5 Tips For Lifting As A Beginner
Even if you are not a beginner these tips will be helpful and give you a little something to think about next time you hit the gym. For those of you just getting started however, these should be staples in your framework no matter what your goals are…
Don’t Neglect Your Core
Have you ever seen a building that doesn't have a strong midsection? It will topple over, and so will you. Your core is just that, your core. It is the most centre part of your existence and essential to our posture. The definition of core is “the basic and most important part of something.” (Cambridge Dictionary). Often times people will think they are doing enough for their core by doing compound movements.. I’ve been there. I’ve done the old “oh I did front squats today that’s core” lie to your own self… it’s not! If I did my core training I probably would’ve had an even better front squat, plain and simple. The core recovers quickly because it’s used to working all the time, so don’t hesitate to throw in a core exercise or two on every workout. A day of core is good, but as mentioned it recovers quicker than other muscles so it will be ready to work again sooner. Regular core training helps keeps our posture in line before and after training, so working it regularly can even just help you sit up straighter at work or in the car.
Train Your Body Evenly
Everyone has target areas and certain muscle’s they’d like to see grow more than others. Thank you nature. Realistically though, to have the nice glute’s we need the nice quads, hamstrings, abductors and adductors. To have the nice arms we need the nice shoulders, back and chest. To have ALL of those nice things… we need the nice abs ;). Seriously though, to prevent imbalances and actually hurting yourself train your body evenly. You can add some more exercise’s that are focused on a certain area if you like but it shouldn’t take away from you training symmetrically. Try not to do five bicep days a week and one tricep… or do that at all if you’re actually willing to workout five days a week.
Do Compound Movements
Nothing solid was built overnight, but you can pick certain movements that will get you to where you want to be sooner than others. When doing compound movements a lot of core is involved. By compound I mean big movements using more than one muscle group like the deadlift, squat, overhead lunge etc. Using big compound movements allows you to lift heavier total weight than you would doing a smaller movement, thus creating more muscle recruitment, then leading to more damage and more adaptation. When we use more we’ll get more.
Prioritize Technique Vs Weight
This is a nice one to discuss after talking about compound movements. When we do these compound movements they can be very technical, and doing the movement properly not only ensures safety but means the muscles are firing properly and are being used efficiently. Efficiently means less stress on the joints and moving force through our muscle, more damage in the right ways, same with the adaptations. As long as our joints are in the right places when we lift, they will become stronger too.
Last but certainly not least..
Try to enjoy it! Rather than look at it as something you have to get done and over with. Look at what you GET to do with your body.. some people don’t have the privilege or capabilities to do what you can, so take advantage!
Happy exercising :)
Robyn