PEERtrainer

Weights: Tools, Tips And Goals

Four Important Steps For Success

By Janet Smith, PEERtrainer Health and Fitness Writer
Just walk into a bookstore, or browse online and you’ll find hundreds of books all ready to teach you how to gain the benefits of weight lifting.  Search a bit more and you’ll find all sorts of tools and gadgets to help you get the most from your weight lifting workouts.  With so much available how do you know who is right or what tools you really need to reach your goals with weight lifting?

Your goals for weight lifting will help determine your strategies and tools to use.  There are a few steps you should adhere to no matter what your goals. These steps will ensure optimal results from you weight lifting activities.

Step # 1:  Make your workouts short.  Weight lifting programs should never last more than one hour.  Remember, you’re placing stress on the muscles as you lift weights.  An hour is the maximum time without causing stress, longer recovery time, and possible injuries.

Step # 2: Make your workout intense.  During weight lifting sessions one of your goals should be to challenge your body, so it adapts by building new muscle cells or burning off body fat. 

Step #3:  Don’t do workout sessions every day.  If you’re doing your weight lifting sessions with intensity, you’ll be placing heavy demands on your muscles.  These muscles need time to recover and grow.  Attempting another workout session before your body has recovered will not increase results; it will hamper the results and leave your body in pain.

Steps #4: Consistently change your weight lifting routines.  Regardless of whether you are trying to burn fat, improve sports performance, boost your metabolism, get more tone, or become a body builder, change is a must.   To reach your goals in the shortest time possible, you must constantly challenge your body.  Your body can adapt very quickly to repetitive routines week after week.  Adding more weight, changing the routine and changing the repetitions are all excellent ways to keep change in your weight lifting workouts.
 
These four fundamental steps are good basic practices for every type of weight training. Keep these in mind as you train to both protect your body and get the results you want.

 
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