Common Sense Strength Training

Everybody asks the question on how to go about a strength training program. Where do I start, how do I begin, where do I go, what age to start at, and what do I need? These are all common questions on beginning a strength training program. I will go over these common asked questions in detail.

If you haven’t touched a weight or have never begun a strength training program, it is essential that one get clearance from a physician and tell him/her what you plan on doing. Once this is done, you must learn to train the correct and safest way to attain the results you’re looking for. There are a lot of people out their who are misinforming the public about strength training. You do not want to put yourself in a situation in which you could possibly get injured or hurt from strength training.

Whatever training tools you have at your house or gym you can get results by proper strength training. If you do not belong to a gym I’m sure you have things in your house in which you can use to get results. Foe example: buckets of water, sand, a chair, tree limb, cement blocks, logs to name a few things. There are also manual exercises you can do, using your own body weight to get results. If you do belong to a gym, make sure you’re using the equipment the correct way. You don’t need a weight belt, gloves or wraps. What you do need is to work hard, be consistent and record what you have done on that particular day. You must record what you have done to see any type of improvement.

One needs to strength train 2 to 3 days a week and complement the other two days by doing some type of cardio or taking one day off of doing nothing. More is not better. Another factor in strength training is what your diet consists of. This is a topic in itself. Basically you have to eat correctly, beginning with eating a well balanced meal.

You have to control the weight. When you begin a strength training program your repetition scheme is a 4 second positive and a 6 second negative (10 second repetition). There should not be any momentum or jerking of getting the weight up. This is where an injury could occur. Many people in the field believe in explosive type lifts (Olympic type lifts) to increase size. Another hot topic, which you can go on forever.

You want to start off with a proper warm up. A warm up can consist of 5 minutes on a treadmill at a nice pace, not running. You just want to break a sweat, to get your body core temperature up. Now you’re ready for your first exercise. Select a weight you can do 10 repetitions with, using proper form (example: chest press). Your first repetition should be done like your tenth repetition. Your next exercise (example: row). Again, performing the exercise in good proper form. Your workout should comprise of 12-14 exercises. The exercise selected for the first couple of times are you basic compound movements mixed in with your simple movements (example: chest press, row, shoulder press, leg press or squat, calf’s, tricep pushdown, bicep curl, abdominals and lower back).

One of the keys to success in gaining or losing weight is the intensity one puts forth. You have to work hard while you’re strength training. If you become light headed or dizzy after an exercise, STOP! You have to use your common sense. It is not essential to be in the gym for hours. The training session with the warm up should last no longer then 45 minutes. After that you’re just wasting your time. This is due to the depletion of glucose in your body.

I tried to educate the common person reading this article. As I stated before, there are many ways to gain or lose muscle mass. You can make a difference in how you look. Start strength training and exercising. The benefits out way the opposite of doing nothing.

Joe Karszen, B.S., M.S.

I have been strength training people from the ages of 14yrs. to 72yrs. old for over ten years. I owned a one on one training facility on Long Island, New York (The Quality Repetition) for six years. I have done strength training camps and have given seminars on numerous topics regarding strength and conditioning. You can contact me at my web site www.wetrainu.net and ask me any further questions. n