WITH GYMS CURRENTLY closed, the popularity of working out from home has unsurprisingly skyrocketed, and many of us are turning to social media for quick and free fitness routines.
The video-sharing app TikTok has become hugely popular in the past year, and millions of people are using the app for their workout inspiration. There have been 27.6 billion views of videos with the hashtag ‘workout’, known as ‘FitTok.’
With no checks on the fitness advice given on TikTok, there is a risk that the routines and techniques are, at best, ineffective or, at worst, could cause injury.
Personal trainer, Maiken Brustad, analysed TikTok video footage for hours, across a range of workouts and graded them based on the technique and form.
Common mistakes that Maiken was looking out for include: elbows not placed under the shoulders during planks, landing on your toes when doing squat jumps, not keeping your chest high while lunging, and bending your back during deadlifts, as well as lots of others.
The findings revealed that over a quarter (27%) of TikTok workouts contained influencers using a short or incorrect form, meaning the advice they were giving was not suitable to follow.
Shockingly, 5% of videos viewed by Maiken were given the lowest score possible, with comments including, “this is back injury central”, “definitely not a video I would use” and “it’s a no from me.”
The analysis showed that the exercise incorrectly executed the most was a kettlebell swing – a move using kettlebells to work your core, shoulders, quads, hamstrings, glutes, and back.
Common issues with this movement include not driving through the hips and only using arms, not locking your hips or squeezing the glutes enough in the top position, not ‘packing’ the shoulders, leaning too far forward, and not keeping the chest high. Of the videos watched which included kettlebell swings, 80% had incorrect form.
Sometimes known as the ‘king of lifts,’ deadlifts were another move that many influencers performed incorrectly. This popular exercise is where you lift a barbell off the ground to hip height while standing.
Common mistakes made while performing this exercise included keeping the weights too far from the body, bending the back, not ‘packing’ the shoulders, and looking up instead of ahead.
The research showed that 57% of these two exercises performed on TikTok were poorly executed.
A massive 42% of renegade row moves, another weighted exercise where you’re in a plank and lifting a weight one hand at a time, were shown with the incorrect form on TikTok.
Top 10 Exercises Performed Incorrectly:
- Kettlebell Swings – 80% incorrect
- Deadlifts – 57% incorrect
- Renegade row – 42% incorrect
- Plank – 37.5% incorrect
- Lunges- 37.5% incorrect
- Burpees – 33% incorrect
- Side plank – 28% incorrect
- Squats – 14% incorrect
- Leg raises – 13% incorrect
- Push-ups – 12% incorrect
People can use apps like TikTok to get inspired to get fit, but not using the correct form can lessen their workout’s impact or even cause them an injury.
Super-A recommends taking new exercises slowly and, if you’re using weights, start very light. If possible, research the person who’s made the workout and look for influencers with professional personal training backgrounds.
