Workout Essentials That All Newbies Should Be Doing
So, you’re a new comer to the gym and hoping to soak in as much advice as you can. You speak to one person who is adamant that technique is key. They imply the smallest mistake in a rep wrecks your whole set. With this in mind you drop the weight you exercise with and focus on perfect range of motion. The next day, you train with one of your gym mates. However half way through the session, they start taking the mick because they think you could be putting more effort in and explain you will never get big if you don’t push yourself. Now your left confused wondering why this gym lark is so difficult. But fear not because JLL are here to help with our list of workout essentials.
1. Know what you want to achieve.
The reality is that the exercises that you should be doing at the gym depend on the results that you want to achieve. So, before you think about the exercises you should know whether you want to lose body fat, build muscle mass, increase strength or improve muscle conditioning. This will also help with the nutritional side of things as well.
2. Learn how to do exercises correctly before you increase the weights.
Now, for any newcomer to the gym, perfecting the right technique is essential. This is due to the fact your body and muscles will only just be getting used to having type of increased strain on them. Injury is probably one of the main reasons individuals will stop training so don’t get caught out. It’s also easier to learn the correct technique of an exercise from the start, then to learn you have been doing it wrong for a year and have to alter how your used to doing things.
3. Find Your One Rep Max
Occasionally, once you have warmed up and maybe done a few exercises, it can be beneficial to know what the maximum weight is that you can lift in one go. Firstly, because it is nice to see a heavy weight being moved. But, more importantly it will help you assess the range of weight that you should be working with when you lower the weight and increase the reps. For example, if you can deadlift 150kg once, you could aim for maybe lifting 120kg 6 times on a regular basis for your sets.
4. Do some research yourself.
Instead of constantly asking anyone who looks a decent size for their advice, do some research on how to reach your goals yourself. This will help you filter out any of the bad advice that you are likely to receive. Also, the techniques that work for them, may not work for you if you have different goals or body types. So, ask questions but don’t be clueless.
5. Learn to be content with working out alone.
Let’s be honest, it is often better to workout with someone as opposed to being on your own. A friend can push you and spot you, while also helping to take your mind off the effort you are putting in. However, relying on a friend can lead to them being essential to your workout enjoyment. So when your friend doesn’t train you don’t either. With this in mind it is important to be comfortable training on your own as well.
6. Mind and muscle connection
While performing an exercise, think about if you are actually targeting the muscle the exercise was designed for. Try to feel how each muscle is affected by each movement. This will allow you to target muscle groups much better as you increase the weight.
7. Get into routine
How many times have you heard regular gym goers bang on about how consistency is the key to reaching your goal. Whether you want to hear this or not, its true and the best way to stay consistent is to get into a routine of going to the gym. With a lot of people, the hardest part of being consistent is only the first few sessions. But once you get the gym bug, it can be a beautiful thing.
8. Compound Exercises
If you are new to the gym, chances are, every muscle in your body could do with improvement. One of the best ways to ensure that you are doing this is to incorporate compound exercises to your workouts. From deadlifts to chest press, there are many exercises that allow you to work many muscles at once. This can save you time, help to maintain a strong foundation and help ensure you remain proportionate as you improve.
9. Warm up
This is a point that even some seasoned gym goers neglect but don’t be one of them. A good warm up will help prepare the body for the hard work it is about to experience. It will help the blood circulate to give oxygen to your muscles and loosen your joints to reduce risk of injury. Stretching conditions muscles to prevent pulls and tears, which if experienced can bring a halt to your workout instantly.
10. Stay Hydrated
If you are working out properly, you will sweat, its your body’s way of regulating your temperature. This needs to be replaced for you to operate efficiently as water also helps transport nutrients to your muscles. Lack of hydration while training can lead to dizziness nausea and increase the risk of cramps both during and after the workout.
11. Try to plan your workout
Planning your workout can be much more beneficial that you think, it can give your workout a natural flow. This is because you are not wondering around thinking about what to do while you’re at the gym. It can cut down the time you actually spend in the gym allowing you to do other things. Planning can allow you to put together plans to target certain muscle groups. Once you have a few planned sessions that work, you can do minor tweaks in future to complement your growing need.
12. Compete with yourself before others
Everyone starts somewhere so if you are looking at others to validate your own work it can often be a hinderance. If you’re with a friend that lifts more than you, by all means try to catch them but don’t be so desperate to that you put yourself at risk. As long as you are doing better than you was a few months ago, you are doing something right. On the other hand, if you lift more than a friend, don’t get complacent. Keep tying to test yourself with new weights, variation and exercises.
By keeping these workout essentials in mind, you are sure to achieve the results that you want. Also, if you are new to working out, give it a few weeks before you get discouraged. Seeing those first results can be one of the most satisfying things in the world.
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