Rules of Lifting
1. If a body part hurts when performing a movement, stop doing it. Either it is a technique error or a muscular balance. Either way you are just putting yourself at risk for injury. Seriously we all like to bench, but we also like to keep our shoulders in their sockets!
2. Do not neglect weak areas. We all like to focus on our strong points but unless we correct the weak links they will just become more pronounced over time. On average from my experience, most individual`s arms have a half an inch difference in size. For correcting a left-right imbalance focus on unilateral movements (i.e. dumbbells as opposed to barbell movements).
3. Change up your routine, often. Doing the same routine over and over is the fastest way to no progress or even worse, regression. Ditch the retro 80`s step-up routine where it belongs, next to the fanny pack and pink leotards. Your body adapts rapidly to training stimulus and so you must present new, more difficult challenges to sustain progress. It also helps avoid training boredom and keeps the workouts fresh which will keep you motivated.
General Tips
1. Avoid training ADD. If you saw it in a magazine and you think it looks “cool” don’t just perform it, understand what the exercise is actually doing. If the exercise seems unsafe, that’s because it is. You don’t want the coroner’s report to read death by swiss ball squat on it.
2. Don`t waste time in the gym. You go to train, so train. Its great to socialize but its even better to lose the gut. Chatting with the receptionist does not burn more calories, and it won’t get you a date, romeo.
3. Minimize rest periods: The less you rest, the more weight you can lift in the same amount of time. This is known as increasing training density, the amount of work you do per unit time. Do as many things in as little time as possible. So stop sitting between sets, this is a workout not an episode of Friends!
For Women
1. For a thinner waist, avoid too much direct core work as this will increase the size of the abdominal area by increasing the muscle (a muscle responds to being stimulated). Thus you will not burn fat but simply add muscle. Last time I checked “blocky waist” was not a major turn on (apologies to those that it is in fact a major turn on).
2. For fat loss avoid excessive low intensity cardio. Too much cardio, without proper weight training, is the fastest way to thunder thighs. Not only are endless cardio sessions a limited method for burning calories, it will put yourself in a catabolic state where your body will consume precious muscle. It will not “melt the fat off” or “burn the belly”; you have a better chance of seeing Bigfoot at your local Denny’s!
For Men
1. Focus on form over weight, seriously! Nearly every single guy I know lifts more weight than he can handle. Check your ego at the door and focus on actually trying to stimulate the muscle and control the weight. Your body will thank you for preventing injuries and the girl across the gym floor will stop thinking you’re a dumbass, so its win win.
2. Target the big muscles groups first, then you can isolate. For gaining size, compound is king. Endless barbell curls will only equal a bruised ego. The more muscle you target in the same session, the more muscle you will grow; its that simple.
Got any tips? Share them below!
Copyright April 5th, 2009 by Omar Isuf
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