Stop Sabotaging Your Workouts: Fix These Dumbbell Form Mistakes First
If you’ve ever felt like you were putting in the work but not seeing results, if you’ve struggled with little aches and pains, or if you’ve ever second-guessed whether you’re doing a move correctly—this episode is for you.
Because the truth is: form is everything. It’s not just a “nice to have”—it’s the foundation of everything we do in strength training.
In this episode, I discuss:
Why form matters so much
How poor form triggers injury
Signs your form might be off
The most common dumbbell form mistakes I see
How to fix those common mistakes so you can keep making progress and feeling good while you do it
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Transcript:
00:00
Hey there, beautiful human, you're listening to Embrace your Real with me, julie Ledbetter, a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I dish you a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace your real, let's get it. Let's go. Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace your Podcast.
00:31
Today, we're talking all about form. If you've ever felt like you're putting in the work but you're not seeing results in your workouts, or if you struggled with little aches or pains, or if you've ever second guessed whether you're doing a move correctly, this episode is for you, because the truth is, form truly is everything. It's not just a nice-to-have, it's really the foundation of everything that we do in strength training. And so today I'm breaking down why form matters so much, what signs to watch out for when your form is off, and the most common dumbbell form mistakes that I see, plus how to fix each one so that you can keep making progress and feeling good while you do it. Before we dive in, I want to share this review. It comes from Nicole Hugh Ashley, or Nicole Hughes Ashley, maybe. She gave a five-star review and said long-time follower, I've been following Instagram and the podcast forever because when I start to feel like I'm back tracking or not making progress, this advice from this platform always brings me back to a good headspace. I love this so much. Thank you so much, nicole, for taking time out of your day to send in this review. I'm so grateful that this podcast helps you so, so much in terms of just getting your headspace back and just reminding you that you are doing great and to give you that pep talk that you needed. Okay, so this episode is going to have four different parts, so let's kind of start with part one, which is why form matters more than weight.
01:50
Okay, so, first things first, let's talk about why form even matters in the first place. When you're doing an exercise with proper form, you're actually targeting the muscles that you want to target Like, you're creating the right amount of tension, you're working through that full range of motion and you're allowing your body to move in a way that's safe and effective. But when your form is off, even just a little bit, you take the tension off the right muscles and you place it somewhere else, and that not only reduces the effectiveness of the movement, but it also increases your risk of injury. Let me give you an example. Let's say you're doing a deadlift, a Romanian deadlift. If your back is rounding even a little bit, you're not only missing out on that glute and hamstring gains and that activation that you can be getting, but you're also loading your spine in a way that's not built to handle that and that is a fast track way to pain and long-term problems, especially in that lower back. The other issue with the poor form is that you are likely not going to be progressing as efficiently Like you could be, training consistently and still not seeing results, because you're not creating the kind of mechanical tension that stimulates that muscle growth. Remember that muscles don't just grow because you're trying it. They actually grow because you're challenging it properly. Oftentimes we think heavier weight equals better results, but if you're sacrificing form to lift heavier, you're not going to be building more muscle, you're just going to be moving more weight with less benefit and more risk. I'd rather you use 10 pounds with perfect form than 20 pounds with this sloppy form any day of the week, because in the long run that perfect form is going to take you so much further.
03:21
So, now that you kind of understand that, let's get into part two, which is how poor form triggers injury. So let's take a second to talk about injury, because this is where poor form really starts to show up. When we move with improper form, our joints, our connective tissues oftentimes end up absorbing the stress that our muscles should be handling, and, over time, that leads to inflammation, overuse, injuries and even some acute injuries like strains or sprains. So if you've been lifting for a while and you're constantly dealing with tight hips, cranky shoulders, sore knees, a stiff lower back, those are typically red flags that your body is telling you that something is off. The good news is, though, that oftentimes, correcting your form is the fix. Like you don't need to stop working out, you don't need to drastically change your program, you just need to dial in your movement mechanics so that you're not reinforcing these bad patterns. But how do you actually do this? This leads me to part three, which is signs that your form might be off.
04:19
So let's kind of talk about something that can totally make or break your workouts, and that is form. I know that it can be tempting to just jump into a workout and focus on getting it done, but how you move through each rep actually truly matters. Even if you're showing up consistently, if your form is off you might not be getting the results that you want and, worse, you might be setting yourself up for injury without even realizing it. So how can you tell if your form is off? Well, let me kind of walk you through a few common signs to look for. First, if you're feeling an exercise in your joints more than muscles, that oftentimes is a red flag. You should feel your muscles working, not your knees, elbows or lower back taking the load. Next, if you are waking up sore in places that you didn't even mean to target, that could mean another muscle group was overcompensating because the right one wasn't firing properly in the movement. And another big one is that you find yourself using momentum to get through a rep, like you're swinging the weights or you're using your whole body to move them. That is a clear indicator that the weight is too heavy or your form needs adjusting. And also, if you're halfway through a set thinking, wait, I can't even feel the muscles I'm supposed to be working, that's a sign to really pause and assess and make sure that you're always trying to work the exercises that you're supposed to be targeting and really try to pay attention to see if that muscle is actually being executed when you are doing and performing the movement in that exercise. And finally, if you're rushing through sets, losing control of the weight or just trying to power through, that typically means that your form is taking a back seat to the speed.
