Top 3 Exercises You May Be Doing Wrong

Ever wondered if you’re exercising correctly? Whether you’re new to working out, or have been training for a long time, exercise mistakes are suppeerrr common!

Exercising with proper technique is so important to work the correct muscles and avoid injuries. But how do you know if you’re doing an exercise wrong? We’ve rounded up the 3 most common exercises people perform incorrectly - and how to fix it so you can get maximum gainz! 💪

Hip Thrust

Y’all know hip thrusts are a WBK FIT essential, so this is an important exercise to get right! Hip thrusts are the ultimate way to grow your booty, stabilize your hips, and strengthen your quads - but only if done correctly! 

Common mistakes: 

• Using momentum to perform the hip thrust.
• Wrong foot placement - Feet too far or too close to the bench or feet too close or far apart. 
• Hyperextending your back to push your glutes too far upwards.

How to fix it:

• Activate your core to control each rep as you lift the weight placed on your hips off the ground. The more you slow down each rep, the more your glutes will fire up 🔥
• Ensure your feet are hip-width apart at a good distance away from the bench, so your knees make a 90 degree angle when at the top of the hip thrust.
• To keep your spine in optimal alignment, think of tilting your pelvis forward and aiming to keep your ribs as close to your pelvis as possible. There is no need to overly push your hips too far up!

Squats 

Squatting correctly is the ultimate way to activate your quads, glutes and hamstrings for more muscle definition. Have a sore back after doing squats? You may be doing them incorrectly - squats are harder than they look!

Common mistakes: 

• Not squatting deep enough or not pushing your hips back far enough.
• Knees caving inwards.
• Weight too far forward on your toes.

How to fix it:

• Girrrll, get your hips back! Squat deep enough so you feel like you’re about to sit on a chair. You’ll know your squatting deep enough when your hips are in line with your knees. 
• When squatting, think about pushing your knees outwards. This maximizes tension and keeps your technique on point 👌
• Ensure your body weight is on the heels of your feet. Think of driving your heels through the ground as you come up from your squat! 

Cable Kickback

You’ll see cable kickbacks quite a lot in our WBK FIT programs. It’s such a good exercise to shape and strengthen your booty - in fact, it works all the glute muscles for a nice round shape 😉  But this is one tricky exercise - you’ll want to make sure you fix your form ASAP!

Common mistakes:

• Overarching your back as you kick.
• Using momentum to kick your leg too far back behind you.
• Using a weight that is too heavy for you currently.

How to fix it:

• Hold the cable machine and lean forward with a straight back. Keep your core activated and keep your spine straight as you kick your leg behind you.
• Without using momentum, lift your leg behind your hip height - not higher. Otherwise you will hurt your lower back!
• Use a weight that you can perform slow, controlled reps with. It’s particularly important to be able to control the “lowering” part where you bring your leg back to the starting position! As you get better at the exercise, you can slowly increase the resistance.

Have you made some of these exercise mistakes? Don’t worry - the WBK Fit app is here for you! The WBK Fit app not only gives you an exercise program to follow along to, but also shows you video demonstrations and written instructions on how to perform each exercise with proper technique! With the right form, you’ll be able to fix your mistakes, and SLAY your workout for maximum results! 

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Team WBK Fit xx