HOW AND WHY?
Resistance training is an effective way to tone your body, by means of sculpting your muscles by using weights or bands. Doing weight baring exercises will also build bone density and that reduces the risk of osteoporosis. When you are in the toning range you will be building connective tissues. Benefits of weight training also include improved metabolism, blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels. The lower the reps, the more muscle bulk you can expect to build, and the higher the reps, the leaner you’ll be.
REPS AND SETS
If you are a beginner you can start at 1-2 sets, and as an intermediate do 2-3 sets, and if you’re going for the gold then do 3-4 sets. Take anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes between sets to give yourself ample time to rest up. Focus your repetitions for the following numbers matching up to the type of results you are looking for:
Power lifting: 1-4 reps
Muscle building (hypertrophy): 5-8 reps
Strength training: 9-12 reps
Toning: 12-15 reps
Endurance: 15-20 reps
JUST STARTING WEIGHTLIFTING?
Now, if you are just starting out then you need to start with 6 weeks in the toning range, despite your goals, to build your connective tissues so you can handle a greater load going forward. It’s the healthiest and safest way to avoid getting injured.
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR CORE
Another very important tip is that you must suck in your gut; that means drawing inwards through the belly button to secure your core, this will keep you from injuring your back while you are lifting. If you do the opposite and press outward, you are putting yourself at a high risk of injury.
WARM UP AND STAY WARM
Warming up is essential to prevent injury, and that means doing some light stretching and some cardio exercise, at least 5 minutes’ worth before you start, then you will be warm and ready to train. If you choose to do a more complete cardio session beforehand not only will you be warmed up, but you’ll burn more fat during your weight training exercise if you are already sweating. Pick up the pace and keep it up, when it comes to cardio, you’ll want to train for at least 20 minutes and make sure you are sweating if you want to burn any fat, because you don’t start burning fat until you’ve reached 20 minutes, prior to that you’re just burning carbs.
JUST BREATHE
Don’t forget to breathe while you are lifting weights, it’s important that you do not hold your breath, because when you do that, you are smothering your muscles and limiting your success. You want to inhale on the easier part, and exhale during the hard part.
MIND YOUR FORM
Always check your form, if you are doing an exercise incorrectly then you’re likely putting yourself at risk for injury or targeting the wrong muscles which might ruin your posture.