Problems with basic movement patterns should be corrected before beginning a rigorous strength training program. I will outline some ways to improve your exercise form to allow the most effective workouts without injury. All exercise programs need a plan because “failing to plan is planning to fail!” The safe and effective plan is to use a strategy that: (1) fixes postural & movement flaws first, (2) strengthens the body second, and then (3) teaches dynamic power(speed) movements third. Exercise programs should follow these distinct phases of training: corrective, strength and then power.

The most successful training and rehabilitation institutes in the world use this format simply because it works. If you think about it logically, it involves fixing any existing injuries, postural problems and movement abnormalities at the beginning. Then improving balance, coordination, joint strength and alignment. After the body is properly aligned then you can make it strong and after that teach people how to move explosively.

A big mistake men and women make when they go to the gym is to immediately start out with strength training. Strength training involves adding progressively heavier weights to patterns of movement to make muscles stronger. The problem lies in that if the pattern of movement is faulty or there is improper muscle balance, joint range of motion or decreased flexibility then you are loading faulty joints with heavier and heavier weights! This results in either immediate or chronic injuries based on the amount of weight being used. Think of it this way: If the alignment is off on a car; you can drive the car, but the longer and faster you drive the more damage you do to the frame until eventually something gives out. The human body is no different. The number one source of exercise related pain and injury in men and women is poor exercise form.

If we were to continue the car analogy then we could say men are built like a truck and women like a sports car. The truck can take years of damage and rough driving before it wears out while the sports car gets damaged from any little bump in the road. Men have more muscle mass, heavier bones and larger nerve and blood vessel openings, so it takes longer for chronic injuries to manifest themselves. Women on the other hand, have lighter bone density, less muscle mass and smaller openings for all the nerves and blood vessels. Women are therefore more prone to exercise related injuries then men. So it is particularly important for women to begin an exercise program with an assessment of posture and basic movements. An exercise program without an assessment is like having a doctor operate before doing an examination.

The best way to assess your posture, movement and strength is to have an assessment performed by a qualified fitness professional, which should include: a detailed health & exercise history, body composition test, flexibility test, postural assessment and movement assessments of the basic patterns - squatting, bending, lunging, pushing, pulling and twisting.

If you do not have access to such a professional, there are some alternatives you can use. I would start by getting a copy of Dr. Michael Colgan’s “Perfect Posture” guide or, for a more detailed treatment, "Power Posture" by Lee Parore. Both books are available through the Fitness Books and DVDs page of TheFitWoman.com. These books offer concise explanations of what good posture is, why you need it, and self-tests & corrective exercises to improve posture and movement before engaging in other types of exercise.

Gordon Waddell, CSCS, is a certified personal trainer who is obtaining his Masters in exercise physiology, and provides expert consultation to http://www.TheFitWoman.com, a website of fitness equipment and weight training for women. Read more about Gordon Waddell at http://www.TheFitWoman.com/site/1396334/page/662335/.