WEIGHT TRAINING TIPS

WEIGHT TRAINING TIPS

BEFORE GETTING STARTED.

The most effective way to train and get into shape is through good preparation and taking all necessary precautions to train safely; especially when lifting free weights.

• I highly recommend consulting your physician prior to beginning any of these training programs.

• When you begin any training program, be sure to start off with a weight that you can control, one that is not too heavy for you to handle. Always begin with a lighter weight and gradually increase the amount of weight as you progress.

1. Motivation provides the energy needed until success is achieved. Success does not have to mean finishing first, but satisfaction that you've done your best and stayed focused toward your personal goals.

2. Always warm up properly. This can be done by spending 7-10 minutes on the exercise bike, treadmill, or walking track. Also be careful when stretching. Don't overdo it, especially when the weather is cool.

3. Muscle responds to resistance and stimulus. It doesn't know the difference between 100 lb. And 400 lb. So train the muscle by using proper form and technique. And keep the ego in check. When performing overhead pressing, rowing, or squatting movements, use a weight belt to protect the lower back.

4. In order to stimulate muscle mass, basic, explosive training of the muscle groups must be performed. For example, chest-bench press, shoulder-military, biceps-barbell curls, etc. Be mindful that it doesn't take a ton of weight to stimulate a muscle to grow, just the correct stimulus.

5. Many people use too heavy a weight during an exercise, resulting in imprecise, sloppy form, exercising their egos more than shocking muscles into growth.

6. It is the quality, not the quantity. Short intense workouts are more beneficial. A constant paced 40-45 minute workout using moderate weight, resting 30-35 seconds or less between sets accomplishes more than the heavy low rep, slow moving 2 hour workouts seen too often in gyms across the country.

7. It's smart to vary your training routine to keep the muscles stimulated.

8. Recuperation is key to results. Be sure to incorporate balanced rest periods into your training program. Remember training is approximately 25% of your fitness program. Nutrition, supplements, and proper rest are the crucial 75%.

9. It is permissible to miss a workout if you are physically under the weather. However, if you have had a long day, just cut back on the intensity and number of sets. For example, instead of doing four sets per exercise, only do two.

10. Put in perspective the philosophy, "no pain, no gain." The aim should be to train or stimulate, not annihilate. To train in pain could mean over-training or a possible injury.

HOW TO GET BIG

A There is no "simple" answer to your question, but that doesn't mean getting big is overly complicated. If you're a beginner, the best way to get started is with a basic routine like some regularly featured in FLEX. However, the long-term "secret" is to get to know your body: what exercises it does and does not respond to, and what training frequency suits you best. For instance, I always found that my biceps grew quicker with barbell curls rather than dumbbell curls. As you progress, you must build piece by piece a blueprint that is custom-made for you in terms of exercise selection, volume of sets and reps, workout frequency and all the elements that constitute a total bodybuilding programme. Bodybuilding is an individual journey, and your ultimate goal is to be the one who knows exactly what is best for you. Although I stress that we are all our own best coaches, certain mass-building fundamentals work best for me and for others who have trained with me. Here they are. #1 The best routine I ever used was a three-days-on, one-day-off programme in which I trained the complete body twice in seven days. #2 For large bodyparts, such as legs and chest, do three or four exercises for four sets each. For smaller bodyparts, such as triceps and biceps, do two or three exercises for four sets each. #3 Use at least two heavy compound exercises (see the "Prime Movements" sidebar) as the core of your workouts for each major muscle group. #4 For developing quality mass, keep your reps in the six-to-10 range. If you go lower than six, you're getting into powerlifting territory; above 10, you won't be hitting the muscle with the level of intensity it needs for growth.
#5 To stimulate maximum response, use proper form throughout each rep with a full range of motion. It's the quality of the reps that builds muscles, not the amount of weight you can sling around in a haphazard fashion. #6 Listen to what your body tells you. On days it's not responding as it usually does (for example, your poundages are down and you feel lethargic), don't be afraid to cut back on your workload or stop the workout and go home to rest. Then commit yourself to coming back with renewed energy for your next workout. #7 You can't eat like a bird if you need to train like a horse to pack on muscle mass. The body works by the simple rule of "supply and demand". Eat six or seven nutritious meals a day, with the bedrock being that you should be consuming one gram of protein for each pound of bodyweight per day to meet the demands of hard workouts and muscle recovery. Follow these guidelines, believe in yourself, gauge how your body responds, change and adapt as needed and you'll nail down a template that is right for you. You'll soon be growing faster than a bodybuilding rumour!

For Tight Abs, It's Quality That Counts

Having trouble developing your abs? To develop tight abs, focus on isolating them fully by using a very short range of motion, but very high intensity, during your abdominal exercises.

With ab training, most people have the tendency to unintentionally use other muscles, most notably the hip flexors, to aid in completing the exercises. This takes a great deal of stress off of the abdominal muscles themselves, which, of course, defeats the purpose of ab training.

Three main reasons why most people fail to sufficiently isolate their abs and train them properly:

1. They simply don't recognize that the correct way to train abs is by squeezing them together very hard in an accordion-type manner rather than by bending excessively at the waist (which is a "waste" of time, forgive the pun).

2. They take the easy way out. It's a lot more difficult to actually contract the abdominal muscles together hard than it is to bounce up and down like a jack-hammer.

3. They are more concerned with how many reps they do than with how intense each rep is. You see it all the time--people in the gym doing sets of 50, 100, even 200 or more crunches.

Total nonsense. If you're really working your abs intensely, a set of 12-15 reps should leave your midsection burning.

Working your abs within a fairly limited range of motion helps combat all of these detrimental tendencies.

When you do Crunches or Reverse Crunches, for instance, you want to focus intently on contracting the abs and really squeezing them together hard, but your body should only actually move about 4-6 inches.

And once you Crunch up hard, don't simply release on the way back down—make the negative portion of the movement work for you as well by maintaining tension in your abs throughout the full range. Give it a try and firm up that midsection intelligently.