05:55
The last thing that we need to address here, before we move on, is when you're working out, it's super important to know the difference between actual pain and simply feeling the burn, because, let's be honest, knowing this difference is key to training safely and effectively and how it can make or break your fitness progress. So how can you spot the difference? Well, pain is oftentimes typically sharp, sudden stabbing. It oftentimes feels wrong from the get-go and it might occur like in your joints or your tendons or your ligaments. Pain is your body's way of yelling like hey, something is not right here, and it usually indicates an injury or a muscle strain or improper form, meaning that you should definitely stop the movement and reassess what's going on.
06:36
On the other hand, feeling the burn is this gradual buildup of intensity and fatigue that will typically oftentimes feel really deep in your muscles during workout. It's often caused by this lactic acid buildup as your muscles work harder to reach their limits. This burn isn't harmful. In fact, it's a good sign that you're challenging your muscles enough to grow and get stronger. It typically feels like a steady warmth, tightness or like kind of just exhaustion within the muscle that you're targeting. A simple test to kind of test them and tell them apart is if the sensation is steady, deep and slowly intensifying as you do more reps or sets, you're probably feeling the burn. Keep going. That's exactly where you want to be.
07:18
But if the sensation comes on suddenly sharply or feels like a tweak or a pinch, I want you to pause immediately. I want you to reassess your form, lighten the weights or even switch movements to avoid injury. The bottom line is push yourself and embrace the burn. That's progress, but always listen carefully to what your body is telling you, okay. So if any of that sounds familiar, I want you to know that you're not alone. These things happen to so many of us, especially when we've been lifting for a while without feedback or guidance, and that's exactly why, inside my Moot with Julie app, every single workout comes with a video demonstration and there are a lot of written form cues for most movements. So if you're ever second guessing whether you're doing something right or you just need a quick refresher, you can pop open the app. You can look at it. Feel free to always message us in the app. We are more than happy to help walk you through something if that's what you need. We are here for you and we want to make sure that you are moving in a way that's safe, intentional and effective.
08:12
Now for the most kind of important part of this episode, which is part four, and this is common dumbbell form, mistakes and fixes. So dumbbell squats. Let's kind of start with squats, one of the most foundational movement patterns in strength training. But even though it's basic, it's also very easy to do incorrectly, and one of the biggest mistakes that I see is these knees caving inward as you squat down, and this usually means that your hips, your outer hips and your glutes are not fully engaged and your body's actually relying on your knees for stability. Over time, this can lead to that knee discomfort or even injury.
08:47
Another common issue is that your heels are lifting off the ground. If you ever notice your weight shifting onto your toes as you lower down, that's a sign that your ankles are tight or your hips aren't moving properly. And finally, I see a lot of people collapse their torso forward, which is actually going to put stress on the lower back instead of keeping the work in your legs and glutes. So how do we fix that? Well, really start by setting your feet you know, shoulder width apart for most of squats and your toes turn slightly outward as you squat down. I want you to think about pushing your knees out in line with your toes, not letting them cave in and keep your chest lifted and your core braced the entire time to avoid folding forward. Also, make sure that those heels are planted into the ground. Your weight should be evenly distributed between your heels, your midfoot, not up on your toes.
09:37
One of my favorite cues for squats is to imagine sitting back into a chair. This really does help you to shift your weight into your glutes and keep your knees tracking properly. You should feel this movement primarily in your glutes, in your quads and hamstrings, not in your lower back or knees. All right, number two Romanian deadlifts. So let's talk about RDLs. This is such a powerful movement for really building your glutes and hamstrings, but only if you're doing it right, one of the biggest mistakes that I see people make with RDLs is really rounding their back as they lower the weights, like this usually happens when you're not keeping your core engaged or you're letting those dumbbells drift too far away from your body. And when that back rounds, that's when the tension is going to shift away from your glutes and hamstrings and the pressure goes right into that spine, which is something that we don't want. And this happens when you bend at the knees too much instead of hinging at the hips.
