Counterbalance

As you are well aware, rigorous weight training will cause micro-lacerations in your muscles and the connective tissue.

When you are not training (resting), the body is preparing itself for the next training session. To be able to cope with the next session the body will restore balance by repairing and at the same time reinforcing the micro-lacerations caused by the workout.

Vitamin C and the proteins consumed from your diet are the most important stimulants of this process. After the recovery, the repaired and reinforced muscles will be able to cope with a new workout load comparable to the previous session. Fitness, weight training, and body-shaping are in fact based on this counterbalancing process.

Muscular Pain

Feeling sore a few days after that hard work out? Simply put, that pain is caused by a buildup of lactic acid and other free radicals in the body which are being removed from the body in the days following the work out.

The pain felt while the micro-lacerations are healing ensures that you are not able work out and use the muscle as intensively as before. In order for muscles to grow, time is needed for healing and recovery. Muscular pain is generally a good indicator of when the body is ready to have the next training session.

Muscle Fibers:

Muscle fibers react differently to sets of four to six repetitions as compared to sets of 8 to 12 repetitions. Without getting too specific, the following rule of thumb can be applied:

1. Completing sets of 4 to 6 repetitions will help strengthen your muscle fibers and connective tissue. This means that you can increasingly lift more weight.
2. Completing sets of 6 to 8 repetitions generally make your muscle fibers larger. This means that the muscle fibers increase in size. This is how you get the big guns.
3. Working out with sets consisting of more repetitions help provide the muscles with neurological stimulation. In plain English, it means that there is an improved signal transfer from the brain to the muscles. By occasionally exercising with a higher number of repetitions you lay the basis for a more effective training session with fewer repetitions (4 to 6 and 6 to 8 repetitions).

Strength training is an important part of any well-rounded exercise plan. Lifting weights helps to increase endurance and metabolism. When beginning a strength training program it is important to keep a few variables in mind. These include training goals, exercises, frequency, exercise order, weight and repetitions, rest.

1. Training Goals

To make the most of your workout, it is important that you set training goals and know what you want to accomplish. Consider why you are training – sport or fitness – and use these reasons as a guide for how you will train and which activities to include in your program. If you are training for sport, such as running a marathon, you want to design a program that builds endurance, strengthens the core and other muscles associated with running. When strength training for fitness, you may want to focus on defining a particular area of the body or improving your overall physique.

2. Exercise Selection

Again, consider your training goals. Training specific areas is the best way to make sure that your efforts will successfully transfer to your performance. For example, a runner with bothersome knees shouldn’t include many exercises that place strain on the knees, such as deep squats. However, including exercises that will help strengthen this area, such as lunges, will be very beneficial. Acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses will help you to set goals and get the most from your training.

3. Training Frequency

This is how often you train. To avoid fatiguing the muscles, most fitness experts will recommend that you do not train more than 3 times per week, on alternating days. The breaks allow your muscles time to recover, helping you avoid injury during the next session. If you do not have much experience with weights, then you should start with only a few sessions.

4. Exercise Order

This is the sequence in which you perform the exercises that comprise your strength training routine. Generally, exercises that engage large muscles are performed before assistance moves, which engage the small muscles, so that squats would be performed before lunges.

5. Weight and Repetitions

When lifting there should be an inverse relationship between weight lifted and repetition. As a result, if you are lifting a heavy weight, you will perform fewer repetitions and vice versa. How much weight you lift depends on your training goals. For example, if your goal is to increase muscular strength then you will need to lift heavier weights and perform fewer repetitions. On the other hand, if your goal is to increase endurance or tone up, then you should lift lighter weights and perform more repetitions.

6. Rest

Between each circuit of exercises, you should take a break to allow your muscles to recover. This will prevent injury. If you are strength training to build muscle, then you should take a break of about 3 minutes between each circuit. If your training goal is to build muscular endurance, then a short rest interval of about 90 second is adequate.

When it comes to exercising, we all know there aren’t any shortcuts. You either work hard and get results, or you don’t. However, there’s no need to permanently live at the gym just because you want to look good. With a well-defined and targeted workout, you can tone up quickly and safely. These five simple steps will help you to make the most of your workout without becoming a gym junkie.

1. Slow down when lifting weights

There is more to weightlifting than simply raising and lowering dumbbells. To make the most of your workout, you need to pay attention your lifting speed. Most people move to quickly when raising their weights and rely on gravity to lower their weights. This incorrect method allows the muscle to relax and slows your muscle gain. Research has shown that exercisers who take their time have almost double the gain in strength when compared ot exercisers who do not. Try counting to four as you raise and lower the weights.

