Getting stronger and meeting your weight lifting goals can seem like an uphill battle, but with the right plan, you can stay on track and boost your motivation and results. Here are seven tips on how to get the most out of your weight lifting routine and achieve your goals.
1. Record and Analyze Your Progress Regularly
Recording your progress is key to keeping motivated and on track. Keep a journal of your workout times, weights, and reps. Write down how you felt before, during, and after each session. Keeping track of your progress will help you stay on track, and you will be more likely to challenge yourself each time.
2. Set Realistic and Specific Goals
When setting your weight lifting goals, be sure to be realistic and specific. When setting your goals, make sure they are attainable and measurable. This will help you stay more focused and motivated.
3. Vary Your Routine
Each time you hit the gym, vary your routine to challenge your body in different ways and avoid boredom. Work different muscle groups each time you go, and don’t be afraid to mix up the weights and reps.
4. Give Yourself Time to Recover
Your body needs time to rest and recover after working out. Make sure you give yourself at least one day of rest between weight lifting sessions to let your body recover and build itself back up stronger.
5. Get Enough Sleep
Your body also needs quality sleep to rebuild itself. Aim for at least 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
6. Eat Healthy
Eating healthy plays an important role in your success. Eating a nutritious diet will help ensure your body is getting the nutrients it needs to build muscle and stay energized.
7. Stay Motivated
Staying motivated is key to reaching your strength and weight lifting goals. Find a workout buddy, listen to music while you train, or reward yourself after each session. Staying positive and pushing yourself to do your best will help you reach your goals faster.
By following these seven tips, you can set yourself up for success and reach your weight lifting goals. Keep a positive attitude, stay focused, and remember to challenge yourself each time you hit the gym.
What exercises can I do to increase my strength and weight lifting goals?
1. Squats: Work your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and core with squats.
2. Deadlifts: Deadlifts work your entire posterior chain, from your glutes and hamstrings to your spinal erectors and trapezius.
3. Bench Press: Build your upper body strength and size with this classic weightlifting exercise.
4. Overhead Press: Strengthen your shoulder muscles with overhead presses.
5. Pull-ups: Work your back and bicep muscles with pull-ups.
6. Bent-Over Rows: Strengthen your lats, traps, and rear delts with bent-over rows.
7. Hang Cleans: Strengthen your hips, quads, lats, and core with this power-building exercise.
8. Military Press: Improve your shoulder stability, strength, and posture with military presses.
9. Lunges: Build your legs, glutes, and core with lunges.
10. Calf Raises: Build up your lower leg muscles with calf raises.
What kind of warmup should I do before weight lifting?
A good warmup should include dynamic stretching, light cardio, and a few minutes of light weight lifting to get your heart rate up and increase the blood flow to your muscles. It’s also important to get warmed up long before your main workout. Doing something as simple as a walk or light jog for 10-15 minutes, followed by 3-5 minutes of mobility movements, is a great way to prime your body for a more intense workout.
What stretches should I do before weight lifting?
1. Knee hug: Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Bring one knee up to chest height, fully wrapping both arms around the knee while keeping the opposite leg straight. Hold for 20-30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.
2. Toy Soldier: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your side. Lift one leg in front of the other and reach your arm up to the sky. Hold for 10 seconds then switch sides.
3. Prone Elbow Reach: Extend your arms straight out in front of you and tuck your toes. Reach your right arm back and left arm up while stretching the opposite side of your body. Hold for 10 seconds then switch sides.
4. Standing Cat-Cow: Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms outstretched in front of you. Raise your arms up into the cow position, reaching your arms up overhead. Hold for 10 seconds then switch to the cat position- rounding your shoulders and back, dropping your chin to your chest and arching your back. Hold for 10 seconds before releasing. Repeat 2-3 times.
What muscles should I stretch before weight lifting?
It depends on the type of weight lifting you are doing, but generally you should focus on stretching your hips, shoulders, back and chest. Specifically, you should focus on exercises such as cobras, tricep/bicep stretches, downward dogs, and chest openers. You can also incorporate dynamic stretching into your warmup. Examples of dynamic stretching include arm circles and torso twists.