10:31
A proper RDL is all about that hinge hip, not about bending the knees like a squat. So that is the big difference you are not bending your knees like a squat, you are instead hinging at the hip. So instead of sitting back into a chair, you are hinging at the hips, which I will give you kind of a mental demonstration or mental note that you can keep in mind when you are doing RDLs, because oftentimes I see people lock out their knees entirely and that's going to limit your range of motion and can put a lot of stress on those joints. So how do we fix it? We'll start by standing tall, holding a pair of dumbbells in front of your thighs, soften your knees slightly and then think about pushing your hips back, as though you are trying to close a car door with your glutes. So literally, shift those hips back. You are hinging at the hip and just imagine this car door is open and you're trying to close it with your butt. As you are hinging your hip back, your spine should stay long and neutral the entire time, no rounding, no arching. And so as you lower the weights, keep them close to your legs, almost like grazing your shins, and this is going to keep the load centered and help you feel that deep stretch in your hamstrings. So once you reach the point where you feel like those hamstrings are fully stretched usually right around that mid-shin level pause for a moment and then press through your heels, squeeze your glutes and then return to standing. This should be a smooth, controlled movement, not rushed. The key here again is hips back, hips forward. That's the hinge pattern hips back, hips forward, and when you get that right, you will feel it in your hamstrings and your glutes working. The key cue here is hinging at the hip, like that's the hinge pattern hips back, hips forward, and when you get that right, you will feel your glutes and hamstrings working like crazy.
12:20
Number three the bent over rows. So the bent over rows is another staple movement, especially when you're trying to build a strong back. You'll see it oftentimes programmed in my upper body workouts. We have tons of different variations, whether it's neutral grip, reverse grip, wide grip tons of different back rows. And again, it's really easy to let that form slip here if you're not paying attention. And one of the biggest mistakes that I see is standing too upright during the row. So if your torso is barely tilted forward, you're not going to be hitting your lats or your mid back properly. You're going to end up working your traps or even your biceps more than anything else.
12:54
And another common issue is the momentum to yank the weights up instead of using controlled motion and this overall control in the movement. This oftentimes happens when the dumbbells are too heavy, so you're choosing too heavy of a dumbbell for the movement, or your core is not braced, so your body ends up rocking back and forth to help lift the weight. And finally, some people shrug their shoulders instead of pulling with their back, and when that happens, the traps completely take over and your lats, which are the muscles that you're trying to work, miss out completely. So how to fix it? Simply start by hinging at your hips, similar to the RDL. Your torso should be almost parallel to the ground, with a flat back and a tight core.
13:35
I want you to let dumbbells hang directly beneath your shoulders and, as you row, pull the dumbbells back towards your hip crease, not your armpit. So the dumbbells pull them back towards your hip crease, not your armpits, and this angle really does help to activate your lats, your mid back, rather than just your traps. Keep your elbows close to your body and at the top of the movement, I want you to squeeze your shoulder blades together like you're trying to pinch a pencil between them, and then slowly lower the weights back down with control. The cue here that I love to use is pull with your elbows, not your hands. So pull with your elbows, not your hands. This is going to help shift the focus to your back muscles instead of letting your arms dominate the movement. Another way to really make sure that you are performing the proper form is you will always typically see if I do like an arm out bent over row, or if I do a double bent over row. I typically always have an alternate, which is like arm supported or knee supported on a bench or chair where that is going to help you. Again, if you're struggling with feeling it in your lower back or just feeling like you can't brace your core, you feel like it's not activating your back, try the arm supported or the knee supported first, because again, that's going to help you really to focus on the form of the movement before you take it to the arm out or even double back.
14:52
Row Number four is shoulder press. This is such a great move for building upper body strength and sculpting your shoulders, but form really does matter here, especially when it comes to protecting your spine. One of the biggest mistakes that I see with shoulder press is arching that lower back excessively. When the weights are overhead and this usually happens when your core isn't braced or the dumbbells are too heavy that arch might not seem like a big deal in the moment, but it puts tons of strain on that lower back. That arch might not seem like a big deal in the moment, but it puts tons of strain on that lower back. And another issue is flaring your elbows directly out to the sides, which puts the shoulder joint in a very vulnerable position, especially if you're dealing with any tightness or mobility limitations. So let's kind of fix that.
15:30
So, whether you're seated or standing, the first thing that you want to do is really brace your core, which I know sounds counterintuitive but you're doing the shoulder press actually does activate the core a lot, and so you want to make sure that you are bracing that core and making sure that your spine is very neutral. So think about zipping up through your core like you're putting on a tight pair of jeans. That will help to keep your ribs from flaring and your back from arching. I want you to start with your elbows slightly in front of your shoulders and your back from arching. I want you to start with your elbows slightly in front of your shoulders, not directly out to your sides. As you press the dumbbells overhead, keep the movement controlled. Don't lock out your elbows at the top. At the top of the press, your biceps should be next to your ears, not behind your head, and this really tells you that your spine is staying neutral and your shoulders are in a safe, strong position.
