It is easy to get comfortable in your exercise routine. There is nothing wrong with being comfortable, it is safe. But we know that is not enough for you.
Being a weightlifter, your eye is on the prize. And you can’t climb the mountain if you don’t leave the base camp.
But don’t worry. We have a way for you to make your weight lifting routine more effective. These tips will help you build muscles faster than ever.
By following these tips, you will make lifting weights more effective:
1. Free Weights are Your New Best Friends
When it comes to resistance training, a lot of people turn towards the machines. But now it is time to say hello to your new best friend – free weights. You can push yourself harder when you are working out with free weights. It will strengthen both your muscles and your core.
2. Timing is Everything
Sure, you are at the gym for an hour every day. But how much time do you actually spend working out? In theory, you are working out for an hour. But most of the time you forget to count the time you spend chatting with your friends and going up to the water cooler.
If you want your weight lifting exercise to be effective, make sure you put in the time.
It is also important that you don’t overwork your muscles. Or else you will be too sore to work for the next few days. The ideal time for weightlifting varies from person to person, depending on their body type.
3. Take it One Side at a Time
Did you know that training one side at a time builds muscles more efficiently than doing it bilaterally? Yes, that is true. Your strength will be better built if you do your weight lifting exercises unilaterally.
4. Find a Workout Partner in Crime
Lifting weights with your workout partner in crime will keep you motivated and active throughout your session. You can both push each other to perform better and even set goals for each other. A little healthy competition is good for the soul.
Doesn’t that sound fun?
5. Double Trouble – Cardio and Strength
Want to make your weight lifting exercise more effective? Combine it with your cardio workout. People are often of the opinion that these two don’t go together, but we disagree.
It will actually be more effective as you will be killing two birds with one stone. You will work on building your muscle strength while boosting your metabolism.
6. Balance it Out
Did you know that balancing exercises stimulate more muscles? Yes, you may think push-ups or squats are for newbies, but when it comes to building muscles, these exercises will be perfect for you.
7. Track as you go
If you think that you can remember each and every push-up you do or weight you select, you are kidding yourself. While you are working out, it is impossible to keep track of your sets and repetitions. However, for you to don’t remember your weight lifting history, you won’t be able to measure the progress you are making. Luckily, there is a way to make sure that all your sets are logged. There are several apps available that can help you keep a track of your workout regime. Or you can even go old school and keep a work out journal. Tracking your exercise gives you the motivation to work harder and reach your goals.
8. Share on Social Media
You must be thinking – why on earth would someone want to know about my workout routine? Aren’t all these topics boring? Well, no, they certainly are not boring. What you don’t know is that people will actually be motivated with your workout goals. They will be proud of your accomplishments and will encourage you to reach new heights. And isn’t that what social media is for?
9. Choreograph Your Routine
Choreographing your routine gives you the chance to be time efficient in the gym. Quickly moving from one exercise to another gives you a chance to target more muscles, which makes for a productive day at the gym. But for that, you have to make sure that your workout is designed in a way that you don’t burn out. You should make your routine in such a way that your muscles don’t get overworked. For instance, you can work on your squats before doing the bench press. After that, you can focus on doing a deadlift trailed by a plank. That way, your muscles have some time to relax before you target them again.
10. Resistance is the way to go
You must be well aware of the age-old debate of whether light weights are more effective for building muscles or heavy weights. Some people lean towards the side of light weights, while others favor heavy weights. We believe that both of these methods are equally effective, as long as you exhaust your muscles. Both of these will provide the same results. However, lifting heavier weights will exhaust your muscles quicker.
11. Strive for Failure
Failure in any other place is taken as a negative thing. However, in the gym circuit, we strive for failure. Failure happens when you have worked your muscles so hard that you can’t do another set of exercise. When this happens, you need to push to your limits until you can’t. This not only increases the size but also the strength of your muscles.
Are you ready to put these tips into work? You will definitely see a change in yourself as well as your workout routine after implementing all these steps. See you at the gym!
Written By: Elevate Nutrition Founders, Jillian Salomone and Paul Salomone
