Weightlifting Basics
Weight lifting is the art of lifting barbells, dumbbells, and other pieces of workout equipment in different motions. Whether it is for sport or not, weight lifting is something extremely popular for people of all ages. It is an activity that has numerous health benefits, including reduced risk of depression and osteoporosis. It also improves your overall heart health. Many people lift weights to stay in shape and build muscle. Other people do it for sport and compete in events.
There is weightlifting that is considered bodybuilding. This is where people often just lift to stay in shape. They may do this for a certain sport they play, or just to be healthy. Olympic weightlifting are specific styles of lifting that involve very heavy weight and it is something that people compete in. Olympic weightlifting involves barbells and very complex and precise motions that take a lot of strength and skill to complete in proper form.
The Basics
Weight training exercises often take between 30-60 minutes. This includes a 5-15 warmup and stretch. The most effective way to participate in weight lifting is through a gym membership. Gym memberships are usually around $40 a month, and they include all of the equipment one might need to complete a workout. Most people go to the gym about 3-5 days per week, as if they went too often, they may not recover properly. There are different types of goals in weight training, and it is important for people to identify them. Someone who wants to build size should do low reps at heavy weights. If size is not necessarily the goal, then one should do low weight at a high amount of reps. The main muscle groups that people lift are the legs, chest, back, shoulders, and arms.
How To Start
To start lifting weights, the first thing one needs is to identify a goal. Everyone has a different goal, and different types and styles of weight lifting will help you achieve those goals. Then you need to get a gym membership or buy equipment. If you are just starting weightlifting with no experience, it is a good idea to hire a trainer for at least the first few weeks of your weightlifting career. A trainer will teach you the workouts, proper form, and stretches that will prevent you from injuries. It is also a good idea to go online and find a plan that you can follow each week. The plan will tell you what to do on each day, and also what days to take off. This will serve as a guideline and give you a good idea on what you need to accomplish each week in weightlifting. When you start weightlifting, it is important to focus on form and not heavy weight for the first month or so of lifting. Starting slowly is vital, as you do not want to move up in weight without perfecting your form.
Basic Tips
There are numerous guidelines that must be followed if you want to weight train to the best of your ability. If you want to see maximum results, it is important that you follow the following principles.
Stretching: Lifting causes your muscles to become very sore. All of the tension that you bring on your muscles will make you tight. If you do not properly stretch your muscles before and after the workout, you may not be prepared for the next workout.
Eat Properly: Many people constantly go to the gym but do not see the results that they want. That is because they are not fixing their diet as well. Half of the battle of getting in shape is following a strict diet plan.
Train Evenly: It is important to not overtrain certain parts of the body. This is something that can cause injuries if you do not give these areas the proper time to recover.
Focus on Form: A common misconception is that the best way to get in shape is if you lift as much weight as possible. However, one will find better results if they lift lighter weight with proper form rather than a heavier weight with poor form.
Weight Training
When you start lifting, it makes sense to stick to just the machines. The machines will help you with your form. It will also avoid injuries as it makes sure that you are performing the exercise in the correct form. When you feel that you have a good grasp on each exercise, you could move onto the barbell and the dumbbells. This will require a bit more focus on form, as the free weights can sometimes lead to injury if you are not performing the exercises correctly. You can also use cables, medicine balls, and resistance bands in your exercises, if you want to go even more specific in your workouts.
Muscle Groups
There are an extremely large number of different exercises that people participate in. Most people like to break their workouts down in the following categories.
Chest: The main chest exercises take place on the bench press. The bench press can be used with dumbbells or barbells, and involve the person to push the weight away from their body.
Back: There is a large variety of back exercises that people complete. These exercises include lateral pulldown (on the machine), dumbbell row, cable rows, and deadlifts (with a barbell).
Shoulders: The most popular shoulder exercise is the military press. The military press is used with a barbell where you either sit or stand upright and simply push the weight above your head.
Legs: Legs are perhaps everybody’s least favorite day to workout. They are very difficult exercises and take a lot out of you. The most popular exercises for legs are squatting and leg press. Squatting can be done in numerous different ways, whereas the leg press is often done on a machine.
Arms: Curling is an extremely popular exercise that activates the biceps muscle. It is often done with dumbbells, and can be done in numerous different variations. The triceps can be worked out by doing exercises such as cable push downs, and close grip bench press.