If you have heard a workout instructor or yoga teacher say “make sure you are doing good quality reps here!” And have thought to yourself… what does that even mean? … you’re not alone.

Sometimes instructors can be really helpful and explain what they mean by this with helpful cues, but sometimes people just assume we know what “good quality” means when it comes to exercise.

Here are a few things to keep in mind while working out that will help keep your movements “high quality” (yeah baby!)

1. Having control of your trunk and limbs. If you’re doing a bicep curl and your torso moves forwards or backwards as you lift and lower the weight, then you don’t have full control of the movement and instead the movement of the weight is influencing your body. If you’re lifting a weight above your head and you flare your ribs forwards and body roll the chest to get it above your head, you’re using momentum to get the job done instead of the shoulders for example. I’m definitely not advocating rigidity or implying that you should be motionless throughout the body while performing a movement, (being fluid and mobile have their benefits as well!), but paying attention to whether or not you’re giving up control of one area to complete a movement somewhere else can be helpful. Likely once you pay a bit more attention to this it will improve and you’ll get more bang for your buck out of the exercise!

2. Maintaining balance. This is just another aspect of keeping control, but being able to hold a position for a second or 2 before transitioning into the next one will force you to use all those stabilizing muscles which in turn help to support your joints! This can be especially hard when moving through single leg positions in yoga or during a workout.

3. Be mindful of your workout posture. Try not to “sag” or “droop”. Thinking about actively pushing the floor away from you without actually coming out of a squat, a lunge or a plank – this will force you to engage the muscles you’re likely trying to target with that exercise. If you find that you can’t finish the number of sets or reps you’ve set out to do without sagging into your posture, you’re likely getting tired and you might be better to take a break and try to finish the reps when you’re energy cup is a little more full.

I hope these tips are easy enough to remember and implement into your workouts whether it be cycling, yoga, weight lifting, HIIT workout etc.

Check out the rest of the Maternix Blog for more free physiotherapy information!

More Pregnancy and Postpartum Courses will be coming out for the end of April and into May so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading! Happy Friday everyone.

– Tara Campbell, PT