Strength Training Done Right

It used to be that the weight room at most gyms was filled with grunting jocks and bodybuilders bulking up for their next event or to impress the ladies. Walk into a gym today and you'll see dozens of women (and men) of all ages pumping iron, not necessarily for that "cut" look but to improve their overall health.

Strength training can be an intimidating prospect. For starters, the weight room is packed with people who seem to know exactly what they're doing and are happy to show off the results of their hard work. Add in a bunch of strange contraptions you've never seen before and a grueling 20-30 minutes of heavy lifting, and you can almost understand why people dash right past the weights and straight for the cardio machines. But with dozens of health benefits, such as improved sleep quality, less frequent injury, greater strength, and a decreased risk of disease and depression, strength training truly deserves a few minutes of your workout time.

Basic Rules

The human body begins losing muscle at age 30. Strength training rebuilds those muscles, and at the same time increases metabolism and burns calories. Every extra pound of muscle you build burns an additional 35-50 calories a day. A well-rounded fitness routine should include 2-3 strength-training sessions per week that focus on all the major muscle groups - biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest, back, abs, quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.

There are a few basic rules every weightlifter should follow to reap the maximum benefits of strength training. Learning the proper way to use weights will greatly improve your strength, fitness, and overall health.

Technique matters. You can hurt yourself if you don't adjust weight machines to fit your body. Choose a weight you can lift for 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions each while maintaining correct form throughout. It should be difficult to lift the weight and you should be tired by the end of the set. But if you're struggling after the first few reps or you're using momentum or jerking motions to lift the weight, take off a few pounds.

In general, you should take two seconds to lift the weight and four seconds to lower it, maintaining strong posture, controlled movements, and regular breathing throughout. Rushing through your repetitions too quickly raises blood pressure, increases your risk of injury, and compromises your results. Be sure to exhale during the hardest part of the lifting process and give yourself 30-60 seconds to rest between sets.

Lift mindfully. Research suggests you get a better workout when you're mentally focused on the particular muscle group you're working. Even if you're listening to music or exercising with friends, make sure you're also paying attention to your form, breathing, and resistance level.

Focus on full-body health. You can't spot reduce fat in one particular area of your body. Sadly, doing hundreds of crunches won't get rid of that beer belly. The best way to change your body is to reduce overall body fat by eating fewer calories and burning more fat through regular aerobic exercise and toning the muscles.

Choose the right order. Research shows that the order in which you complete your exercises can determine their effectiveness. When designing a resistance-training routine, plan to work large muscle groups before smaller ones. For example, do lat pull-downs, rowing exercises, and squats before focusing on biceps, triceps, or calves. If you fatigue smaller muscles first (like biceps), they will prevent large muscle groups from working to full capacity on exercises that use multiple muscles (like biceps, shoulders, and back).

Maintain balance. After working out a particular muscle group, take 48 to 72 hours to recuperate. If you go the gym the next day, take a break from weights or spend 20 minutes working different muscles than you trained the day before. A common routine is to focus on arms and back one day, and legs and abs another day. Working the same muscles on consecutive days can lead to overtraining, muscle fatigue, and injury.

Vary your routine. Once you find something that works, it's tempting to switch into autopilot and do the same routine every day. But muscles are incredibly efficient. If you do the same exercises at the same pace and intensity each day, you will hit a plateau and stop seeing results. Try modifying your workout routine every 4-6 weeks - add more weight or an extra set of repetitions, spend an extra 5-10 minutes on one muscle group, or try a new machine.

How Much Weight Should I Lift?
Unless you sign on with a personal trainer, most people learn how much weight to lift through trial and error. Select a weight you think you can lift 12-16 times. If you can lift it 16 times with ease, add more weight. If you can barely lift it five times, reduce the weight. Lift enough weight that the last few repetitions in one set are difficult. When you're strong enough to complete one set, slowly work your way up to 2-3 sets of each exercise. After 6-8 weeks, you'll likely be strong enough to add more weight.

You only reap the benefits of strength training if you're lifting enough weight to fatigue your muscles. It may seem counterintuitive, but researchers say healthy muscles, like a healthy brain and heart, are those that have been worked, stressed, and pushed to their limit. Your muscles don't need to be handled gently and nurtured in order to last a lifetime. Unlike most of us, they actually enjoy hard work! The important thing to remember when it comes to strength training is that muscles only grow when given more weight than they can handle.

According to a study done by the University of Michigan, many of us underestimate how much weight we can lift. Researchers walked novice weightlifters through a series of moves, allowing them to choose their own weight. After assessing their 1 rep max (the maximum weight they could lift one time), they found that most participants chose a weight well below what was needed to stimulate muscle growth. In general, lifting between 60-80 percent of your 1 rep max is the best way to burn fat and build muscle. That translates into roughly 8-16 repetitions of moderately strenuous weight-lifting.

Women are often reluctant to lift weights, especially heavy ones, because they're afraid of bulking up. Research shows this fear is unfounded. Unlike men, women typically don't gain size from strength training because women have 10 to 30 times less testosterone and other muscle-building hormones. Ladies who lift weights develop muscle tone and definition, not bulk, and can increase their strength by 30 to 50 percent.

Strength training, when done right, can transform the look and feel of your body. If you haven't pushed your body's limits in a while, incorporate some heavy lifting into your next exercise routine.