Gabriela Schmid

Beginners Guide to Lifting Weights



Posted: Friday, February 27, 2009

by Gabriela Schmid
Spacelocker

 
 
Some of the things you see at the high school gym just make you scratch your head (a zero-rep exercise), like these favorites: designer dog trying keep up with its owner on a treadmill (true!); guy jumping up and down on one leg with a loaded barbell across his shoulders.
If you care about how you feel the day after you work out, keep both feet on the floor when you put any weight on your shoulders. That's rule No. 1 in the gym. Six more follow:

2. Check your ego at your locker. C'mon, it's about a weight you can lift and lower in good form, not what you think is going to impress potential friends. How do you know what weight is right? If you jerk or swing the weight into position, you're overdoing it. Back off a few pounds or reduce the number of reps during your last set before you make a fool of yourself. Poor form increases your risk of injury, so choose a weight that's challenging and one you can lift and lower smoothly.

If your muscles want more fun and games at the end of your set, use the two-for-two rule: If you can complete two more repetitions than your goal for two consecutive training sessions, go ahead: add weight.

2. Take every other day off. Rest your muscles for 24 hours after every workout. Muscles build in two ways. First, lift to fatigue. Then rest so the muscle can rebuild itself stronger. Follow both steps, or forget about achieving your strength goals.

3. Reduce momentum. To get the full benefit of your workout, lift the weight for two seconds and lower it for four seconds. Excessive momentum leads to injury. Adding speed to a joint already struggling to deal with additional weight, and you get to know your physiotherapist better.

4.  Breathe. Exhaling as you lift keeps your blood pressure from rising and reduces the discomfort and possible injury associated with straining during activity. Strain does not equal effort. Exhale as you lift the weight. Inhale as you lower the weight. Thank yourself after your workout.

5. Choose free weights. Weight machines are fine for beginners, but since you already have good technique, choose a barbell or a set of dumbbells to add challenge to your exercise. Free weights force the body to balance and support itself while lifting. Activating the muscles used to balance when you lift weight improves core strength and endurance. This is how you operate in real life.

Exception: Novice lifters, lifters with a sore back, or lifters attempting heavy weight need the added support weight machines offer.

6. Lift with a goal in mind. Before you begin any weight-training program, decide what you want to achieve: Big muscles that look great in a T-shirt? strong muscles to lift heavy weight? muscular endurance to withstand multiple repetitions?

Gabriela is one of the publisher of Spacelocker.com the First Online School Locker
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