10 Workout Exercises You’re Doing Wrong
8. Chest Press and Chest Fly
This is another exercise that allows you to hit very hard to reach muscles very effectively, minimizing the amount of time and repetitions required to get the desired results.
As you might’ve guessed by now, form and the amount of weight being lifted are two common problem areas among individuals who perform this exercise.
The most common mistake with these two exercises is to allow the shoulder blades to round out (shift forward) during a press or fly motion.
This effectively shuts off your chest muscles and transfers the stress onto your shoulder muscles and also risks serious shoulder injury. For those with back injuries, it can also pose a significant risk of injury to your spine.
When performing the chest press, make sure that your shoulder blades stay back throughout the entire range of motion in the movement. A common tip that fitness professionals and instructors give their clients and students is to imagine that you are trying to hold something between your shoulder blades.
If you imagine this, it is easier to pinch the shoulder blades together in the correct manner, and makes you less likely to break form throughout the workout.
For the chest fly, as you bring the weights to the center of your body keep your shoulder blades back and squeeze the back muscles to ensure they are doing the work and not the muscles of the shoulder.
