey push ups or dive bombers, do you find it impossible to keep your back totally straight? I see in the mirror that I literally can’t bend enough to keep the back straight, because there’s no torso left to do it, haha.
Private Member |
los angeles, ca, usa
Awesome post!!! During those earlier years I was following you, I couldn’t do a deep squat but over time, it gradually getting deeper and now, I can do a real deep squat and I love it. Consistency and doing it in a right form is really vital to improve ourselves… but you know what, since I’m so used now doing a right form when I see someone at the gym being crook on their form, oftentimes, I don’t mind them especially when I started my routine (zgym), but yesterday, I saw an elder squatting with her back arch on the bench, while I was sipping my coffee and resting after my zumba as my cardio before our yesterday routine, guess what, I couldn’t help myself. I approached the lady and asked her to sit straight, look on one direction and do inhale and exhale while doing squat and try not to pass her knees on her toes and she did as I was guiding her – “Inhale Up, Exhale Down… Inhale Up, Exhale Down..”. She was happy and thanked me. The elder’s smile made my day. 🙂 Thanks to you Zuzka!!! I’m more active now than I ever was (but I’ve been active on and off since my early 20s and now I’m 45 and running to 46 this year. :P) and I feel proud being strong at my age (which a lot of people still don’t want to believe me about my age) and I planned of keeping it up and never stop. 🙂
Private Member |
ca, usa
Hi Maria, I will be 46 this year too! Go over 40 warriors! 🙂
Private Member |
Same here,I’m fitter now at 8 weeks shy of 48 years than I was in my 20s & 30s! 😀
Private Member |
When doing any kind of lunge exercise, I pigeon toe my front foot for balance. I’m naturally a bit pigeon toed anyway so it works. 🙂
Private Member |
I really wish everyone would read this before they attempt to give anyone advice in the gym. I swear I am a target for unsolicited advice – usually by men- telling me what I am doing wrong. Often, their advice is not congruent with each other- but what is constant is that they do not know my body, I do.
In researching technique, I am sure to include my body type- example- “proper squat form short torso long legs.” I realized that 1) one size does not fit all, and 2) everyone is right and wrong when giving advice.
Private Member |
Why I workout at home. No jerks to tell me what to do.
Private Member |
Zuz, it’s such a great and important article. And You can already see so many different body types in the comments!