Are your weight-room errors hindering your results?
Lifting weights can help you drop pounds, lower your blood pressure, and improve bone density. There is however, way more to lifting than just lugging around whichever weight is available at the gym. You’ve got to think about the perfect number of pounds, the best workouts, and the right number of reps and it can get overwhelming.
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Don’t Forget About Your Core
When you lift weights, you’re probably focusing on your arms, unknowingly neglecting your center. If your core isn’t on your radar, you could end up injuring yourself and this is due to your back having to compensate. In order to make sure you’re using the right technique, pay attention to your ribs: If they’re sticking out, your core is probably not engaged. To assume the right position, think about bringing your ribs together and bracing your core.
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Using Too-Light Weights
If you want to see true fat loss, you have to stick to heavy weights. You’ll build lean muscle, the kind that helps burn body fat faster, and save time in the long run. Go for a weight with which you can only get six to eight reps at most. Start light with good form and only add weight as you get stronger and can maintain form.
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You Don’t Have a Weight-Lifting Routine
You’re probably all aware that if you repeat the same exercises with the same weights for the same number of reps every time you lift weights, your body will plateau. If you keep changing up your routine, you never get a chance to progress and master anything to really push your body beyond what it is used to. You’ll be better off if you settle in with a three-day-per-week program over the course of about four to six weeks, and then,only once you’ve mastered it move on to another one.
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Give Free Weights A Chance
Sometimes the most effective equipment in what I like to call ‘the big boy gym’ is free weights. Lots of women skip the free-weight area because they are too intimidated. Using free weights is more effective than just sticking to the seated machines because you use your body in a more natural movement than being on a fixed machine, and it allows all of your stabilizer muscles to work, a lot more muscles working means more calories are being burned. Once you’ve mastered the basic movements, grab a dumbbell or two. For example, once you can perform six to eight bodyweight squats, try them holding a pair of dumbbells.