CH 15: EXERCISE TECHNIQUE FOR FREE WEIGHT & MACHINE TRAINING

Pronated Grip

Palms down and knuckles up (also called overhand grip)

Supinated Grip

• Palms up and knuckles down (aka underhand grip)

Neutral Grip

• Knuckles point laterally as in a handshake 

Alternated Grip

• Uses one hand in pronated grip and other in supinated grip

Hook Grip

• Similar to pronated grip except thumb positioned under index and middle fingers 

Grip Widths 

Common, wide and narrow

STABLE BODY & LIMB POSITIONING 

• Stable position enables athlete to maintain proper body alignment during exercise → places appropriate stress on muscles and joints (required for both free weight and machine exercises) 

5-Point Body Contact

• Position provides stability for seated or supine exercises 

  • Head placed firmly on bench or back pad

  • Shoulders and upper pack placed firmly and evenly on bench or back pas

  • Buttocks placed evenly on bench/seat

  • Right and left feet flat on floor 

Range of Motion & Speed

• Full ROM max value of exercise and improves/maintains flexibility 

• Slow controlled movements increase likelihood that full ROM can be reached → quick movements appropriate for power exercises 

Breathing Considerations

• Sticking point most strenuous movement of rep → occurs soon after transition from eccentric to concentric phase 

• Exhale through sticking point + inhale during less stressful phase of rep 

Valsalva Maneuver

• Breathing for experienced and well-resistance trained athletes performing structural exercises 

• Assists in maintaining proper vertebral alignment and support + establish neutral spine and erect upper torso for many exercises 

• Expiring against closed glottis combined w/ contracting abdomen and rib cage muscles = rigid compartments of fluid in lower torso and air in upper torso 

Weight Belts 

• Should be worn: when performing exercises that place stress on lower back + sets that involve near-max or max loads

• Not needed: exercises do not stress lower back + do stress lower back but light loads 

Free Weight Exercises

• Free weight exercises performed with: bar moving over head, positioned on back, racked on front of shoulder, passing over face (do not spot power exercises) 

• Dumbbell movements: spot up by wrists to not change trajectory of movement 

Equipment Involved Exercises

• Overhead exercises and those with bar on back or front shoulders 

• Performed inside power rack with crossbars in place at appropriate height

• Out of rack exercises (ex: forward step lunge or step-up) with heavy weight can result in serious injury

• These exercises should be executed only by well-trained and skilled athletes and spotted by experienced professionals 

Over-the-Face Exercises

• Spotter must grasp bar with alternated grip (usually narrower than athlete's grip) 

• Use alternated grip to pick up bar and return it to floor but supinated grip to spot bar 

Number of Spotters

• Determined by load, experience and ability of athlete and spotters, physical stretch of spotters 

• Communication: use of liftoff, how many reps, timing of assistance