Are you confused on how you should strength train and whether your workout is right? Let’s break down some tips to improve your strength training workouts.
My name is Jesus Reynoso, and I’m a personal trainer certified in nutrition and corrective exercise.
I’ve helped a wide range of clients achieve their different health goals.
I’m aiming to provide solutions to the world’s fitness problems.
1.Avoid splitting hairs if there are none to be split.
There are so many exercise options out there to choose from, maybe you want a bigger bicep peak or more development in the side glutes.
Generally speaking though,if you are a beginner, it matters more to just get exercising and you’ll benefit from any movement done safely and correctly. For example, work your biceps with whatever curl variation, just be consistent.
Once you get developed, then you can start worrying about smoothing out any rough edges or really getting specific with what you are doing.
You know what happens if you start your journey by worrying about doing the best possible thing for yourself?
Discouragement and doubt in what you are doing.
Possibly just falling off the wagon all together.
This could apply to multiple areas too in life. Take a basketball player.
If he can’t even dribble a ball or shoot, should he be spending hours working on a fadeaway?
No, he gets the basics down first, and then the specific improvements come later.
2. Follow workouts centered around movement patterns
Unless you are a high end body builder, avoid the isolation stuff and machines for now. Again, you can add all that stuff in later as you progress.
But start with the basics. You will hit every muscle group and see some serious gains by centering around the following movement patterns.
Vertical push, a shoulder press
Horizontal push, like a bench press
Vertical pull, like a pull up
Horizontal pull, some type of row
Hinge, Deadlift or hip thrust
Squat, self explanatory
Lunge, a split squat
Heavy carry, which is great for the core
For now, I want you to aim for an even distribution of those movements. This will help you avoid creating muscle imbalances as well as bring up any lagging body parts.
I promise you if you just focus on these guys, you’ll see great progress while also building an awesome foundation of functional strength and stability.
If you don’t want to worry about creating and managing your own programs, check out my fitness app where I provide ready made programs for you.
You can track your progress and access a video library to see demos of each exercise.
You can find the app with the link in the description.
3. Next, let’s talk about intensity and progressive overload
Basically, make sure you are working hard and not sticking to the same weight all the time.
If you are going to go for 10 reps, make the last 1 or 2 reps close to your limit.
Let’s define what that limit should be.
You should maintain good form.
You should not be experiencing pain.
If you tried another consecutive rep, you would fail or be close to it.
If you aren’t there yet, increase the weight.
Overtime, if you keep close attention to those important indicators, weight should become easier.
So what do you do? Increase the weight.
Continuous improvement takes continuous increases in what you are doing.
Will a programmer create world changing software, if he always practices printing hello world to his screen. No.
You get good at what you practice, if you want to look your best or perform at your best.
Make sure you challenge yourself and test your limits in your workouts. Safety of course
4. Now what’s the point of all that work if you don’t fuel your body with what it needs to become better. Nutrition as well as recovery.
Again, let’s keep things simple.
Eat the right amount of protein. Aim for 1 gram per pound of your own body weight.
150 pound person should aim for 150 grams of daily protein.
If you want to lose weight, be in a slight calorie deficit to promote fat loss and minimize muscle loss.
Gaining weight requires a slight calorie surplus, again to promote muscle growth and minimize fat gain.
Do all of that while aiming for whole unprocessed foods as the backbone of your diet.
On the recovery slide, hit 7 to 9 hours of sleep.
Provide adequate rest time between workouts too.
48 hours before hitting the same muscle group is a great rule of thumb to abide by.
That the basics, but it doesnt end there.
Pay attention to yourself.
Are you more tired than usual?
Is your sleep getting disrupted?
If you keep in tune with your body, it will let you know whether the recovery is enough.