It is getting closer to the end of the year and this is the time when many people think back to those weight losses and muscle building resolution they made back in January. To start any exercise program it is important to have the right education so as to avoid starting off on the wrong foot and developing bad habits so that you don't struggle in achieving those fitness goals. To help you reduce your struggle against these avoidable challenges, we have decided to give you some tips that will help you along the way. Read on!
1. Take it Slow: Do not go to the gym and immediately start exercising five days in a week, you would surely break down soon. It is better, advantageous and healthier to start exercising slowly. For beginners, the recommended session duration is 1 to 2 days per week for at least 30 minutes a day and you can improve on this. As is expected, beginners are expected to watch others training and copy what they can. Although this is good but if you copy somebody improperly doing a lift, then you are also doing the lift wrongly which would help you in no way. The important thing to note is the isolation of muscle groups and working them strategically through different exercises and techniques.
2. Go for Compound Movements: For beginners, starting off their workout immediately with isolation moves that work just one muscle group at a time would not yield the desired result you want. For the optimum result in fat loss and muscle growth, it is advisable and safer to start with compound lifts which can include bench press, squat, shoulder press, deadlift, pull-up etc. All these lifts make use of multiple muscle groups at the same time and it would give you the ability to lift more weight and gain more muscle.
3. Good Posture: the position the spine takes during your lifts can have a great effect on the amount of weight you are able to lift. The best posture is to keep your lower back slightly arched chest up and your head and neck placed in a neutral position for ALL lifts.
4. Complete Every Rep: With too much focus being placed on the lifting part of the workout and little attention given to the lowering part, beginners tend not to get their desired fitness result. Letting the weight drop without control and quickly can become disastrous. "When you lower the weights, your muscles are acting like a brake, slowing down the weight against gravity" says James Grage. He further explains that the eccentric phase (lowering) is just as important as the concentric phase (concentric) because your muscles are still engaged. If you notice that you cannot control the weight while lowering, then it means you're probably lifting too much weight so lighten it up until you can control the weight all the way down.
5. Watch Your Diet: This is one of the most important tips to building that perfectly toned muscle and many beginners fail to recognize this. It is true that you are attending the gym and lifting weight but this does not mean that you can spend all day feasting on whatever you like. Your workout is the small addition you bring to the table with your diet which is the most important factor to building muscles. The important thing to note is to do away with every processed food in your diet and go for protein and vegetables at every meal. Eat chicken with quinoa and green beans instead of pizza and you realize that you haven't let go of eating good and yummy food.
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