Free Exercising Tips & Programs Plus Strength Training Tips for Beginners
We offer exercising tips for mild and intense fitness training, strength training routines for beginners or more advanced, weightlifting programs and weight loss exercise programs.
If you have not yet seen our full range of free physical training routines, workouts, and programs, visit the following sections of our website:
Strength Training for All
Strength Training Orientation (beginners)
Weightlifting for All
Weightlifting Tips, Part 1
Weightlifting Tips, Part 2
Weightlifting Program: Beginners
Weightlifting Routines: Intermediates
Mild Fitness Training
Intense Fitness Training
Weight Loss Routines
You will find the links to those pages listed below. If you prefer to read them later, you will find the main sections listed on the navigation buttons as "Strength Training" "Weightlifting" and "Weight Loss Exercise Programs."
Injuries undermine success. The exercising tips on this first page are about strength training. At the bottom of this page, you will find a link to the companion tips about safety for fitness exercise (both mild fitness training and intense fitness training).
We recommend reviewing the tips occasionally. Doing so may help you to avoid falling into some bad habits.
Following the principles set out on this page will greatly increase your odds of successfully using physical training to enhance your life. These principles and the fitness safety tips should be followed by anyone initiating the corresponding free programs set out here on our website.
If you have been training without injury for twelve consecutive months, you may want to modify some of them; however, there is no reason you ever have to loosen up on them.
When done with your physician's blessing and in accordance with all the following principles, the physical training recommended here on our website is safe for nearly everyone.
Exercising Tips Strength Training 1
General Principles
Eat not less than thirty minutes before training and not more than three hours before beginning.
(Our personal preference is to eat about ninety minutes before strength training and about two hours before fitness training.)
Follow the recommended 6X eating plan, which includes recommendations for post-strength-training shakes:
If you are lucky enough to have a good training partner, terrific! However, don't rely on anyone else. By themselves, good intentions are worthless. You won't make progress if you don't do the exercising.
Especially for the first three months, be very reluctant to skip a training session. On the other hand, don't train if you are ill, injured, over-trained, or just really "off." Learn to "listen" to your body.
Keep reading. This will nourish your mind and keep your enthusiasm high. Keep a training journal. This will help you to figure out what works best for you and what doesn't. Use only what works best, and forget the rest.
Stretch your whole body at least twice weekly, but don't stretch immediately prior to strength training or during strength training.
Exercising Tips Strength Training 2
Perform reps perfectly
Use a rep speed that is smooth and controlled; never use momentum. For directions on how to perform reps perfectly, see this section of our website:
Always use correct exercise technique (form). Loosening one's form to cheat can be productive for advanced trainees, but it is counterproductive for beginners.
Keep breathing. Do not hold your breathe while performing an exercise. In general, inhale during the negative (down) part of the stroke and exhale during the positive (up) part of the stroke.
Never do more than three strength training sessions per week.
Distinguish onset muscular soreness (O.M.S.) from the pain of injury, and never train through the pain of injury.
Exercising Tips Strength Training 3
Warm up your muscles
Always do a general warm-up before strength training. This will warm up your muscles, lubricate your joints, and get your heart rate up. (We simply do about five minutes on a stationary bike at a moderate pace.)
Always do specific warm-ups for the major muscle groups you are training. This is particularly important if the gym or your muscles are cool or cold.
My personal rule is never to increase poundages more than ninety pounds per warm up set. On the Weight Lifting Tips, Part 1, section of our website we provide you with an excellent way to warm-up:
(For example, if I am to do a work set with 350 lbs. on stiff-legged deadlifts, in the summer I'll do a first warm-up set using about 210 lbs. and then a second warm-up set with fewer reps using about 280 lbs.
When my unheated basement gym is colder in the winter, I may add in at the beginning a set with just 135 lbs. to get started.)
In general, we suggest using about 60% of your work set weight on your first warm-up set and about 80% on your second warm-up set. The task is to get warm without tiring yourself. You'll develop a feel for it after a while.
If you are doing a full-body routine, wait at least twenty-four hours after all D.O.M.S. (delayed onset muscular soreness) has disappeared before training again. This promotes systemic recovery and will help you to avoid over-training.
Strength Training Routines
Routines designed for your level
Use a training routine designed for your level (beginner, intermediate, advanced). Put most of your energy into basic, compound exercises and do isolation exercises, if any, late in a training session.
Never use inherently dangerous movements such as squats in a Smith machine, upright barbell rows, dips with weights hanging from a belt, behind-the-neck presses and pulldowns, and so on.
We do not recommended anything in our programs that is inherently dangerous. (If you don't know which movements are inherently dangerous, do not design your own routines; instead, only use routines designed by experts who understand what they are doing.)
Never use inherently dangerous movements such as bouncing at the bottom on squats or swinging weights. Never perform an exercise until you understand the right way to perform it.
We do not recommend any fast lifts like the Olympic lifts unless you receive individual coaching from an expert on how to perform them correctly; they are not easy to do correctly.
Never do more than 20 total work sets per training session.
Never use anabolic steroids.
If you are a beginner, avoid high intensity techniques.
Train progressively. Never increase work set poundages more than ten pounds from training session to training session.
You are never too old to enjoy strength training and its benefits.
You are never too old to begin--even if you are in your 90's! Of course, don't begin without your physician's blessing.
Take it one small step at a time: use perfect technique and light weights. Increase intensity only gradually. Enjoy your strength training in good health!
Click on the link below to go to the section for safety during fitness training.
As we said before, always do specific warm-ups for the major muscle groups you are training.
As part of a general warm-up before strength training, many lifters do some ab or core exercises to reduce the chances of straining the lower back.
Here's a website we like that provides plenty of information about ab or core exercises that can be used for warming up as well as for strengthening and trimming the midsection:
ab-core-and-stomach-exercises.com
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