Imperfect Rep

Exercise has so much benefit to improving strength, improving sports performance, improving immune system, managing weight, improving cognitive health, and so forth at any age.  Performing exercises such as squats, bench press, deadlift, row and is great, however, the do require learning and practicing, just like anything else.

I have often been asked whether it is worth it to perform exercises, although they cannot do them perfectly.  My answer always has been “yes, it’s absolutely worth it.”.  If you ever learned something new for the first time, you realize you are not fluent in that skill.  This can be language, driving a car, cooking and in this topic exercise.  There is nothing wrong with making mistakes.  The great thing about training is, it is ok to fail because that is how we learn and get better from it.

In my sessions with my clients, I use the term “training” and “workout” in different meanings.  “Workout” to me is random series of exercises.  This may be useful for those who are new to exercising and want to try different things.  But at some point, it is important to add “training” to your routine. “Training” to me is to be able to do something that you were not able to do before.  This could be, able to squat properly.  This could be able to plank for 60 seconds.  This could be able to use the stairs without knee pain.  With training, the focus is on practicing your exercises.  When you get better, we add resistance to challenge your skill.  By adding resistance, we can see the flaws in your skill and know what we can do to improve the skill under resistance.  This is called progression.

Often time, I see people bypass practicing portion and go straight into resistance.  This means, you are challenging your skill based on skill that has never been practiced.  This is like entering a car race without ever driving a car before.  You may be able to start the engine and press the gas pedal to go forward but may not know with how much pressure you should press or when to use brake to perform well. This is the same with exercise.  Adding resistance to the exercise you’ve never done before may put you at risk for not knowing how to manipulate and lead into unnecessary injury. I see this all the time at the gym.

Practicing may sound boring and has no benefit besides improving that exercise, however, there are benefits.  The first benefit is you will be aware of your body mechanics.  Let’s take squats for example.  Squats is a very popular exercise and because of that you will see so many various articles and videos on how to perform it right.  However, there is a proper biomechanic that allows the movement to be efficient and that allows all the muscles to work together without placing too much strain on the joints.  There are several key points to squats, but this can vary from person to person since we are all structured slightly different.  So, what you may need to practice and what others may need to practice may be different although working on same exercise.  As you practice your exercise you should be thinking of what you are feeling in your movement.  And when (not if), you make a mistake, you will be aware of what went wrong and make adjustment.

The second benefit is even when you are practicing but failing, your muscle and brain are working with you to find the right pattern and does get stronger.  This learning portion of exercise is very important.  Remember, you are not just working on your muscles when you exercise.  The brain, ligament, tendon, heart, lung are all participating in improving.  This is like learning a new language. When learning a new language, not only does your brain have to memorize the grammar and vocabulary but your fascial muscles and breathing must be exercised to speak the language.  By practicing and failing, the body will learn how to get out from that failure and become stronger and more efficient through it.

The third benefit is you can use other exercises to help improve the exercise.  Let’s keep on using squats as example.  To complement the squats, other exercises such as lunges and step ups can be helpful.  Riding a bike to move the hips and knees is also useful as well. Depending on what struggle you may be experiencing there are exercise to help you improve in those area.  So, you can use other exercises to improve strength and movement pattern, while you are practicing squats. 

Lastly, practicing skills or exercise to improve performance requires a lot more energy than what people imagine.  Moving the body in a way that has never moved before or moving muscles that are stiff is a work itself. So if you have a weight loss goal, don't worry you are using more energy than what your smartwatch tells you.

What if you cannot do certain exercises because of physical issues such as joint issues or pain?  In any exercise there is a way to regress so that you can train or practice in your current condition.  Is it perfect?  No but you will have something to work with and progress from there.  If you were to practice squat 2-3 times a week along with other exercises that you can do to complement the movement for 6 months, what do you think would happen?  You may not squat all the way down like a powerlifters, but your joints and muscles can handle the movement better than before.

When you look at the athletes, there are no performance that are perfect. That is why they practice even when they win. There should be a struggle and failure in learning exercise and that is what "training" is. When you master the exercise, joy of success is out of this world. Imperfect rep is there to help us improve ourselves. Don't be scared of being imperfect at the gym.

Kota Shimada