Exercises with Weights
Entering the world of weightlifting can be extremely daunting, especially if you come from sports experiences more related to cardiovascular work or if it is the first time you decide to enter a gym. At first glance, this world can seem a little intimidating.
In this article, I will provide you with 6 simple and very effective tips to help you get started or even improve the way you train and perform your weight training so that you can successfully achieve your weight training goals. Perhaps for those who are not a beginner these tips may seem obvious, but have you ever tried to really put them into practice? You can try these tips to see if they really boost your energy levels, whether you're using them to hit a personal best or to break through a deadlock.
1) Sleep More, Train Less
A lot of people underestimate the importance of rest and sleep. After all, the more you train, the stronger you will become, right?… Mistake!
Working out too often and not getting enough sleep every night can seriously hinder your goal of getting stronger, getting fit, mentally ready for tough training sessions and eventually making you sick… trust me!
When you train you go to stress the muscles, which are then forced to repair themselves to regrow bigger and stronger. Growth hormones, which take care of the maintenance of the body and metabolism, make an important contribution to this process, through the secretion of growth hormone, which occurs in sleep, so it is very important to fall into the arms of Morpheus! Yes, that's right: your muscles grow while you sleep! Of course, you still need to train hard and eat right to get stronger, but getting enough sleep is equally important!
DAY OF REST?
Resting and recovering your strength is the key to growing muscles in size, strength, etc ... If you train too often, you will increase the risk of suffering injuries, facing days, weeks, months of forced stop! You should take a rest day at least every four days to give your muscles time to fully regenerate.
2) Eat, eat and eat again
Whether you want to build a toned, lean physique or build muscle, your muscles need energy from the food you eat. Training hard to achieve these goals also requires more calories than you burn throughout the day.
It is important to check your weight and, if you find that you are not putting on as many pounds as you would like, then you need to start eating more, also calculating your daily food consumption (macronutrients).
If, on the other hand, you realize that you are gaining a little too much belly, reduce the amount of calories slightly. It's all a matter of trials (and of course also mistakes), since we are all different, each of us must find the right balance between training and nutrition that works on our body!
Here are some simple ones suggestions:
? Increase your protein intake, for example: white meat, soy, green leafy vegetables, protein shakes.
? Increase your consumption of slow-release carbohydrates, for example: sweet potatoes, rice, oats.
? Increase your consumption of "good" (unsaturated) fats, useful for balancing hormone levels and giving a sense of fullness. They are found in avocado, salmon and peanut butter.
Try to get as few calories as possible from simple carbohydrates, such as chocolate bars and sweets, as well as non-fat foods, if you can, as they are often incredibly high in sugar, which is used to replace a lack of other nutrients. Your body, therefore, will detect these as "chemicals" rather than as good nutrients to digest for energy.
These kinds of ingredients can lead to an increase in fat rather than muscle mass.
3) Use the Right Supplements for You
There are tons of supplements you can buy in stores and of course there is no need to take them all! It only takes a few, the right ones, to reach your goals.
I recommend to inform you on which are the best supplements to achieve the goal you have set for yourself (strength, hypertrophy, definition, etc ...). Be that as it may, below you can find some of the ones I use regularly to achieve my goal of gaining muscle mass ...
Pre-Workout (Pre-Workout Supplement)
To be taken right before the session. The aspects that I take into consideration when choosing a pre-wokout are:
? the presence of Caffeine (gives energy and concentration)
? the presence of Creatine (provides strength and the right charge)
? Arginine Alpha-Ketoglutarate or AAKG (improves performance, helps muscle growth and strength levels)
A good pre-workout supplement will need to be able to support your workout, allowing you to overcome fatigue and train harder and longer.
Post-Workout Recovery (Post-Workout Recovery)
After all that fatigue, you will need something to help your muscles regenerate and recover; this is the time of Whey Protein (Whey Protein). These proteins are made up of a long chain of amino acids. Long story short, their job is to replenish and regenerate your muscles after you've scrambled them with weights. Nello stress, repair and grow muscles there's nothing wrong! Initially, I recommend that you focus on simple Whey proteins. I also consume carbohydrates to achieve that caloric surplus; for example, Maltodestrine they are a typical fast-release carbohydrate that brings a lot of nutrients straight to the muscles to regenerate and repair them after training.
Try adding these to Whey Protein after a workout and anytime you need a calorie boost during the day!
4) Perform the Fundamental Lifts
A fundamental lift is an action that uses multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
The fundamental lifts will help you increase strength and power levels quickly, whether you want to gain muscle mass or, for girls, firm your curves. The fundamental lifts will allow you to stimulate more than one muscle at the same time and thus increase the overall effectiveness of your workout.
The main ones are:
? Deadlifts
? Piana bench
? Squat
Imagine that your training program develops over different days of the week and that each day you have as target two different muscle groups and that for each group you will perform four different isolation exercises (for example all lifts that stimulate only one muscle in particular). There will be eight different types of lifts to do in the same session. Now try to think of replacing two exercises of each muscle group with a fundamental lift.
Good! Now you will only have 6 exercises to do and you will train the same muscles as before. This can help you especially if you don't have a lot of free time to go to the gym.
5) Take care of the execution
Correct execution lifts are vital for preventing injuries and growing muscles. It also makes the difference between looking like someone who knows what they're doing and making a fool of themselves in the eyes of the whole gym… trust me, you're not alone!
Don't be ashamed to use a low load just because whoever is on the bench next to yours is lifting bigger dumbbells than your car; you are only there to compete with yourself. Don't forget that they too have been beginners! Exercising with little weight but with correct execution has a better result on your body than exercising with a lot of weight but without proper weight management. By doing the exercise this way, you will isolate the muscles you are trying to stimulate and increase your strength more quickly. It is really worth asking a member of the gym staff to monitor your performance - having someone who can physically help you will also help you feel more confident!
6) Don't Forget Aerobic Activity (Cardio)
To have defined muscles, after having scrambled them to make them grow, it is important to do some aerobic exercises, both low and high intensity! This will help you keep your muscles at a high enough fat percentage and eliminate all unnecessary fat (plan your workout according to your goals).
Some examples of cardio activities are:
? race
? Exercise bike (or Bicycle)
? Swimming
? Any activity you enjoy (aerobic exercise should give you energy and confidence, not fear and frustration).
Monitor your activity using a fitness app on your smartphone is a great way to track your progress, which will encourage you to get even better!
When running or biking outdoors, try to walk a decent distance without getting too tired. This system will prevent you from shortening your training, as you know very well that you have to run, or pedal, to get back.
Have fun!
