David Reagan of Atlanta Offers Beginners Guide to Weight Lifting
A good weight lifting routine can help you lose weight and build muscles. If you want to develop power and strength, then you should be lifting. However, if you are new to it, you shouldn’t just jump in and try to learn as you go along. Instead, start slow and learn the basics about weight lifting before you start. Here, David Reagan, a certified personal trainer from Atlanta, offers a beginners guide to weight lifting so you can lift intelligently, maximizing your benefits while minimizing the risk of injury.
Attitude Matters
Before you start lifting, you have to make sure you approach it with the right attitude. Weight lifting is not something that you do at the gym for 20 minutes and then forget about. An effective weight lifting program requires getting plentiful rest and eating a good diet. It requires making plans, keeping track of your progress, and adjusting your routine as you improve. If you want to start lifting, you need to have the time and patience to commit yourself fully to it.
Equipment Choices
You have four choices when it comes to weight lifting equipment. There are dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, and resistance machines. Avoid using the machines. They isolate your muscles so you can concentrate on one muscle at a time. This may allow you to make a lot of progress quickly, but the muscles you get won’t do you a lot of good. Because you developed them in isolation, you did not develop your stabilizer muscles enough to use them without a high risk of injury. Barbells are a decent choice, but they are more suitable for experienced lifters. Dumbbells and kettlebells are your best choices. Kettlebells will get you better results over time, but dumbbells are a little easier to start with. Do a little research on them to decide which is the right choice for you.
Get Expert Advice
Before you get started on a weight lifting program, talk to your doctor to make sure that you have no relevant health concerns and get their advice about what kind of diet you should eat. You can also use the internet and read weight lifting books to find more advice about eating for lifters and good lifting routines for beginners.
You also need to get advice from an expert weight trainer to make your first lifting schedule. You will need some kind of curls to work out your arms, something to develop your shoulders, something for your pecs, something for your core muscles, and something for your legs. You might do better by having separate exercises for each muscle group at first and eventually moving into compound exercises that work for multiple groups at once after getting a little experience. You will need to arrange your workout schedule never to exercise the same muscles two days in a row. They need a little downtime to rest and heal if they are going to grow.
The Takeaway
If you take the time to do the research you need to craft the weight lifting routine that is best for you, you will see the gains you want. Just have a little patience. In time you’ll be lifting like the pros.
About David Reagan
David Reagan is a founder of Atlanta Training, helping busy executives and business people to find a balance between their work and personal fitness goals. David follows a holistic approach when it comes to health – he offers personalized workout plans to fit each of his client’s needs based on fitness, nutrition, mindset work, and time-management. He believes that we can always find time for what matters most – our health.