Ten Weight Training Basics You Should Know
- Sets and Reps. This is one of the most important weight training basics. Reps, short for repetitions is the complete movement of an exercise from start to finish. For example one repetition of a bench press is lifting the weight up and lowering it to complete one repetition. A set is the group of repetitions. Two sets of 15 reps means you complete 15 repetitions of that exercise and rest for specified amount of time between sets.
- How many repetitions should you do? The rep ranges in the workouts on StrongShape.com use high, moderate and low reps depending on your goal or desires. Higher reps 12 - 25 are generally used for endurance, toning and fat loss. Moderate 8 - 12 reps are used for strength endurance, increasing muscle size and increasing strength in general. Lower reps 4 - 8 are used for power or sports performance training.
- How much weight should you lift? Pick a weight that you can do for the recommended number of repetitions. You may need to decrease the weights to complete all sets, because you're muscles fatigue as you progress to the next set.
- What are compound and isolation exercises? Compound exercises work more than one muscle and involve more than one joint movement. Isolation exercises work only one muscle group and one joint movement. Perform compound exercises before isolation exercises in a workout. Isolation exercises will usually fatigue the muscle and effect your performance in a compound exercise. For example do lunges before leg curls or leg extension, do bench presses before you do triceps kickbacks.
- Warming up and stretching. Be sure you warm up and stretch before you lift any weights to prevent injury. Your muscles will be more pliable to move through the full range of motion. You can warm up by doing some low intensity cardio for 5 - 10 minutes and stretching.
- Pay attention to form. This is one of the most important of the weight training basics. Understand the form before you begin. Use a light weight your first time or just your body weight to practice perfect form. And make sure you use proper form for every single repetition. Don't sacrifice form just to complete the recommended number of reps. Lower the weights to complete the reps or just lower the weights for the next set.
- Breathe. Don't hold your breath. Exhale when you lift a weight and inhale when you lower it. And don't be shy exhale powerfully and see what a difference it makes especially when you reach your last repetition and approaching failure.
- Tempo: How fast or slow should you lift and lower the weights? This depends on your goals. This is usually left out of most weight training basics. The workouts on StrongShape.com use slow tempo for endurance and fat loss, moderate tempo for strength and fast tempo for power. Always make sure you control the movement. For example a tempo of 4/2/1 means you lift the weight for 1 second (contracting the main muscle), hold the weight for 2 seconds (main muscle is contracted), and lower the weight for 4 seconds (lengthening the main muscle).
- Rest. Rest: The amount time you rest between exercises. Recommended rest intervals depend on your goals. Less rest is required when performing higher number of repetitions and more for lower number of repetitions. Also your muscles need 48 hours to recover, so never work the same muscle more than once in a 48 hour period. Also get enough sleep. Rest is just as important to your health.
- Don't forget to do some cardio and drink plenty of water.
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