“I Was Filming Before the Internet”: Mike O’Hearn Shares Benefits of Filming Gym Clips to Ensure Longevity

Mike O’Hearn is someone who has been in the realm of bodybuilding for decades. The former Mr. Universe showcased the same when he talked about how he was filming his training sessions long before it became a thing on the internet. The 55-year-old explained that he was filming himself performing particular exercises even before social media was invented. However, he had a different purpose than most people who film themselves just to post on social media.

In his latest clip about how to prevent injuries in the gym, Mike O’Hearn said he used to film himself doing squats. The bodybuilding icon delved into competitive powerlifting in his youth. While filming in the gym wasn’t as easy as pointing your iPhone’s camera and pressing record, he still did it. O’Hearn called it “game footage.” But why did he engage in the same?

Mike O’Hearn filmed for his benefit

The former competitive powerlifter said, “I was filming before the internet. My dad would go and film my squats.” O’Hearn explained that he needed to make sure he was hitting the required “depth” during heavy squats. The 55-year-old clarified that if he wasn’t hitting depth in the gym, he would “miss it at the (powerlifting) meet.”

So Mike O’Hearn filmed certain movements to fix mistakes and make adjustments to his form. Reviewing the VSH footage also helped the power bodybuilder figure out weaknesses. The body often compensates by overworking certain muscles because another muscle isn’t strong enough to handle the movement. This results in injuries and damages your longevity in the gym.

In fact, Mike O’Hearn mentioned how he saw “pressure (building) in the shoulder,” during the exercise and thought he might “blow something.” So, the powerlifter made the required adjustments in his squat to avoid a potential injury. “It’s just those little details of game film. Watch it over and over, and be honest with yourself,” advised the American Gladiator star.

However, simply filming isn’t enough, as O’Hearn reveals further.

O’Hearn advocates paying attention to your anatomy

While a person needs to correctly execute an exercise to remain injury-free and reap the benefits, one needs to pay attention to their unique anatomy. Every person has unique anatomical features that require certain adjustments to every exercise. Mike O’Hearn advises his viewers, especially older lifters, to keep that in mind during their training.

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Forming a mind-muscle connection during a lift is crucial in helping identify what needs to be changed. So, Mike O’Hearn implores that you must “control” the movement instead of simply “going through the motion.” While strength training is important to ensure longevity and fitness, one must do it properly to avoid severe injury.

What do you think of O’Hearn’s advice about filming oneself and using the same to iron out mistakes in your workout regimes? Let us know in the comments below.

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