My TOP THREE TIPS for Recording the BEST Form Videos for Review!

What’s the ONE THING I firmly believe will help improve the set up and execution of the exercises in your training program so you can achieve the most efficient results?

Filming and reviewing your form! 

Hands down, no questions asked, I can attest to you that my own execution (and intensity) vastly improved when I started filming and sending videos to my own coach, and the StrongHer Athletes who film and send over videos for me to review are the ones who have achieved the BEST results in their program - regardless of how much training experience they had prior to joining their program. 

And while filming and sending over videos for review can 10000% help you achieve more efficient results, there are some things to keep in mind when recording that will help your coach, friend, etc. provide you with the most effective feedback.

So, let’s get into my TOP THREE TIPS for recording the BEST VIDEOS for review so you can combine next level programming with next level execution and safely, effectively, and efficiently build the strong, sexy, toned, badass body of your dreams! 

Tip One: Record from the SIDE 

This allows for you/your coach to evaluate joint angle and alignment as well as the alignment and travel path of the equipment being used.

As fun as it is (HEAVY on the sarcasm) to see RDL’s and squats recorded from behind in my feed, it’s not a super helpful angle to assess form.

*There are some exceptions where both a side and front or back view would be helpful (like a reverse), which your coach may request from you, but the side view is almost always most helpful and a great place to start.

TIP TWO: Get your WHOLE BODY in the shot if possible 

Again, this helps you (or your coach) to see EVERYTHING that’s going on from head to toe. You can’t know if your feet need to be adjusted if they aren’t in the shot or if you need to do a better job at keeping your chin tucked if your head is cut out. ⁠

Being able to see all of the equipment involved will also help your coach let you know if any of the settings need to be adjusted for better execution. For example, you may need to adjust the backrest in the leg extension to help align your knee with the pivot point of the machine, but your coach cannot know that if they can’t see it.

So, whenever possible, try to get most, if not all of your body and the equipment being used in the video. 

TIP THREE: Review your form AFTER recording; not during.

What NOT to do ^

The number one mistake I see made when recording videos for review is the athlete trying to look at themselves either in the mirror or through the camera WHILE they are recording. 

Trying to watch yourself and make adjustments WHILE recording will more than likely put you in a compromised position and potentially lead to injury. For every rep of every set you should be focused on what you’re doing at that moment. Once you have finished your set, you can review the video while you are resting, and make any tweaks you deem necessary the following set.

BONUS TIP: Trim your videos! 

If you’re recording videos to send to your coach, edit them down to the beginning of your first rep to the end of your last. Some coaches prefer that they be even shorter, but I like to see the full set so I can evaluate fatigue. If the entire set is easy breezy, then the client is encouraged to increase resistance.

And that’s a wrap! 

While this post is short, sweet and to the point, these three tips will vastly improve your recording skills and help you level up your exercises execution for safe, efficient progress towards your goals!