Before I even consider writing a post about advanced workouts or even a beginner template, I want to give some general advice that can be used to make any exercise safer and more effective. I will post a nice beginner workout as a good starting point in the next few days. But for now, onward with the advice!
1. Leave your ego at the door. You see SO many people in commercial gyms put on WAY more weight than they can possibly lift... properly and safely that is. Not only does it irk me like nails on a chalk board, but it is also highly ineffective and dangerous. So what I mean by leaving your ego at the door is to lift intelligently and not to tell your friends that you benched pressed 225lbs today.
This point also leads well into my next two.
2. Use a full range of motion. On a bench press, the bar should touch your chest. TOUCH it, not bounce off it. In a squat you should go just below the point to where the top of your thighs are parallel to the floor. A pullup should be from a dead hang where your arms are completely straight until your chest touches the bar at the top. These are a few examples, but just think about how your body moves in a certain exercise and you can likely figure out what a full range of motion is. I also would like to point out that do what is SAFE for you. Most of the time the reason people don't use a full range of motion is that they are using far too much weight and you are always stronger at the top of a movement, where your muscles are the shortest. However, it can also be a flexibility/mobility issue, in which case just go as deep as you can with proper form and work on improving range of motion. You will get better, and faster, results when you take your muscles through their full range. You spend longer under the weight and work more of the muscle. You will get better with due diligence. It took a long time to get out of shape, it will probably take a bit to get back in it as well.
3. Focus on technique. It can be hard to know proper technique, but you can intuitively know a few things that definitely are not right. It is especially important when you are first starting out with resistance training to move the weight slowly and under control. Keep your spine in its natural position in all lifts. You never want your spine to lose its S-shape. Back pain and shoulder impingement are the most common injuries for novice lifters, and advanced alike. I obviously can't go through every exercise and list the proper technique for each. You can go on Youtube and try and find a reputable source for the exercise that you are interested in, but you may also find Billy in his garage doing a squat while looking like a crumpled up accordion. The fact you are curious enough to the take the time to look bodes well, however. If you see a video, look at their homepage, check out their website if they have one. You will likely be able to get a feeling for their knowledge and how accurate it is. Also, you can do the same thing with Google. For instance type in "proper squat form" and just see all the results you get. This will also take some filtering from you as to what to look in. Don't be afraid to ask a trainer at your gym to help you with your form, they should be more than willing as long as they aren't with a client. Most trainers are pretty nice people and are in the industry because they genuinely want to help people. This all may not yield perfect results, but it is a great place to start.
4. Protect your spine. This applies to pretty much any exercise you will ever do. Brace your core properly. By that I mean, for most exercises from planks to deadlifts, you have to keep your entire core tight in order to prevent injuries to your spine. So, the easiest way to do this is to picture your core(abdomen, lower back, pelvic floor) like a corset that wraps around you, and you want to pull those strings to tighten your core, pulling it in. Unless you are a power lifter, this should apply to virtually every exercise in every position.
These are just a few of many ideas on safe and effective exercise to write about, but I wanted to give some basic skills that you can try and foster for your own workouts. Some day I will post videos of some major lifts. Do whats appropriate for you. You don't have to spend hours in the gym, you don't have to lift things that weigh 800lbs or swing from the rafters of the gym. Take care of your body and it will take care of you. All the best in your training guys!
4. Protect your spine. This applies to pretty much any exercise you will ever do. Brace your core properly. By that I mean, for most exercises from planks to deadlifts, you have to keep your entire core tight in order to prevent injuries to your spine. So, the easiest way to do this is to picture your core(abdomen, lower back, pelvic floor) like a corset that wraps around you, and you want to pull those strings to tighten your core, pulling it in. Unless you are a power lifter, this should apply to virtually every exercise in every position.
These are just a few of many ideas on safe and effective exercise to write about, but I wanted to give some basic skills that you can try and foster for your own workouts. Some day I will post videos of some major lifts. Do whats appropriate for you. You don't have to spend hours in the gym, you don't have to lift things that weigh 800lbs or swing from the rafters of the gym. Take care of your body and it will take care of you. All the best in your training guys!
