3 Common Form Mistakes in Tabletop Exercises (+Workout Roundup)

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Joe had a nasty flu from Wednesday through the weekend so I’ve been on nurse duty the past few days. You have no idea how happy I am to see him go back to work feeling better. I was about to lose my mind loved taking care of him, but it’s good to see an end to the loud whimpering and overreacting pain.

I kid, I kid. But seriously this man cold vs. mom cold video sums up my weekend.

ANYWAY. As you guys know, I’ve been teaching megaformer classes for about three years now, and a bunch of the exercises done on the machine are based in a tabletop position. So at this point in my teaching career, I have seen just about every possible way to do tabletop exercises incorrectly–you’d be surprised how creative people can get! 😉

I thought it’d be helpful to go over the three most common form errors I see with tabletop exercises as it applies on and off the megaformer. You can watch in video form or keep reading for pictures and text.

Three Common Form Errors in Tabletop Exercises

Now if we’re talking yoga or dance, the following three “errors” might not be wrong at all. In fact, they feel pretty delicious when done as part of a yoga stretch. There may even be some exercises in which you should have uneven hips. Listen to your fitness instructor or trainer for guidance first and foremost; the following apply generally.

Arching the Back

Often we’re so focused on the glutes (or whatever the target muscle group is) that we forget about our core. Other times, we find that if we arch the back, we can get the leg up a little higher. But it’s important to note that a bigger range of motion isn’t always better. Make sure you’re engaging your abs throughout the tabletop exercise. Don’t counter an upward motion of the leg with a downward arch of the low back.

Leaning over to the Supporting Side

Ok not my most flattering angle, but this is really the best way to demonstrate the form error–and trust me, I tried every alternative praying they’d be better (LOL). Anyway, this issue pops up mostly with lateral exercises like fire hydrants and will be exaggerated the tighter you are through the hips. When lifting the leg laterally in a tabletop position, you want to keep the supporting hip stacked directly over the supporting knee; don’t lean over to the side. You’ll most likely find you can’t get your moving leg up as high if you do this–that’s OK!

Uneven Hips

I see this one most frequently if there’s an ankle weight or other resistance (bungee cord, etc.) on the moving leg/foot. You want to keep both hip bones the same distance from the floor (again, in most tabletop exercises, not all). Try not to roll the target hip open or let it drop down to the floor. Keeping your core and the supporting side glutes engaged will help with this.

WEARING | Lululemon tank c/o thredUP (old) // New Balance leggings c/o NB // adidas neo sneakers (sold out in white but the gray is cute!)

So now that you’re a pro when it comes to tabletop exercises, give one of the following workouts a try (only the first one has a video to go along with it). Looking at the older ones, I was actually guilty of a these form errors myself. Kinda cool to see how far I’ve come!

Tabletop Workouts

Let me know if you have any questions, and as always, I’d love for fellow instructors and trainers to chime in with additional form tips!

Also, over the next couple weeks, I’ll be including three holiday gift ideas at the bottom of posts so be sure to scroll down each day if you’re looking for some shopping inspiration. 🙂

Three Holiday Gift Ideas

• Casual fashion-lover | RAILS flannel button-downs are so ridiculously comfortable. The shirts are pricier ($148 for the long sleeved) but the quality is high and I wear mine all the time. I have the Hunter style in black, red and white and it’s currently on sale for $103. They have short-sleeved cuts, shirt dresses and bathrobes as well. Love this brand!
• Under $30, fitness-lover | Daniel Glass BPA-free glass water bottles come in fun colors and you can use the code PUMPSANDIRON for 10% off a purchase. Great stocking stuffer or Yankee Swap gift.
• Under $20, coffee-lover | The Love Bomb Co. has some seriously cute coffee mugs. I have their “Today I will manifest some cool ass shit” mug and I also love “You’re gonna be super good at adulting” and the Beauty & Beast set.

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Outfit links and first two gift idea links are affiliate.