bfit4life
27 Oct, 2008

Ask the Coach: Chest Press and Body Movement

Question

I am a beginner in weight training and I wanted to know why my legs move when I am performing a chest press. What do I need to do to prevent this happening and how can I improve the weights I lift?

Answer

pictureWhen anyone lifts a dumbbell or barbell the initial adaptations in the body are neural. This means that the body is improving the inter-muscular co-ordination between the communication between the brain and the body and it is learning how to lift. During your first biceps curl the body might only allow you to recruit 30% of the muscles of the biceps because it needs to learn to switch on muscles that it needs and switch off muscles that it doesn’t. This is evident in the beginner in weights who attempts to perform a chest press exercise but is also moving there head and legs at the same time. As you repeat the exercise more frequently, communication in the body improves and it allows you to recruit more muscle fibres and hence the weights you are lifting improve.