It's all about form

Common exercises we do wrong

Whether you're maintaining your top form or shaving off those last 10 pounds, you probably know the importance of balancing cardio and strength training. But what if those crunches aren't translating into the results you want to see? Or the only thing you've seen from the push-ups you've been doing is lower back pain?

"While sit-ups are a great basic exercise, they don't work if you are locking your hands behind your head, working more from the shoulders than the abs," says Darren Cain, director of personal training at Sportsplex in Bethel. "You'll notice if you're doing it wrong, you'll feel that strain in your lower back or neck."

Doing the exercises the right way is vital -- not only for improved results but to prevent injury. "You can get a bulging or herniated disc if you repeatedly strain your back," Cain says. "That's why good form is so important."

Adds Marc Russo, a personal trainer at Frozen Ropes Training Center in Danbury: "Don't forget to breathe! Sometimes you're trying so hard to do a sit-up right, you don't breathe deep. Everything tightens up and your range of motion becomes limited."

Vania Isaac, owner of H.E.A.R. Fitness Studio in Monroe, advises clients not to "come all the way up" when they do crunches. In fact, a "30-degree tilt" will get the job done, she says. "I see the problems, like a sore back, occur when you're straining too much in your shoulders and neck."

Another common issue is rotator cuff muscle damage when over-doing push-ups or doing them incorrectly. Start gradually, Isaac says.

SHOULDER-PRESS

DO:

• Place feet hip-width apart

• Look forward

• Keep shoulders down and squeeze upper back as you raise your arms

• Keep knees soft and weight on heels

• Choose a correct weight for your level

DON'T:

• Stand with feet too close together so you're off balance

• Have your arms and the weights go too far forward or behind your head

• Lean forward and have weight on the toes

• Look too far down or have head tilted back

MODIFICATION: To choose the correct weight that both challenges but allows for proper form, start with 5 lbs. If you can do 8-10 reps correctly and rather easily, then you're ready to move to the next level. If you struggle with doing just a few reps correctly, then the weight is too heavy.

SQUAT

DO:

• Keep feet shoulder-width apart

• Keep your weight in the heels

• Keep buttocks down and parallel with knees as if you were about to sit in a chair

• Place arms in front for balance

• Keep shoulders down and head looking forward

DON'T:

• Have knees too far forward over the ankles or feet

• Look down or have head tucked in towards chest

• Have weight going forward on to toes

• Hunch shoulders up and forward pull-up

PULL-UP

DO:

• Squeeze the shoulder blades tight and together to help propel you up

• Keep the core tight

• Keep hips facing forward and in line with body

• Keep a neutral spine with hips back

DON'T:

• Hunch forward or down toward your knees -- this is not an ab exercise

• Look down, bend head back or to the side

• Use legs to get you upward

• Hold your breath

• Hunch shoulders toward ears

PUSH-UP

DO:

• Keep a neutral spine with buttocks in line with the body

• Keep the core sucked in and tight

• Place chest over the arms and shoulders

• Keep elbows tucked into the sides at 90 degrees

• Keep fingers spread and facing forward

DON'T:

• Drop or sag the hips down toward the ground or resting on the ground

• Hunch the shoulders up to the ears

• Raise buttocks in the air

• Push arms and elbows out to the sides or have shoulders too wide

• Look slightly forward to not strain the neck

MODIFICATION: drop to the knees if regular push ups are too difficult.

SIT-UP OR CRUNCH

DO:

• Place elbows behind the neck with arms out to side, out of view from the corner of your eye

• Keep feet placed flat and firmly on the floor, hip-width apart

• Keep head and eyes looking upward at ceiling

• Breathe in on the way down and exhale on the way up

• Keep the navel and belly sucked in

DON'T:

• Pull on the neck or bend elbows in toward the head when crunching upward

• Hold your breath

• Look down or off to side

• Have legs and feet too close to the buttocks or too close together

• Arch the lower back to help get you up