“You need to fix your form.”

Cool, cool. Fix it to what, exactly?

Here’s something that doesn’t get talked about enough in fitness spaces: perfect form doesn’t exist. And I don’t mean that in a “don’t worry about it” way. I mean it literally.

There is no universally correct way to squat, deadlift, hinge, or press that applies to every single human body. The research backs this up, and honestly so does just… looking around any gym.

Here’s why. Your body is not the same as anyone else’s body. Limb length, hip socket depth, shoulder structure, mobility history, injury history, all of it affects how a movement looks on you.

Two people can squat with completely different stances, different depths, different torso angles, and both be moving *well* for their body. Neither one is wrong.

So what does “good form” actually mean then?

It means your body is positioned in a way that lets the stress of the lift be spread across the right muscles, instead of dumping all of it into one joint or one spot. It means you’re bracing, you’re in control, and the movement is working *for* you. It doesn’t mean you look like the person in the YouTube tutorial.

The fixation on perfect form also creates a big problem where people are so afraid of doing something “wrong” that they either don’t start, don’t progress, or spend more time overthinking than actually lifting. (I see this constantly, for what it’s worth.)

Now, does form matter? Yes. Absolutely. There’s a difference between “form looks different on different bodies” and “grip it and rip it with no awareness whatsoever.”

General principles still apply: brace your core, keep the weight manageable (especially as you are learning), know the basics of the movement, and adapt as needed. 

If something feels *wrong*, that’s worth paying attention to. Take a video of yourself to review, send it to your coach, or talk about it with us in person. Don’t have a coach (wink wink) it’s still super valuable to video yourself and look at it. 

But chasing perfect? That’s a moving target that doesn’t exist. What you’re actually chasing is *good enough to move well, stay safe, and keep getting stronger.* And that looks a little different on everyone.

Your form doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be yours.

Don’t know where to start with your form?