by That weights can be very heavy….what? You already knew that? There goes my number 1. on the list. I’m dealing with some smart people here.
All kidding aside, I started training with weights when I was around 14 years old. As a insecure, weak,thin as a thread boy I did not know much about lifting. I just wanted to get bigger in an attempt to impress girls.
Did it work?
Not really..not at first. I was too shy, awkward and did not feel comfortable in my own skin. Girls love that right? I learned later that building muscle was not a huge factor in getting the ladies. But that’s a whole different story.
In my many years of training I’ve probably made every mistake there is to make in the gym. But as a wise man once said to me. ” Mistakes is how you learn.” I think it was my father who told me, or maybe I’ve read it somewhere.
Anyway that’s not important, but what is of great significance is that you know these things in the beginning. Learn them , adapt some of them and you can reach your goals much faster.
1. Keep it simple.
It can be quite overwhelming the first time you step into a gym. There is so many machines and exercises to perform that you don’t know where to start. The web is loaded with information and It’s difficult to know who is genuine and what works for you.
If you are not following some kind of workout plan its very easy to fall in to a pattern of just going there, walking around, staring at your phone. trying some machines here and there. Some people seems to know everyone at the gym, and that’s great. Training partners can help to push you beyond your limits But instead of working out hard they just end up talking. If you are easily distracted I would recommend if possible that you pick a gym where not all of your friends hang out.
When I was younger I used to read every bodybuilding magazine and book I could get my hands on. This is hard to imagine but this was a time when YouTube did not exist and internet was very slow, good times indeed.
In the magazines the professional bodybuilders flexed their muscles showing of the latest “secret routines” like “30 days to bigger arms” or “Get huge dinosaur legs”. I didn’t know better so I tried every one of them and failed miserably.
I was ignorant to the fact that they had been training for 20+ years and that most of them where using performance enhanching drugs. Their programs where way to complicated for a beginner and instead I should have focused on learning basic compound movements such as barbell squats,bench presses, deadlifts, shoulder presses. I should have started with a basic full body program 3 times a week.
Here’s an example of what this can look like:
workout 1 monday
Exercise sets/reps
- Bench press 3 6-10
- BB Shoulder press 3 6-10
- Face pulls 3 6-10
- Skull crushers 3 6-10
- BB Biceps curl 3 6-10
- Deadlift 3 6-10
- Squats 3 6-10
- Stiff-Legged Deadlift 3 6-10
- Standing calf raise 3 6-10
Workout 2 wednesday
- Incline dumbbell press 3 6-10
- Lateral raises 3 6-10
- DB bent over raise 3 6-10
- Narrow bench press 3 6-10
- Hammer curls 3 6-10
- Pull-ups 3 6-10
- Leg press 3 6-10
- Hamstring curl 3 6-10
Workout 3 Friday
- DB flyes 3 6-10
- Upright row 3 6-10
- Inverted row 3 6-10
- Dips 3 6-10
- DB curls 3 6-10
- Bent over row 3 6-10
- Leg curl 3 6-10
- Seated calf raises 3 6-10
Just keep it simple and build up your strength in every exercise. There’s a lot to gain if you develop a solid foundation and learn the mechanics of these lifts before proceeding with more advanced programs
2. Don't neglect your Nutrition.
It took me a long time to realize this, but eating the right kind of food can do so much for your results. I did not pay much attention to nutrition at first, and thought that it was something only the pro’s kept track of when they where getting ready for competition.
In my mind there was just one thought. If I keep stuffing my face with a large quantity of food, I will grow big and strong. The only thing I cared about was how much protein I needed to consume. I used to be obsessed looking at the list of ingredients to see how much protein there was in there.
This was not entirely wrong. Getting the right amount of protein is necessary for building up your muscles. At least I got one thing right. but sadly, one thing without the other won’t produce optimal results. Carbohydrates and fats are equally important. You need these two for supplying energy to your body.
