• Home
  • Healthy Living
  • Mind & Body
  • Workouts
  • Home
  • Healthy Living
  • Mind & Body
  • Workouts

7 tips for a safe and successful strength-training program

April 01, 2023 by admin in Workouts

Strength or resistance training challenges your muscles with a stronger-than-usual counterforce, such as pushing against a wall or lifting a dumbbell or pulling on a resistance band. Using progressively heavier weights or increasing resistance makes muscles stronger. This kind of exercise increases muscle mass, tones muscles, and strengthens bones. It also helps you maintain the strength you need for everyday activities — lifting groceries, climbing stairs, rising from a chair, or rushing for the bus.

The current national guidelines for physical activity recommend strengthening exercises for all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms) at least twice a week. One set — usually 8 to 12 repetitions of the same movement — per session is effective, though some evidence suggests that two to three sets may be better. Your muscles need at least 48 hours to recover between strength training sessions.

These seven tips can keep your strength training safe and effective.

  1. Warm up and cool down for five to 10 minutes. Walking is a fine way to warm up; stretching is an excellent way to cool down.
  2. Focus on form, not weight. Align your body correctly and move smoothly through each exercise. Poor form can prompt injuries and slow gains. When learning a strength training routine, many experts suggest starting with no weight, or very light weight. Concentrate on slow, smooth lifts and equally controlled descents while isolating a muscle group.
  3. Working at the right tempo helps you stay in control rather than compromise strength gains through momentum. For example, count to three while lowering a weight, hold, then count to three while raising it to the starting position.
  4. Pay attention to your breathing during your workouts. Exhale as you work against resistance by lifting, pushing, or pulling; inhale as you release.
  5. Keep challenging muscles by slowly increasing weight or resistance. The right weight for you differs depending on the exercise. Choose a weight that tires the targeted muscle or muscles by the last two repetitions while still allowing you to maintain good form. If you can’t do the last two reps, choose a lighter weight. When it feels too easy to complete add weight (roughly 1 to 2 pounds for arms, 2 to 5 pounds for legs), or add another set of repetitions to your workout (up to three sets). If you add weight, remember that you should be able to do all the repetitions with good form and the targeted muscles should feel tired by the last two.
  6. Stick with your routine — working all the major muscles of your body two or three times a week is ideal. You can choose to do one full-body strength workout two or three times a week, or you may break your strength workout into upper- and lower-body components. In that case, be sure you perform each component two or three times a week.
  7. Give muscles time off. Strength training causes tiny tears in muscle tissue. These tears aren’t harmful, but they are important: muscles grow stronger as the tears knit up. Always give your muscles at least 48 hours to recover before your next strength training session.

About The Author: admin

HOW TO ACHIVE PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS THROUGH INTERVAL WORKOUT ROUTINE
6 tips to keep your brain healthy

Related Posts

  • 5 Good Habits That Might Cause Premature Aging
    March 23, 2023 0 comments
    When does something healthy become unhealthy? When you do it too much, to the exclusion of Read more!
  • 5 Reasons Why Your Legs Are Not Growing
    November 05, 2023 0 comments
    Improve your aesthetics right now.   Leg day should be part of Read more!
  • How to keep fit without going to the gym this Christmas
    December 27, 2023 0 comments
    Christmas is probably the most difficult time of the year to stay in shape as we indulge in some of Read more!

Leave a Comment! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Recent Posts
  • Are You Lifting Wrong? Why Heavy Weights May Not Be the Only Key to Bigger Muscles
  • People who succeed in everything they pursue usually practice these 5 daily habits, according to psychology
  • Nutritionist Shares Tips To Lower Cholesterol When Statins Don’t Work
  • Sprint Interval Training: 10-minute fat-burning workout that beats HIIT
  • How weight training strengthens your heart and four exercises to try
Categories
  • Healthy Living
  • Mind & Body
  • Workouts
© 2024 FitnessRant. All Rights Reserved.   |   Contact us   |   Privacy Policy   |   For Advertisers