weight lifting tips for beginners

Today, a little something different - a guest article with weight lifting tips by Bridget. As you all know, I am a HUGE proponent of weight lifting for building a healthy and strong body so I love these tips. Bridget is a real life freelance writer for culinaryschools.org. Thanks Bridget!

--  

How to Get Started with Weight Lifting

Weight lifting is one of the best ways to get in shape and to really change the look and health of your body. Many women are afraid of weight lifting because they think it will cause them to bulk up, but weight lifting is actually one of the best ways to slim down because it radically alters your metabolism and helps to burn fat faster.Many newbies are intimidated by weight lifting and are unsure of where to start. Here are a few tips for how to get started with weight lifting so you can start reaping the benefits of this exceptional exercise:

1. Learn How to Do the Exercises. The most important first step is to learn how to do the exercises. You can easily injure yourself if you have bad form when performing the exercises, so it is important to learn how to do them right. You can do this by signing up for a tour of your gym or by meeting with a personal trainer for one or two sessions. You can get a run through of each of the machines and information about how to do some basic exercises with the free weights. It is much easier to learn how to do the exercises when seeing them done in person, as opposed to watching a video or reading an article.

2. Always Warm Up. When you are ready to get started working out, remember to warm up. You may not think you need to warm up since you aren't doing cardio exercise, but it is just as important to warm up your muscles even when you are doing static exercises. You must warm up your muscles and get them feeling limber in order to avoid injury. If you don't warm up, you could pull a muscle or overwork a muscle that isn't ready for it, leading to serious and long-lasting injury.

 (image)

3. Start Light. There's no need to try to show off how much you can lift when you first get started. In fact, it is best to start out lifting less than you can when you first start. This will allow your muscles the time to get adjusted to your new exercise. You can then slowly add weight as your muscles become used to being trained and start to grow. Just don't add too much too soon, or else you risk injury.

4. Rotate Workouts. Every day, you should focus on a different muscle group or combination of muscle groups. Many people prefer to focus on back and shoulders on the same day, while devoting individual days to arms and legs. You can decide what works best for you. However, it is key to rotate your workouts so that you get the best workout per muscle group and so you end up working all your muscle groups.

 

(image)

5. Keep a Log. A workout log can help you keep track of your progress. Not only will it help you to make sure you are rotating through all your muscle groups, but it can also help you to monitor your growth. You can see how much you are lifting in each workout and how many reps and sets you do so you can carefully add to the weight and the frequency as you grow stronger. This can help you to push your fitness goals without risking injury.

Weight lifting is a great way to burn fat and to get in shape quickly. Though weight lifting may seem intimidating at first, these tips can help you to get started and be well on your way to becoming a weight-lifting pro.

Do you lift weights? Share your tips for success for getting started in the comments!

About the Author:

Bridget Sandorford is a freelance writer and researcher for CulinarySchools.org, where recently she’s been researching health and nutrition for kids. In her spare time, she enjoys biking, painting and working on her first cookbook.