Eat the right kinds of fat(unsaturated fat) from foods like avocado, nuts, vegetable oils. Your main source of carbohydrates should come from brown rice, quinoa, sweet potato, oats and beans. These are called complex carbohydrates and will give you slow and steady energy throughout the day, supply you with vitamins and minerals and keep you full and satisfied for a longer period of time. This is your best choice a few hours before your workout.
Fast absorbing simple carbohydrates like fructose, lactose is best saved for directly after your workout to restore your energy levels fast. follow that up with a meal consisting of protein, carbs and fats within 60 minutes.
Make sure to drink lots of water during the day and after workouts. This is very important. You lose a lot more fluids than you think and it should constantly be on your mind to stay hydrated if you want to have the best results. Keep a bottle of water near in case you’re like me and forget to drink. Your water intake should be at least 3 liters daily.
3. Track your progress.
One ord. Training diary.
You have to log your results every workout. If you’re in the gym, write down things like weight, reps, intensity, time. Doing it this way will let you know what you did during your last session and you’ll be able to better keep track of your results.
If you don’t do this, there’s a good chance that you’ll end up doing the same thing over and over again. Your body will get used to the workouts and if it’s not being challenged it will have no reason to improve.
The key is using progressive overload. Force the muscles to grow by continuously putting more pressure on them. You can do this by increasing resistance, reps, volume of training or lowering the rest time between sets.
If you’ve been efficient and logged your results from the last workout. Start the next workout with a little analys. See what you can improve upon. it doesn’t have to be huge advancements. Even if you only manage to squeeze out a half rep or increase the weight with 2,75 Lbs on your bench, it’s still a progression. That is what you should always strive for.
Those reps will eventually lead up to many reps in the long run.
4. Good form is vital.
I wish that I had a nickel for every time I see people use bad form. I was guilty of this once to. That’s why I still suffer from bad wrists. I still regret doing all those heavy barbell curls. It was my own egotistical fault that I focused to much on lifting heavy weight than movement and the muscle.
Let me paint you a picture of a common scenario.
A random guy is going to perform a set of barbell biceps curl. He starts loading up the on the weights. He is really piling on the plates there. Is he really going to curl that?Man, he must be freaky strong. I usually don’t care what other people do in the gym, although this time i couldn’t help but glance while I was doing my own thing.
The curl begins.
In an confusing and uncontrolled matter he uses his whole body to swing the barbell like a complete lunatic. Is he training his back or his biceps. I know that “cheat curls” is a technique you can use to up the intensity. It works very well if you know what you’re doing. If you don’t, it can be a recipe for a serious back injury.
Building muscles is not always about lifting heavy weights. don’t get me wrong. You should aim for stronger lifts each and every workout, but if you lift so heavy that you can’t contract and control the working muscle then the effort is quite ineffective and a waste of time.
5. Work out all Muscle groups.
We often want to train the muscles that can be shown off in a t-shirt or a tank top like arms, chest, abs and shoulders and tend to neglect the body parts that we can hide under our clothes. They are not important to us as we can’t always “see them” and we don’t think that anyone else does either.
Well my friends, I got some news for ya.
We do see them. It doesn’t matter if we try to hide our underdeveloped parts away under layers of clothes. If you got skinny legs or calves you need to then learn to accept that or even better train them once in a while to make them grow and be proportional the rest of your body.
We need to train the whole body and not just for aesthetical purposes, but to prevent muscle imbalances.. If you want to prioritise certain body parts, that’s ok. But do not forget the other ones. They need your love too.
6. Train with intensity.
There are so many people in the gym that do not make an effort. They don’t push themselves hard enough and others don’t even brake a sweat.
Some pick up their weights and know that they are gonna perform 10 reps. So they do a quick 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 and then put down the weights like nothing happened.
If you’re that person, please stop. Workouts should be hard and not comfortable. Use a heavy enough weight. Every rep you do should be slow, focused and feel tough and with the last reps the screaming pain in your muscles must become so unbearable that you are forced to end the set and rest.
You need to have the mindset to train with maximum capacity and make the most of out of that valuable time you spend in the gym. The brain will try to convince you to stop and send signals to your body that you had enough. Train yourself to ignore this and you ‘ll be able to go beyond your limits.
