If I had a dollar for everytime someone did something wrong or dangerous in weight training, well I wouldn't be blogging from my private island...that's for sure! Here are some Muscle Building tips you need to follow before you pick up the iron! Along with my tips, I'll be adding in photos that make me snicker to myself, just to keep things interesting. Enjoy!
1) Form is EVERYTHING: If you aren't doing an exercise with the form that was intended then not only are you not getting the intended benefit from the workout but you are also putting yourself at risk for injury. If you are unsure of how a certain exercise is done you need to research it, ask someone who does know (a reliable source please!), or just don't do it! If your form is slipping because of the amount of weight you are using, then you are not ready for that heavy of a weight and need to immediately decrease. Perfect your form with lighter weights before you move up.
2) Maximize each exercise: People get fixated with the size of the weights instead of the more important aspects of lifting. Make sure that you are doing full extensions of whatever move you are performing. I.E. a Bicep Curl should start from your arms dangling as far down as they can reach and be brought all the way to the shoulder, (but not touching the shoulder) Also, you need to really SQUEEZE, its not just about lifting and lowering, you need to focus all of your attention on the muscle you are working and squeeze on your way up (positive part of the rep) and have full control on the way down (negative part of the rep).
3) Isolation is Key: Many people "sling" weights. This not only a no-no according to rules 1 and 2, but rule 3 tells us that we need to use as much of the muscle that is currently being targeted as possible. Don't throw your hips forward, don't shrug your shoulders or put resistance on your neck, don't overgrip the weights, all of these things are making OTHER muscles do the work and you will not see increased strength in your targeted muscle. Sit on your bench for sets and focus on keeping your back upright and your core tight, make sure that your back is making light contact with the bench and is not arched, don't move your legs around (that means don't let them do the "this is heavy dance") if you can't keep still and need to move other parts of your body, your weights are too heavy and you need to decrease. Another trick to isolation is to focus on that muscle, not on what's for dinner, not on the pain, not on what is going on in the other room. If you are working chest, think chest!
4) Timing: This can be broken down into two topics. The first one would be timing of your sets and reps. Depending on what kind of set you are performing (single set, super set, progressive set, combo set, multi set) will determine the time you need to rest between sets. Start with your light warmup weights and end with your heaviest weights but get the proper amount of rest time between sets of the same exercise and make sure to take a 90 second break between switching exercises.
The other part of timing is knowing your tempo. Some exercises are performed with a simple 'up 2 down 2' tempo. meaning you lift your weight up in the positive motion for 2 counts and then you are lowering into your negative for 2 counts. Other exercises work best when focusing on the negative and you would want to lift for 1 count and lower for 3 counts. Different tempos will yield different results. Never rush through a set, that will get you little result. If you feel the need to rush....wait for it, wait for it....your weights are too heavy and you need to decrease!
Can you tell a huge mistake people make is lifting too heavy for their own capabilities? sure, you can brag what you are "slinging" but you are not maxing your potential and you are only taking longer to improve yourself and of course you are putting yourself at an increased risk of injury.
anyway back on track
5) Overgripping: I touched on this earlier but I wanted to add a bit more to it. When you grip your weights too hard you are doing a couple of different things. You are disbursing some of the weight to your wrists and forearms and not isolating your targeted muscle. By doing this you are giving your forearms more of a workout and they will fatigue quickly and make it harder if not impossible for you to get through the rest of your workout with the power you desire too.
6) Proper Fuel: Speaking of power you desire, if you are lifting weights on an empty stomach, you are not reaching your max potential. You need to have Carbohydrates in your system to burn as fuel, so eat a good source of starch at least an hour before your workout. Also consider a preworkout drink to help open up blood flow and circulation before training. Another mistake that women especially make is under eating. When you are not eating enough, your body starts to eat itself, and around 40% of what it is eating is your pre-existing muscle. If you want to gain muscle, and I assume that you do if you are lifting weights, then you will want to eat enough to sustain your current muscle mass and support new growth. Find out how much you should be eating and stick to it.
7) Symmetry: It is important to keep everything even when working out. You work out the left side of your body as much as the right side. This means when you are doing an exercise that is using both arms at the time they are coming up and going down at the same rate and always meeting in the middle. If you let one side do more of the work your muscles will develop disproportionately. Likewise, when doing a legs move for example, if you are tired after doing the left leg, take a short break and then do the exact same amount of reps on the right leg with the same weights. Also, make sure to train each of your muscle groups, do legs one day, arms another day, back, chest....you get the idea.
8) Stay Safe: This is obviously the number 1 rule, though my rules are in no particular order! Use clamps on bar exercises, when picking up your weights use power from your knees and not your back, use a spotter for heavier weights, keep your work area clear of tripping hazards, and stay focused on what you are doing!
Lifting weights is enjoying and has tons of benefits when incorporated into your lifestyle. Just make sure to follow the rules to get the best experience! Hope these tips helped, if you have tips feel free to share with me!
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