Weightlifting is an incredible way to achieve a healthy, happy, and beautiful body. When you implement proper weight lifting techniques alongside a healthy and balanced diet and a bit of cardio, you can achieve amazing things when it comes to your fitness. Not only can weight lifting help you to tone your body, but it can help to increase your metabolism and even improve your bone density. But if you engage in improper weight lifting techniques, you will not achieve these goals and could end up seriously injuring yourself. Therefore, it is so important to make sure you are following the proper techniques and guidelines when it comes to weightlifting.

Some people attempt to teach themselves how to weight train via observing people in the gym, or even by just picking up weights, guessing, and going for it. But it is important to make sure you learn how to lift weights properly, and not just guess. From sprains to strains, to torn muscles, to fractures, to back injuries, you can really suffer some serious consequences if you don’t take the time to implement the proper technique into your weight lifting routine. If you are interested in learning, you should do a bit of research as well as consider hiring a personal trainer or perhaps taking a strength and conditioning class in Bedford.

In the meantime, let’s talk about some of the do’s and don’ts of weightlifting…

The Do’s

• Make sure to lift the right amount of weight: Lift a weight that feels comfortable, but still requires a decent amount of effort. You want to choose a weight that you can manage to do somewhat comfortably for about 12 to 15 reps, for about 2 to 3 sets.

• Come up with a proper plan to follow: If you come up with a plan, you will be more likely to follow it. This way it will be easy for you to wake up each day and follow your plan, to know what you need to do, and to get it done.
• Use proper form: This is probably the most important “Do”, as following this rule means you will get the results you want, and you will not injure yourself.
• Remember to breathe: A lot of people tend to forget breathing when they are lifting weights, but it is extremely important to ensure that your muscles are getting oxygen. Breathe out as you are lifting the weight and breathe in whenever you are letting it go down.
• Remember to incorporate balance with the muscles you are training: Make sure you don’t focus too much on one muscle. It’s all about balance. Incorporate all your muscles, choose a couple muscle areas to focus on during each session.
• Remember that rest is just as important as the training itself: When you rest, you give your muscles a chance to repair themselves to be ready to go for the next session. This rest is so important because when the muscles repair themselves, this is when the actual toning and results take place.

The Don’ts

• Don’t skip your warm-up: Your muscles will be more likely to get injured or strained if you start lifting weights before they are warmed up. Try and incorporate about 10 minutes of fast walking or jogging before beginning your weight routine.
• Don’t overdo it & and don’t ignore your body: Just like we mentioned before, rest is extremely important. If you feel like your body is telling you to stop via pain or strain, then you should take a breather. And remember to not go too crazy focusing on any one muscle region.
• Don’t rush: Lifting weights slowly will get you faster results. If you do it quickly, the momentum can aid in your lifting which will in the long term prolong your results.
• Don’t forget to slowly increase your weight: Over time, as you get stronger, you will need to increase the weights you are lifting, if you start to feel like the set seems a bit easy, then increase your weight a bit.
• Don’t forget to wear proper shoes: Wearing proper shoes while weight lifting is important because you need to keep your feet protected from any weights dropping, etc. Having proper shoes on will also help you engage in proper balance and give you traction while lifting.

If you are interested in learning more about weightlifting, come visit us here at Fitness Nation and we will be more than happy to help you get started. Try out our body pump class in Bedford, or work with one of our specialists to take the first steps towards a healthier and stronger you. Contact us or come by today, and let’s get started.