Pumping Iron

When beginning a resistance training program, it is easy to become overwhelmed with all the information floating out there about the "right way" to lift weights. Well, I'm happy to tell you that as long as you are doing it, lifting weights is going to benefit you -- provided that you have good form. It is smart to get help from someone who is highly knowledgeable in resistance training, like a personal trainer, if you have never lifted before. Even one or two sessions will really help.

However, if you have some experience with resistance training, I have some tips to help you depending on your specific goals. I've divided it up into three categories: 1) Building Muscle 2) Building Muscle and Endurance and 3) Muscle Endurance

Depending on what you are looking to accomplish, your repetitions and the amount of rest between sets makes a difference. Some like to do 12 reps of everything. That's fine, but that's not optimum if, for example, you're looking to mainly just put on a lot of muscle. Keep in mind your goals when you decide the weight and how many reps you want to do.

 

Goal #1: Build muscle

- Pick a weight that will only allow you to do 2-6 repetitions. Rest 2 to 5 minutes between doing another set.

Goal #2: Build muscle and endurance

-Choose a weight that will only allow you do 8-12 repetitions. Rest 90 seconds to 2 minutes between sets.

Goal #3: Muscle endurance

- Choose a weight that is a little lighter, that will allow you to do 15-20 repetitions. Be ready to do the next set within 30 seconds of the last one! There's not much rest allowed for this one.

When I talk about "choosing a weight", this might take a little experimentation to get it right. You may do your first set with the goal of 12 repetitions and finish them pretty easily. So for the next set, choose a bit heavier and try it again. The goal is to be really struggling with that last repetition, whether it is 6, 12 or 20. 

I always take a little notebook with me to the weight room and write down how much I lifted for each exercise. This saves time during the next workout because I have a pretty good idea of how much weight will get me to failure at the right repetition. Also, this allows me to see progress. 

The rest periods are important, but that doesn't mean you have to sit there for 2 to 6 minutes doing nothing. Move on to another exercise (that works another muscle group) and come back to the first exercise. The only one that doesn't really allow that is the straight muscle endurance group. You need to pretty much do your sets back to back. You don't have to do the exact same exercise back to back, but you need to work the same muscle group.

One last note: "Building Muscle" doesn't necessarily mean "bulking up". It can, if you are a guy and that is your goal, but 99.9% of girls will not get bulky from lifting heavy weights. Women just do not have the hormones (testosterone) to build that kind of muscle. So if you've been shying away from heavy lifting because you don't want to "get big". I urge you to add a little bit of heavy lifting into your regimen. Your body responds well to variety, so if all you do is light weight for 15-20 repetitions, your muscles will get used to it and the benefits will diminish. Add a few heavy lifting days in there once in a while to mix it up.

Good luck and if you have more questions, you can always e-mail me: fabulouslyfit@live.com