Weight Lifting
Weight Lifting Exercise for Beginners
lifting weights
Beginner routine
Do the following routine Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. For the first two weeks, use light weight and concentrate on learning proper form. After that, increase to your working weight. You will be doing three sets of 10 for each exercise, and your working weight will be one that makes the last couple of reps difficult, if not impossible. Do the exercises in the following order: Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Presses, Chin-ups, Military Presses, Barbell Curls, Weighted Sit-Ups.
Proper form is absolutely essential on these exercises. If your gym has personal trainers, pay for a session and get a professional to watch your form. If not, try to get an experienced lifter to make sure you’re doing the exercises correctly. This routine is highly effective, but if not done with proper form, several of these exercises can become very dangerous.
If you cannot do chin-ups, do one negative chin-up (grabbing the bar with your chin already over it and lowering yourself as slowly as possible) followed by a set of lat pulldowns. If you can do chin-ups, you have graduated to the point where the lat pulldown is a foo-foo exercise.
Nutrition and rest are just as important as a training routine. As far as rest goes, make sure you get at least seven hours of sleep per night. More is better, to the point where several pro bodybuilders sleep 12 hours a day or more. This is impractical for people with real jobs, but there is no excuse for getting less than 7 hours a night. Remember, you build muscle when you rest, not when you train. Training tears your muscles down and provides them with a stimulus for rebuilding and growth.
In order to gain muscle, you have to eat. You will want to take in a gram of protein for every pound of lean body mass. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds and have 15% body fat, you will want to get at least 170 grams of protein a day. You also need carbohydrates and fat. Ignore the popular trend toward “fat-free” products and strive to take in roughly 30% of your calories from fat. Try to get 30% from protein (never dropping below 1 gram per pound of lean body mass) and 40% from carbohydrates. To help in your calculations, a gram of carbs has 4 calories, a gram of protein has 4 calories, and a gram of fat has 9 calories.
I also have a few words to say about supplements. If you’re on this routine, the only supplement you should even consider is whey protein. Creatine and andro have their places in the routines of more advanced lifters, but it is pointless to take them until you have been lifting for at least a year and have hit an unbreakable plateau. In fact, there is no point in taking andro if you are under 25.
Finally, I would suggest avoiding both alcohol and overtraining. Alcohol will impede your progress, dehydrating you, making you feel bloated, and sapping your motivation to lift (as anyone who has ever worked out with a hangover can attest). A drink with dinner is fine, but any more is to be avoided like the plague. Overtraining is the other thing that can kill an otherwise solid effort at lifting. If you follow this routine, you should see some excellent gains. Do not allow this to give you a more-is-better mentality. When it comes to training, less is definitely more. Once again, remember that you grow when you rest, not when you train. Even at an advanced level, you should be going to the gym for no more than an hour and a half (an hour is better), no more than four times a week (three is arguably better). Lifting for longer saps your testosterone production, and lifting more often tires out your nervous system, making you far more susceptible to illness.
Good intermediate routine focused on general strength and size gains
After a couple of months on the beginner routine, you should be ready for a 3 day intermediate split based around the big three (squat/bench/deadlift). Try something like the following:
Monday:
Deadlifts
Chins (vary the grip)
Barbell or dumbbell rows
Standing EZ curl bar curls
Hammer curls
Wed:
Flat barbell bench press
Incline dumbbell press
Shoulder press or military press
Lat DB raises
External Rotator work or rear delt work
Skullcrushers
Dips
Friday:
Squats (deep and heavy)
SLDL (or Romanian deadlifts)
Calves (standing and seated)
You need to up the intensity on these. Take your sets to failure. Try to keep around 3 sets per exercise and pick a weight that allows you to get your desired rep range (which should vary from time to time).
The “big three” recommend as a part of all routines
Squat/Bench/Deadlift. The big three are recommended as a part of all routines due to the fact that they are the best three exercises as far as compound exercises go. A compound exercise is one that requires significant involvement from multiple muscle groups in order to complete the movement. Obviously, this is going to be the best sort of a movement. Consider the fact that a deadlift will directly work the following – glutes/hamstrings/quads/spinal erectors/obliques/traps/lats/forearms/grip. To hit the same amount of muscles using isolation work would take considerably longer. A lifter generally should try to build his/her routine around a core of compound exercises, and add isolation exercises as necessary to complement the workout. The “big three” are by far the most effective three compound exercises (using a compound of the three, once can directly stimulate most all muscles in the body very effectively). Thus the reason you will see the “big three” mentioned so much.