Increasing the intensity will also help you burn more calories so it’s a good thing.
Step out of your comfort zone and go to war.
7. Diversify training routines.
after some time you will begin to feel that you can’t make any more progress. Nothing seems to work and the motivation just isn’t the same any more.
If you have been using the same workout routine for a couple of months there’s a good chance you’ve hit a plateau. Which means that your body have become accustomed to your way of training. This is normal but you need to adjust your program a bit to be able to surprise the body with some new and fresh exercises to start with.
Sometimes changing the exercises isn’t enough. If your motivation is super low and you don’t even feel like going to the gym. Then it is almost certainly better to take a one week brake and come back fully rested.
I have even switched gyms when I’m in that low spot. It made a huge difference to me just seeing new people, using new machines. A different atmosphere can really help you regain that desire for training again.
8. Consistency is key.
One of the most important components in weight training is to find ways to let go of excuses and frequently work out. You must keep chasing those long term goals.
Do this by creating a habit for yourself to never miss a training session, unless you’re sick or have some other important obligation. As long as you are not looking for reasons to skip training. Stick to your current program in thick and thin. Think about how you will feel when accomplish your desired goals.
Getting stronger and building a better physique doesn’t happen over night and you must not give up, have patience. It may seem like a long road to travel when you are just starting out. But we all start from the same point and its what we do on the way to our destination that counts.
Listen, this all comes down to what kind of person you wanna be. How high you’re going to set your level of achivements.
Are you ready to take full responsability for your actions? Only you can make these changes, but you have to stick to the basics and be consistant.
It’s like this big puzzle that you started to put together piece by piece and you may not always find the right ones to fit but if you keep laying them out by assemble the easy parts first you will get closer and closer to your goals.
Is this going to be difficult…….yes.
Is it going to take time…….you bet.
Just remember. you have the power and mind to do this.
9. Don't compare yourself with others.
When I was younger I used to look at other people my own age in the gym with envy because they where bigger and stronger than me and had a better physique. In my mind I was telling myself that” I will never be as good as these guys” or “why am I not as strong as that guy”.
As a result of this I would lose focus on what I was doing and my workouts would suffer. I wanted to look as great as them or greater, and I did not feel like waiting for the results. I grew impatient and started looking for shortcuts.
I tried every bodybuilding program I could find because I thought there must be “a secret formula” to getting more muscular. I think this is one reason why some people with bad confidence start to experiment with steroids to get faster results.
Instead of wasting my time with programs that was to advanced for me I should have learned about steady progression, used a basic program and realize that it takes time. I should have focused on myself and not care about what other people think or do.
We all have different conditions. Some have better genetics, some are stronger and some people maybe have a special talent for certain things. Be inspired by others and use it as a boost of energy instead of picking out your own flaws.
It’s what we do with the body we are given that counts.
10. Stretching is not lame.
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11. Rest and sleep.
I’m still bad at this one, I must admit.
The life with three small kids doesn’t give you much spare time. I have my alone time in the late evening when they been put to bed and that’s only 2-3 hours before I have to go to bed.
There is so much I want to do in that time and sometimes it can get a bit late. For example I’m writing this article right now, and instead I should be sleeping.
Well…What are you going to do?
You sleep when you’re in the grave, right?
No,big mistake.
Sleep is so important to us if we want to recover after our workouts or a hard days work. Do not underestimate this. If you don’t get a good nights sleep it will have a negative effect on your training. You lose focus and you won’t be able give a 100% effort.
Try to get at least 6-7 hours sleep. the most optimal according to studies seems to be around 7-8 hours but this depends on what type of person you are. Some people can get by on less.
I wouldn’t gamble with it. When you train hard and want maximum results and also have a job It’s probably better to get more.
12. Make sure it's fun.
Not much to say here really, except enjoy yourself. If you don’t like what you are doing it is going to be difficult be consistent and there for you will end end up with less of a result.
See it as a privilege that you get to have this amazing body and mind.
Everyday you are able to work, sculpt it make it better.
some people are not that lucky. we have it for a reason. why not use it to become the best we can be.
