The 3 Most Important Tips to Improve Your Weight Training!
Many people do their weight training regularly but how many of them workout in a highly effective and scientifically sound manner? From my extensive experience and observation I would say that the percentage of folks who train really well is actually very low. The good news is that this can easily be corrected. Here are 3 important tips to improve your weight training significantly. The important tips explained below will teach you three ways to greatly improve your workouts when implemented properly.
Exercise in Proper Form
Most people have probably heard that they should use “proper exercise form” when exercising. But what exactly does this mean? Well, it is relatively easy to explain but not always easy to do.
Most resistance exercises are done with weight machines, barbells, dumbbells or bodyweight exercises. Whatever type of equipment is used, it is very important to eliminate the use of momentum to help move the weight. Momentum is your enemy! Many people move the resistance too fast and generate momentum that helps to move the weight. By performing your movements relatively slowly you can significantly reduce the use of momentum. This will force your muscles to work harder, create more muscle tension as well as reduce the risk of injury at the same time.
Here is an obvious example. Take four full seconds to smoothly lift a weight and than take four seconds to lower it back down. That one repetition will be harder to perform than the faster, momentum assisted reps most people do. This is a lot easier said that done. You need to discipline yourself to focus on doing the movement correctly not just completing the rep. Your body has a tendency to try to make a physical ask easier. In the case of a strength training exercise you actually want to make the task harder on your working muscles!
A common mistake is that many people are too concerned with the number of reps you can do. Your muscles cannot count so it is not an number that is important but rather hoe hard you are making your muscles work. You should be attempting to perform as many strict, proper form reps as you can without sacrificing correct technique just for the sake of completing additional reps.
It is also very common that a person’s mental approach will be overly focused on how much weight they can train with. This is a mistake because it makes people workout with an amount to weight that is too heavy for them to use in good form. Is is very common that when a person begins to focus on improving their technique that actually need to reduce their training weight. This is actually a good thing because it means you are making the exercise harder for your muscles to perform!
Training to Muscle Failure
Perhaps the most frequently asked question when it comes to strength training “how many reps should I do?” Well the best and simplest answer is this – perform as many reps as you can in good form. The idea is to use all the available muscle fibers for that specific exercise. This will stimulate the body to recruit additional muscle fibers that can be utilized in the future. This is the process of developing muscle strength.
This process of “working to failure” is quite difficult to do properly as you will want to stop the exercise too soon. It takes focus and disciple to keep pushing and really train to failure. Most people will stop when they merely think that cannot continue. To really train to momentary muscle failure you should always attempt another rep. The actual point of failure is when you try as hard as you can to complete a rep but you “fail.” You get stuck when you try to lift the resistance any further. At this point you should simply lower the weight back done and congratulate yourself on a properly completed exercise!
There’s a common misunderstanding that intense strength training, especially as you near momentary muscle failure, is hazardous. However, the truth is that the initial repetitions of an exercise pose the highest risk of injury. In strength training, injuries primarily result from moving the weight too quickly, transferring the load from the muscle to the joint. Muscles are adept at handling tension and load, whereas joints are not designed for such stress. Using proper form reduces the risk of injury and working intensely, to full muscle fatigue, is not at all likely to produce an injury.
Rest and Recovery
The third vital point about resistance exercise is to allow your body the proper rest and recovery so you can make fitness progress. Your workout is merely the stimulus for your body to change. Your muscular system needs to fully recover and then adapt to the simulation of the intense exercise you have performed. This recovery process primarily involves allowing the proper amount of time. Other important factors include good nutrition and good sleep habits. Training to frequently and training too much can interfere with your body adapting to your training. Therefore, prioritizing a nutritious diet and healthy sleep habits is essential for those serious about their fitness journey.
It’s equally important to consider the appropriate volume of exercise to maximize the effectiveness of your workouts. A full-body workout may comprise of about 5 to 10 different exercises targeting major muscle groups in both the upper and lower body. Given the significant stress that high-intensity exercise places on the body, it’s essential to keep the total volume relatively low. Quality outweighs quantity in this case. Remember, more is NOT always better in terms of exercise volume.
When it comes to workout frequency, it’s essential to strike a balance. Working out too frequently can hinder full recovery and adaptation, leading to overtraining. Research suggests that 1 or 2 full body workouts per week often yield the best results. Some advanced practitioners of High-Intensity Training (HIT) may even opt for just one weekly session. Additionally, spacing out workouts or occasionally missing a session doesn’t seem to have negative effects as long as the gap between sessions isn’t significant enough to result in muscle atrophy.
Always keep in mind these 3 important tips to improve your weight training so you can maximize your fitness benefits. Do your exercises correctly, always striving to use proper form as you train. Exercise with a high intensity level of effort by fully fatiguing you major muscle groups in each workout. After you have completed your hard workout allow your body good rest, good nutrition and adequate recovery time to fully benefit from your training!
Arthur Jones, one of the most important and influential individuals in the history of exercise science was the founder of both Nautilus Fitness Equipment and MedX Equipment and also performed extensive research on exercise and fitness. Below are some quotes from Jones that point out the importance of these exercise tips.
“Exercise merely stimulates muscle growth, it does not produce the growth. Changes that result from exercise are actually produced by the body itself. During rest.”
“Workouts are for the purpose of building size and strength, not for the purpose of demonstrating strength.”
“When the intensity of an exercise is increased, the amount of exercise must be reduced. When you train harder, you must train less.”
“It took me twenty years to learn that two sets are better than four, and twenty more years to learn that one set is better than two.”
David M. Waters is a highly experienced fitness professional with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has worked as a personal training instructor, fitness director, competitive athlete, author and fitness facility manager. He has accumulated over 40 years of experience in the fitness field. As a physical fitness educator, David has helped countless individuals achieve an active and healthy lifestyle through proper exercise and fitness training since 1980. David is the author of both The Science and Practice of High Intensity Training and The Fitness Center Handbook.
Please note that the information contained on this website is for educational purposes only. No attempt at prescribing an exercise program has been made. David Waters / Superfitnessforever.com shall not be held liable or responsible for any injury or damage resulting from any individual’s participation in any exercise program. It is recommended that individuals consult with their physician prior to undertaking any exercise program.