How to do a conventional style deadlift
Set up in the deadlift position, looking up, back straight [for me, about 45 degrees straight with respect to my thighs], in a quasi-squat position with thighs slightly above parallel, my arms outside my thighs [not too far outside -- just so that they would 'brush' the outer part of my thighs], feet shoulder width apart. I think that the optimum place to put the bar is where your arms are extended downwards, in a straight, vertical line [as straight as you can]. Whenever I have my arms bent too far forward or back [from having them straight], I don’t get as enough of an explosive pull as with having them perfectly straight [which I think helps your forearms, triceps, and shoulders work optimally together in the pull]. By having your arms in a straight line, I mean having your arms parallel with the wall [straight up and down], by the way.
All of this translates into having the bar about 2.5-3 inches away from the front of my chins. I like to have the bar as close as I need it to be so that when I pull it, it just goes in a straight line up until I’m standing erect. It has been suggested that I need to have the bar at my toes and then roll it close towards me [and then pull!], but this really, really takes away from the explosiveness of my lift [which I like to think as a one-step and not two-step deal!].
I arch my back when I’m trying to reach the bar with my hands for set up — and my back is only extended as far down as I need to in order to grab the bar with my arms straight, calves straight; with my legs bent. I keep my back straight, in a horizontal position, not upright of course. I then take a good breath in and while I’m trying to lift the bar up, I’m forcefully exhaling throughout the explosive movement. Do the movement from the setup position to the standing erect position in one explosive, very quick, movement. I push with my legs [quads and hams] until my knees are just slightly bent, then I straighten myself [my back and my knees] out by thrusting my hips forward so that I’m perfectly straight — butt, knees, and back — completing the movement. When you’re lifting the bar up, have the bar close to your legs, etc., but not totally riding up your legs — maybe have the bar a half inch away from your body. You’ll be able to be more explosive this way than brushing it against your body.
The correct form for a squat?
First off, the proper form implies the following.
- No rounding of the lower back!
- Abdominal muscles tight throughout entire duration of lift
- Foot stance is up to the individual.
To activate more quad involvement, squat with a somewhat narrow stance
To activate more glute/ham/hip involvement, squat with a wider stance
It would be a good idea to switch stances from time to time
Toes should stay pointed in the same direction as the tracking of the knee to prevent rotation about the knee
Try to keep shins as close to perpendicular with the ground as is possible
Weight should be resting on the heels and not on the balls of the feet or on the toes
Knees should never jut out past the plane made by the toes
The knees should not bow in or out during the movement (very destructive to the ligaments and tendons)
The movement should be started by breaking at the hips and the squatter should visualize sitting back onto a box
The chest should be out, the head looking slightly up
The movement initiated from the bottom should start with the head
The squat depth should be at least to parallel. For better muscle recruitment, squat below parallel.
Now, keeping the above in mind, the lifter should always make use of a spotter and/or a power cage with the safety pins set to catch the weight if the lifter fails. Then, the lifter needs to set up under the bar, tighten the abdominal muscles, situate the bar on the shoulders and step back into the proper stance (again, it depends on what muscles you are wishing to stimulate … normally, shoulder width is good). Then, with the chest out, the head slightly up (it helps to focus on a point on the wall that is slightly above eye level), take a breath and hold it (remember to keep the abdominal muscles tight and the lower back slightly arched). Begin the movement by breaking at the hips and sticking the butt back (much like if you were going to sit down into a chair). Using a controlled descent, you will squat down to the desired depth (at least to parallel), then reverse the movement and stand up (make sure not to bounce at the bottom).
The correct form for bench press?
First, make sure that you have a spotter to watch you at all times. Simply grab the bar at slightly wider than shoulder width with the thumb completely around the bar. Lift the bar off the safety pins and hold it at full extension. Then, keeping you elbows slightly in (to protect the shoulder socket), lower the bar in a controlled fashion to the chest in a straight line. Most lower the bar to the nipples. Do not bounce the bar off of the chest and do not raise the butt up off the bench. You will then press the bar back up to the beginning of the movement in a straight line to finish off the movement. You should try to squeeze the shoulder blades together for the duration of the movement in order to protect the shoulders.
