If you’ve decided to get back into shape, tone up those muscles, and start on the road to better fitness, it’s important to start out properly so you not only avoid injury, but also so that you can maximize your workout effectiveness. Here’s some workout tips for beginners to make that happen!
Fitness Should Become a Habit – Every morning, you more than likely shower, brush your teeth, etc. Just like these habits, you should also make fitness a “must do” habit. Getting in shape isn’t something that starts just because you “feel like working out”. By making fitness a habit, shooting for 2-4 times per week for at least three weeks will get your brain set for regular workouts. And, as your body changes plus your fitness level improves – you’ll find you want to workout!
Start With Less Weight – Just because you think you can lift a certain wait, it’s more important when starting out that you lift weights properly. Watch how others lift, or consult a personal trainer to learn the best way to lift. You’ll not only avoid having to unlearn bad habits, you’ll be less prone to injuring yourself. And, once you have the basic movements down, then you can start adding weight to your workouts.
Compound Movements When Lifting Are Preferred – What is a compound movement? It’s movements like squats, bench press, shoulder press, deadlifts, pull ups, lunges, and bent over rows/ These lifts use multiple muscle groups at one time. You’ll hit more muscles during your workouts in less time, and these lifts also pump up your metabolism for more weight loss. Once you’ve got these lifts down, you can add other lifts that isolate specific muscles.
Watch Your Posture – This is vital, especially if you have any history of back issues. How you position your spine during a lift impacts how much weight you can lift while avoiding injury. Keep your lower back slightly arched, your chest up, and your heat and neck in a neutral position. This keeps your spine in an “S” shape, balancing and distributing the load. If you’re upper back is severely arched, you can hurt your lower back or neck. And, if you feel weak doing this, add some core exercises to strengthen your abdomen. You’ll find that as you strengthen your core, your spine will feel stronger and more stable as well.
Don’t Sabotage Your Workouts With a Bad Diet – Food is fuel, and if you put “dirty” fuel into your body, your workouts won’t “run” right. A clean diet – healthy fats, carbs and protein – clears your head, fuels your body, and improves your workouts. Now, you can enjoy good food, but just make better choices in those food decisions. For example, cut back on pizza – try making chicken with green beans instead. Get rid of processed foods, and replace them with protein and vegetables at every meal.
Don’t Cheat Yourself – When you’re doing a lift, you want to choose before hand how many reps per set, and how many sets you’re doing. Then, do them. If you can’t control the weight you’re lifting, then decrease the weight, and finish your sets with the proper number of reps you’ve decided on. Telling yourself that it’s OK if you don’t do those last 3 reps means you’ve cheated yourself out of your workout.
Finally, Think About What You Want – If you know what you want to accomplish, you’re more likely to then think about how you’re going to get there. So, if you’re looking to loose weight, you may want to do less weight with more sets and reps. If you’re looking to add muscle and get bigger, it may then mean choosing lifts that require less reps with more weight. And, if you’re taking your time and focus during your lefts on what your muscles are actually doing, you’ll build what is called the “mind-muscle connection” – you’ll find yourself telling your muscles in a certain way during a lift. This visualization while workout out actually helps you to get more benefit out of your workout.
And, if you want to get the most out of your workouts, especially if you have a busy schedule, you may want to set up your own home gym to maximize your results. At Fitness 4 home Superstore, we carry the industry’s top strength and cardio equipment. Visit any of our three Phoenix area stores to see what will work best for your fitness program!
