Starting weight training: things to remember

Introduction

A new venture looks alien to everyone, and can be extremely confusing in the beginning. Without proper guidance, it can only be a matter of time before someone is deceived into doing the wrong things and following the incorrect path, and if the venture is something like weight training where tons and tons of contradicting theories exist, the possibility of someone getting lost in the sea of such contradictions can be pretty high.

Starting a weight training, of course, might not look that difficult a thing to do; its just a question of just getting a gym membership and lift the weights, right? True, and I don’t doubt on this part, but I also believe that there’s more to it than meets the eye. It is not a question of what you do but how, not how much you lift but how you lift it, and such things hold tremendous importance when you are starting off weight training and gradually getting used to the added resistance and the movements you do. Doing something wrong or inappropriate can cause injuries, either on short notice or in the long run, and can put you out of the game for good.

In this article, I will be explaining the things you need to do and how to do them, and things you should avoid as a beginner (first 6-8 months of training). I have compiled these points based on my knowledge and personal experience, and I believe these will be useful for anyone who is starting weight training. Sit back and have a read.

1. Do free weight movements as much as possible

As I have explained in my previous article “Machines vs.Free weights”, free weight training forms the foundation of any weight training program because of a number of reasons, and majority of the exercises in the program (70-80%) should be done using dumbbells and barbells. Free weight training is not just better when it comes to training progress, because of the fact that you actually need to stabilise the weight as you lift and lower it recruits a lot of stabiliser muscles and connective tissues, which grow bigger and stronger in the process. Such training creates a structural foundation that is strong in all aspects, and such an all-round growth is of prime importance for an aspiring beginner to continue lifting heavier and heavier weights as he makes progress, without sustaining injury.

Free weight training has another important advantage that holds prime importance for beginners, and that is allowing free flow of movement. When two persons curl a barbell up, they follow slightly different pathways owing to their different bone lengths. A barbell or a dumbbell allows for such freedom, which is important for learning the movement as a beginner. Machine manufacturing companies make the machines keeping the average consumer in mind, and if someone over or under qualifies to be that “average” person, the pathway that is imposed by the machine will differ from what the normal pathway will be. If done repeatedly, such a situation can actually train the body to do the movement incorrectly, and cause an injury to the joints in the long run.

One needs to do some machine exercises though, and for some muscles like calves, there is no other alternative but to use machines like standing and seated calf raise machines to train these muscles. But such training should be kept at a bare minimum, and reliance should be more on free weights.

2. Do multi-joint compound movements as much as possible

A compound movement is one that employs two or more joints to lift and lower the weight, like bench press that uses joints at shoulders and elbows to lift and lower the weight. The second category would be a single joint isolation movement that uses only one joint to do the movement. An example for chest would be flyes that uses only the shoulder joint to do the movement. As a beginner, one should focus on doing as many compound movements as possible. Read on to find out why.

When beginning weight training, one should not just focus on muscle growth (which is of course important), but also focus on learning coordination: the working of different muscles together to do a movement, the firing of the right muscle at the right time amongst a set of muscles working together to lift the weight, etc.

Such a scenario where the body is actually functioning as a unified unit and not a collection of isolated units is an important and necessary lesson when trying to build an overall physique that is complete. Our bodies are designed to work as a single unit, and compound movements train the nervous system to do just that. By engaging multiple muscle groups in a lift, the body learns how to coordinate movements and use many different available resources at its disposal efficiently to do so.

When doing a complex movement like squats, its not just the legs and glutes that take the beating, many other different muscles come into play: the spinal erectors of the back, the abdominals, lower back, all get a workout everytime the body tries to go back from a squatted position to a standing position. Such kind of coordination amongst many different muscles of the lower and upper body cannot be seen in a single joint isolation movement like leg extensions, where only the quadriceps muscles are getting involved.

Compound movements are also of prime importance for another reason: ability to lift more weights. Since a compound movement uses many different supporting muscles along with the primary muscle, one can lift much more weight compared to an isolation movement, where only that particular muscle is getting involved. More weights means more muscle stimulation, which translates to more muscle growth.

So should isolation exercises be eliminated? Of course not! Isolation exercises work, and for some muscles like biceps there is no other option but to do curls, but the reliance in general should be more on multi-joint compound movements. Movements like presses, rows, deadlifts, squats, chin ups etc. should have more priority than isolation movements like curls, extensions, raises etc.

3. Learn the movement

This point is crucial for beginners: learning how to do the movement correctly. More than often neglected, this is of crucial importance when it comes to reaping maximum benefits from an exercise.

Every exercise has a particular movement pattern, a particular technique of execution, and its designed like that for a reason: that technique has been found to be most effective in terms of getting the best out of that exercise, while keeping the trainee away from the risks of injury. While starting off, learning the correct movement pattern is of prime importance. At this stage, the body is in infant phase of weight training; if its taught the wrong way of moving the weight, it will learn that and the muscles will memorise the corresponding recruitment patterns.

Once the body goes to intermediate levels, it will still do the same incorrect way of movement. Depending on how incorrect the technique is, the trainee can develop serious postural problems because of doing the movement wrong, and might injure himself if he carries over the incorrect technique to lift heavier weights as he advances in training routine. Since the body has been doing that movement for quite some time, it will be extremely difficult to correct the movement pattern at that point.

So my advice for beginners: leave your ego outside the gym when you are inside. Train with light weights and focus on the correct movement of the exercise instead: read about them, have the trainer teach you about correct form, request someone experienced to spot your posture while you are doing the movement. Do a lot of reps with light weights and train the muscles with the recruitment patterns, and do not move to heavy weights till you have mastered the form. Take my advice, this will save you in the long run and keep you safe.

4. DO NOT use safety equipments

I have mentioned this before in an article of mine, and I will mention this again: safety equipments are meant to be used only when you are going ultra heavy on weights and not on a daily basis, and especially not at all at the beginning of weight training.

Safety equipments like belts keep the core safe by increasing the pressure all around it, thus providing a wall of support and increasing the intra-abdominal pressure, but using them also means recruitment of the core stabiliser muscles that support our frame naturally,goes for a toss. Such a strength imbalanceis detrimental, but is even more detrimental for a beginner who has yet to develop the kind of core strength needed for lifting weights.

If a beginner uses joint wraps and stability belts from the very beginning of a workout, the strength of the stabilisers, core, various connective tissues like ligaments etc. will remain the same and will not get a chance to be stronger. This will create a strength imbalance where muscles are getting strong, the connective tissues are not. Worst part of it, if continued, the situation will only worsen as time progresses. The only remedy: do not use such belts. Use the stabilisers in your own body itself and make them stronger, so there is an overall strength development. Such overall development is what creates the kind of quality physique that is truly strong and does not have just cosmetic muscles.




Conclusion
Starting anything new can be difficult, but even more difficult is doing things the correct way. If mistakes are made in the beginning, chances of the entire venture going south can be very high. However, if the commonest mistakes that are usually made are avoided and the person is guided about the does and don’ts of the venture, keeping the focus on achieving the goals becomes a lot easier.

I hope the article helps people who are starting their weight training. Please let me know your opinions and feedback in the comments section below, I will be glad to hear from you. PEACE !!!