16:17
And one more tip is, if you're struggling to get the weights up without leaning back, go lighter. Form is always first, in my opinion. I do not want you to get an injury just from trying to lift your dumbbells overhead. Again, it's going to take time. I know sometimes we have to humble our ego and just say, okay, I'm going to go lighter first here, because I don't want to get an injury from just trying to get the weights up to the starting position of the shoulder press.
16:48
And last but not least, number five, chest press. So chest press is one of my favorites. I love it so much. It's super effective for building upper body strength, especially through that chest, shoulders and triceps. But if your setup is off or your control isn't there, this one can really go sideways super fast.
16:58
And a really common mistake is flaring your elbows straight to the sides. This position puts a lot of strain on your shoulder joints and can make the movement feel super awkward and painful. I also see people bouncing the weight off their chest, especially when they're trying to move like heavier loads. This when you do that, that completely takes the tension off your muscles and it puts your joints at risk. Finally, bending your wrist backwards during the press is a sneaky mistake. That can also lead to wrist discomfort and make it harder to control the movement. So if you find that your wrists are going completely backwards or even tilting backwards a little bit, then you are likely going to feel that this hurts your wrist when it shouldn't, especially if you're keeping that neutral wrist form. But some ways to fix it is either laying on a flat bench or if it's an incline bench, or the floor.
17:49
We do a lot of floor chest press in my program, with your feet planted, your core engaged, hold the dumbbells above your chest with your wrists straight and stacked over your elbows. As you lower that weight, keep your elbows at that 45 degree angle. For the majority of my chest press that I program inside the app it's that 45 degree angle from your torso. This position is going to protect your shoulders and keep the focus on your chest. Lower the dumbbells slowly, no bouncing, and stop just right above that chest before pressing back up. And your motion should be smooth. It should be slightly arched, not a straight line. I want you to think of the dumbbells moving in a gentle arc over your chest and, most importantly, I want you to keep your wrists in line with your forearms, no bending or letting them fall back. Your joints should be stacked and stable the entire time. So those are the exercises, the main movement patterns and exercises that I wanted to dive into today, because those are the main ones that I see oftentimes have form inconsistencies again, which can lead to injury, that can lead to imbalances, that can also lead to just feeling off in a movement. I would love to know what other exercises you might struggle with, so be sure to either send them my way in the app, or you can direct message me, or you can comment in the Facebook group. I love connecting with you guys and seeing what other movements I can help you with, but for today, we talked about the dumbbell squat, we talked about RDLs, we talked about bent over rows, shoulder press and chest press.
19:19
Now let me kind of recap those key points from today's episode. Number one form matters more than weight, because good form is what actually builds muscle and keeps the body safe. Number two if you feel it in your joints instead of your muscles, your form is likely off and that needs adjusting. Number three using momentum or swinging the weights means the load isn't staying in the muscle, and that's going to slow your progress. Number four you should always feel the muscle you're targeting. Even if you don't, it's time to pause and reassess your setup. Common mistakes like knees caving in, rounding your back or flaring elbows are fixable once you know what to look for. Number seven controlling your reps instead of rushing through them helps you to build that strength more efficiently and effectively. And, last but not least, number eight, improving your form reduces your injury risk and helps you get better results from the same amount of effort.
20:11
Again, if you listen and you feel unsure about whether you're doing a movement correctly, I created the Movement With Julie app for that reason. Inside the app, you don't just get workouts, you don't just get a PDF with the names of the movements. You get video demonstrations for every single movement and I do have a lot of written form cues for the majority of movements. And if you ever have to second guess something, check the demo, send us a message. We are here to help you. Beyond that, you're also getting programmed workouts that are structured for progressive overload. We are encouraging progressive overload through that move of the month and also you get to track your weight. So the next time that you see that same movement pop up in your weekly workouts you can say, okay, what weight did I do last time, how many reps did I do last time, and really try to implement that progressive overload so that you can get stronger in your workouts.
21:00
Also, these are designed to maximize your time while still giving you results. So you have 60 minute variation or a 30 minute variation for every single workout and all you need is a few pair of dumbbells and a small space. And if you do two days a week, three days a week, four days a week, five days a week, that's amazing. All you need to do is open up the app, tap the workout that you want to do, select 30 minute or 60 minute and then just go from there. Go at your own pace, so you can listen to music, you can listen to podcasts, whatever it is, and you can get your workout done and dusted and feel confident and knowing that you have gotten a solid programmed workout in a time efficient manner. If have gotten a solid programmed workout in a time efficient manner. If you want to learn more, you can go to salemovenwithjuliecom to get an entire first month at 50% off if you're a brand new subscriber. Again, that's salemovenwithjuliecom. I will go ahead and link that in the show notes below so that you can easily go check that out. But that is all that I have for today's episode.
21:55
I hope that you found this helpful. Love you so dang much. I mean it and I'll talk to you in the next one. All right, sister, that's all I got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter yes, it's with an A in the middle for that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real, because you're worth it.