Unless you enjoy getting injured, you should use good form at the gym.

But what exactly does good form mean, and how much of a difference does it make?

First, lets talk about the purpose of form.

For that, we turn toJordan Syatt, a world record powerlifter and Westside Certified Barbell instructor.

Building this habit makes you familiar with the lift once you do increase the weight.

Train the right muscle groups.

Bad form can lead to training the wrong muscle.

This one should be obvious.

If you lift with bad form, you risk injury.

Is there such a thing as textbook form in the gym?

Theres this notion that there is such a thing as perfect or textbook form.

But textbook form is a myth, because the ideal form depends on the individual.

If someone is doing something with textbook form, but it hurts them, is it really good form?

This changes over time because as you move and lift weights,

your

own form is changing.

Over time, as their own structure changes, they find that more symmetrical lifts become possible again.

Form is a hindrance in these cases.

You probably have, too.

So, what gives?

Health and fitness is rife with confusion, and exercise science is no different.

Exercise should never hurt, and pain is the number one signal to change something.

If it hurts while youre doing it, stop.

Change positions until you find something that works, or stop completely on that movement for the day.

When in doubt, let the feeling of the movement guide your decisions; avoid pain at all costs.

For example, lets say that youre doing adumbbell curl.

Conversely, you could go too easy with 10 pound weights.

Its possible to err too much on either side, so finding a suitable balance requires good judgment.

As a rule of thumb, its best for beginners to err on the lighter side.

Dont worry, youll still be building muscle, because youre doing something that your body isnt used to.

dont try a 200 pound bench press when your previous best is 135 pounds).

According to Jordan:

In this case, breaking parallel is arbitrary.

In fact, Id prefer them to stay above parallel if they feel discomfort with going parallel or below.

In other words, push yourself, but do so intelligently.

Just like healthiness, form is completely contextual.

Sure, professional guidance may be helpful, but the only person who can determine perfect form is you.