The Right Way to Video Your Lifts at the Gym

I used to feel awkward and awkward pointing a camera at myself at the gym. My thoughts went something like this: I’m not a selfie-obsessed influencer. What do people think of me? But I’ve changed my mind: I now take out my pocket tripod to film myself at least once during every workout, and my lifts are better for it.

If you work out at a gym, you’ve probably noticed that people are filming their lifts more often these days. While some of them can Be obnoxious TikTokers (and we’ll talk about etiquette below), there are plenty of good reasons to want to document what you do on video. You can rate your effort and technique, share the videos with a trainer, or use the videos to share your workout with friends and gym buddies on the Internet.

The advantages of filming your elevators

Before entering howlet’s talk about it Why. There are very good reasons to film yourself lifting.

Checking your form

If I’m training alone, I film because I’m looking for some of the feedback I would otherwise get from an in-person coach. But even when my coach is right thereI always take videos of my heaviest or most important lifts of the day. I can match the feedback he gives me (good or bad) to what I see in the video. I also have a recording of the day’s lifts that I can return to later.

A better return than a mirror

It’s also good to learn how to use video to adjust technique rather than looking in a mirror. While a mirror is perfect for, say, bicep curls or lateral raises, you’ll want to learn how to lift weights without one if you’re interested in powerlifting, powerlifting, or crossfit (and these gyms almost never have mirrors.) Turning your head to look at yourself can mess up your body position, and paying attention to how you look at yourself in the mirror can interrupt your concentration. Not to mention that your perspective in a mirror changes as your body moves. You don’t actually get an accurate view of the depth of your squat with a mirror, but a good video will tell you the truth.

Measure the effort

A video also helps you assess how you really feel. Time slows down when you’re struggling: if a pull-up takes more than a split second, it feels like hours. I pull, I struggle, I barely move a millimeter. Sometimes I almost give up because I feel like I just can’t complete the movement. But then I’ll watch the video and see that my perceived hours of struggle were just a momentary blip on a rep that ends up being totally solid.

Even for something as subjective as RPE (rating your “perceived exertion”), video is helpful. I remember years ago receiving feedback from my online coaches that my “RPE 8” deadlifts seemed too easy. So I looked other people’s RPE 8 deadlifts, and there was a distinct difference in effort. Comparing my videos to theirs helped me determine what level of effort I was really looking for.

How to make a good lifting video

Whether the videos are for you, for your coach, or just to show off for the ‘gram, they will be more useful if you can get a good sense of yourself.

Use a tripod

Leaning your phone against something on the ground can work in a pinch, but you can’t actually see much of a heavily distorted video taken from a bird’s-eye view. (If there’s a bench or chair available, set your water bottle on the bench and lean your phone against it.) I’ll say more about equipment below, but a selfie stick tripod like this is a simple option. It extends to the waist and can stand alone on the gym floor. It also folds up small enough to fit in your gym bag or even your sweatshirt pocket.

And yes, you TO DO you want to prop your phone on some sort of object (tripod or other) rather than asking a friend to hold the phone. Portable videos tend to be harder to watch. If the person walks around you or adjusts the zoom while you lift, this is incredibly distracting and often cuts off important information. Even if they stay still, there is often still enough movement to cause a problem.

Shoot at a 3/4 angle

It’s tempting to take a video from the side or directly in front of you, but crucial information will be missed. A side view of your squat can show if your thighs are parallel to the floor, but it won’t show if your knees are collapsing. For most lifts, a 3/4 view – not exactly from the side or front, but somewhere in between – will give the most useful information.

For similar reasons, you’ll want to put your entire body in the frame. Especially if you’re showing your video to a trainer or friend for a fitness check, they’ll want to see anything that might affect your lifting, including, say, your feet.

Check lighting and position before starting

I use the front-facing camera so that as soon as I walk into frame, I can take a look and see that I have everything set up correctly. If there is a window behind you and you are backlit, or if you are halfway to the camera, fix it before you start your lift.

But once you start, ignore the camera. Do your lift as you normally would (only look in the mirror if that’s what you always do) and don’t look at the camera again until After you complete the lift.

Cut your damn videos

No one wants to watch you spend 30 seconds adjusting the camera and getting ready for your lift. Even if the video is just for you, You I probably don’t want to watch that either.

You need to take a few minutes of rest between sets anyway, so use this time to cut up your videos. On iPhone, simply start watching the video, press pause, then tap Edit. You can trim the beginning and end of the video directly from this screen, then choose to overwrite the original file or save the trimmed version as its own copy. (Choose the new file if you think you’ll want to refer to your setup later; otherwise, cutting the original is fine.)

My favorite tripods and equipment

As I mentioned above, a selfie stick tripod comes in handy at the gym. It fits in your bag or pocket and you can easily fold it up when you’re not using it. The one at this link is the one I’ve used the most over the years. I usually use it for a year or two before something breaks, usually the mechanism that holds the phone together.

That’s why I’ve recently switched to tripods that have a MagSafe-style mount, like this one. If your phone has this type of magnet on the back, your life becomes much easier. Simply snap your phone onto the magnet and it stays in place, with no adjustment to the width or thickness of the phone.

I haven’t used a water bottle with a magnetic backing, although every time I see them advertised I think “oh, that’s clever.” If I have a water bottle, I can lean my phone on it, no special devices needed. A water bottle still needs something to raise it to a suitable height (like a chair or bench), so it’s not really a replacement for a floor tripod.

I have a phone holder that can magnetize to a nearby machine or squat rack, but I have mixed feelings about it. If you can find a squat rack positioned at the perfect distance from where you’re training, And no one uses it, great. (Make sure the phone holder is one you can tilt toward you, not just a flat magnet.) But usually there’s nothing in the right place, and you end up with a worse angle than if you used the bench and water bottle trick. I use mine in my home gym, where I have a metal pole in a convenient location. I don’t find this helpful when going to a commercial gym.

Gym Etiquette When Taking Video

To answer the questions I know you have on your mind: Yes, it is OK to film your weight lifts in a gym (unless the gym has a rule specifically prohibiting it, of course). And no, people won’t think you’re weird, as long as you make sure to do it politely and respectfully. Here’s how.

Keep Others Out of the Frame

If possible, position your camera so that other people are not in the video (or at least not their faces). You definitely shouldn’t publicly post a video with other people, but even if the video is for your private use, people may notice that they’re on camera and feel weird about it.

Stay away

Do not place your tripod in a busy aisle or in an area where you may disturb others. If you want to use an unoccupied bench to prop up your phone, that’s okay.for a moment. Don’t leave it there for your entire workout. And consider, again, using a tripod: it’s much easier to miss a phone on the ground and accidentally trip over it than a tripod that’s obviously in someone’s path.

Gym practice takes precedence over filming

We’ve all seen those TikToks where someone gets angry at a passerby who walks into the frame. I’m convinced that most of these videos are fake (outrage drives engagement), but you obviously don’t want to be that person. Practicing in a space takes priority over using your camera. That said, if the place is busy, just communicate like a normal human being. I work out at a gym where people are usually filming each other and everyone is very friendly and makes space for each other. Someone might even offer to share their tripod.