2. Focus on one area at a time

To make the most of your time and get great results, focus on one muscle group at a time. Pick a group of muscles, arms for example, and do three exercises for that muscle group, one after the other, with no rests in between. For example, do dumbbell rows, then pushups, and pull-ups. Within a few minutes, you’ve trained this area and can focus on the next group of muscles. Using this training strategy will cut your workout time in half without sacrificing results.

3. Train in intervals

Ask any trainer and they will tell you that interval training is the quickest way to tone up. Interval training isn’t complicated, it is simply alternating between light and high intensity activity. It’s a proven calorie burner and will melt the layer of fat that hides your muscles. In addition, the constant rotation between different exercises places enough stress on the body to enact change without causing injury. Intervals can be added to any workout to create a challenge. To do this, begin with your normal warm up, follow with 90 seconds of moderate intensity, and 30 seconds of high intensity.

4. Don’t forget to eat!

What you eat before and after exercising is just as important as the workouts you do. Make sure that you are hydrated and have eaten before working out. Within an hour after your workout, refuel your body with a snack. Eating after a workout helps your body to recover quicker, getting you the best results.

Exercising smarter will help you make the most of your workout time so that all of your efforts pay off.

Weight rooms can seem intimidating when you are not familiar with the equipment. It is easy to injure yourself if you are not careful and attentive. Keep the following tips in mind and you will greatly reduce your chances of injury in the weight room.

Stretch and Warm Up Before You Workout

Warming up elevates your heart, increases blood flow, and prepares your muscles for exercise. Skipping the warm up increases your risk for pulling or tearing a muscle. A good warm up is low impact, involves all of your muscle groups, lasts at least 5 minutes and will make you sweat a little bit. The elliptical machine is great for warming up.

Begin With a Light Weight

If you are new to weight training, or performing a new exercise, you should begin with a light weight that you can raise and lower comfortably. If you find yourself rocking or leaning, when you lift the weight, then it is too heavy. Lifting weights that are too heavy can damage muscles and joints. Find a weight that you are able to lift at least 12 times while maintaining proper form.

Look in the Mirror

Have you ever wondered why weight rooms have mirrors all over the place? It’s not just vanity. They are a great way to help ensure proper form and technique while exercising. When you use free weights (dumbbells), mirrors will help you check your posture. If you are using a machine, mirrors will help you check that the weights do not touch down between reps.

Slow down

When lifting weights, you have to pay attention to the speed at which you raise and lower the weights. Uncontrolled movements are the quickest route to injury. You should lift weights  slowly without rocking or leaning. Many people find using a 2-4 count to be a helpful method to control their movements. Count to 2 when lifting weights and count to 4 while lowering weights. This will ensure your movements are slow and steady, reducing your chances of pulling or straining muscles.

Stop if You’re in Pain

It’s important that you recognize the  difference between fatigue and pain. The gradual burn that you feel while working out is fatigue. Pain is a sudden sharp feeling that you need to stop. In any form of exercise, it is important that you pay attention to your body. If you feel a sudden pain while working out, then it’s best to stop and take care of the problem. However, that burn felt after a few reps is a great thing!

Ask for Help

You shouldn’t feel embarrassed to ask for help when you need it. Gyms don’t expect you to remember everything from your orientation. That’s why they have staff at the ready to answer your questions. So make the most of the time you spend at the gym and ask the professionals.

You’ve probably heard about the benefits of a weight training routine and you want to build muscle but lifting weights just isn’t your cup of tea. Bodybuilding does not have to be all about lifting weights. In fact, you don’t need to use dumbbells at all. Instead, you can rely on a great free asset, your body. By using the weight of your own body, callisthenic exercises can help you to successfully tone and build muscle.

To maximize your muscles without lifting weights, you’re going to need to work hard. The most common method of bulking up without weights is to perform super sets of regular calisthenics such as pushups, pull-ups, crunches, and sit-ups. Super sets are sets of 50, 60, or even 100 repetitions. Many bodybuilders use this method to increase their endurance. If you decide to lift weights in the future, you’ll find that you can now lift a heavier load.

Isotension or flexing is a great way to exercise the muscles. Former Mr. Olympia, Arnold Schwarzenegger is a popular proponent of this technique. After you exercise a muscle group, flex it and hold the pose for as long as you can. This will lead to a more chiseled appearance. A variation on this technique is to flex the muscle group that you want to workout before exercising. This forces the muscles to work harder during your routine and will lead to quicker results.

Many people find that steady, slow tension provides great results in a short time. To accomplish this, perform each move very slowly; instead of a 4 count, use a 12 count. In addition, instead of pausing between repetitions, continue fluidly between reps. This means not locking into the top position and not resting in the bottom position. This technique works great with pull-ups, pushups, and sit-ups. You won’t be able to do many repetitions but the rewards will be much greater than with a normal workout.

With these easy techniques, you can bulk up without joining a gym or spending money on expensive equipment.