Good training related web sites
http://www.aswonline.com/links.html
http://members.tripod.com/Dramo13/index.html
http://www.drsquat.com/
http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/
http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html
http://www.olympus.net/personal/cablebar
http://members.aol.com/linksworld/strength.html
Time for cardio
Generally, one should do cardio on non-gym days, or if that is not possible, after the workout. This allows you to have a productive workout with the weights without your energy being drained via a cardio workout beforehand.
How to train abdominal muscles
Although opinions vary quite a bit as to how often the abdominal muscles should be trained, it is pretty widely agreed upon that the abdominal muscles should be trained much like any other muscle … with weight. Try to use weighted abdominal exercises that will allow you to achieve 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions. Some examples include weighted sit-ups, weighted crunches, dumbbell side bends, Russian twists, standing cable crunches, and hanging leg raises. As far as frequency, some believe that the abdominal muscles should only be trained a few times per week, whereas some believe that the abdominal muscles can be trained heavy everyday. It is up to the individual to find what works for him or her.
Just thought you may be interested in reading this guide: Muscle and Abs
TOP Weight Lifting Product Reviews
The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maxi... |
Customer Review: I am not an experienced weight lifter and kept in shape by running distance and circuit training. Now that I'm retired from the Marine Corps and can not run any long, I had to do something to keep the weight off and stay in shape. Being new I decid... Read More |
(114)
|
101 Ways to Work Out with Weights: Effective Exerc... |
Customer Review: This is a great book for creating workouts when you don't have access to a gym. All you need are a few simple props, a few hand weights, and you're good to go!... Read More |
(18)
|
Harbinger 149 Women's Pro Wash & Dry Weight Li... |
Customer Review: 1) These gloves run way too small. I wear a size 5 ring and have smaller hands, and the Medium is VERY snug. <br />2) These gloves are impossible to get off!! I have to work the fingers up, then use my teeth to yank them the rest of the way off... Read More |
(33)
|
Weight Training Workouts and Diet Plan that Work... |
Customer Review: I have been using this book for a month and so far I have lost 26 pounds. It is a great book to get you away from the machines and to start using free weights. I am also very excited, because I am starting to see some definition. I highly recommen... Read More |
(12)
|
The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Basketba... |
Customer Review: The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training is by far the best product on the market. I have tried everything from a personal trainer to those basketball strengh shoes, but nothing increased my strength, speed and vertical jump like the Ultimate Guide. T... Read More |
(2)
|
Comments
15 Responses to “Weight Lifting”
Leave a Reply
[...] and build muscle. Doing exercise regularly is also good for your body as well as the mind. Whatever fitness program you choose, there are many things that you can do to help your exercise routine. There are many [...]
[...] training exercise is perfect for busy people as it achieves so much in such a short time. By choosing exercises that [...]
[...] keep your workout area more tidy and the weights close at hand as you move through the exercises. If you’re doing serious lifting, the barbell should be held at arms length. Many higher quality weight benches have this feature [...]
[...] of us? Fitness centers are, basically, built to provide people the proper fitness equipments, trainings, and other devices needed to keep an individual physically [...]
[...] or exercise bike. I have not forgotten than many folks in all parts of the country simple prefer to exercise in the comfort of their own [...]
[...] you are considering weight training, you may discover that you are overwhelmed by the variety of weight training equipment [...]
[...] more other articles about: Weight Lifting and Weight Equipment SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Get Abs", url: [...]
[...] So here is opportunity to get your free guidelines on Building Muscle and in addition to that, get essential information on Weight Lifting. [...]
[...] actually increase your metabolism and serve as a fat burning furnace even at rest. Do not ignore weight training as part of your exercise [...]
[...] at least 9 glasses of clean water every day and perform regular exercises. It will keep your fat burning process accelerating. If possible, make 3 glasses out of these 9 [...]
[...] you look in the mirror and your waist size. The reason for that is the fact that as you begin your weight training you will start gaining muscle mass and as a result, the scale may not show any weight loss. [...]
[...] you confused about what weight exercises you should be doing for maximum muscle growth to go from skinny to muscle? Do you wonder if what [...]
[...] muscle mass. Moreover these exercises are vital for the large hormone spikes which they cause. Any weight gaining program must incorporate these 2 [...]
[...] weight gainers to add more calories to your regular diet. People who take part in body building and weight lifting can use weight gainers supplements to assist them get there target fast. Weight gainers supplements [...]
[...] nutrition advice or weight lifting forces us to follow a strict schedule and there are a great number of chances of injuries. Body [...]