When you do strength training three times a week, it helps build muscle strength and mass while preserving bone density. Still, you need to do it correctly to see results. For example, it is easy to hop on a treadmill but lifting weights is different. According to a personal trainer in Dallas, avoid these three mistakes, and rectify them instead.
You Are Not Rambo, So Start Light With the Weights
You have loads of ambition, and yes, you reach for the heavyweights. Yet, using less is the best way to ease your strength-training routine. The same applies to adding too much weight to a machine. You are not going to get stronger as less is better. The more you improve on your technique you need to do less work to reach your desired effect.
The first thing you risk is recruiting muscles to a pitch when you need to work on targeted muscles instead. Your form will also suffer and leads to injuries. So, head over to the rack and start doing bodyweight workouts.
You can start with leg lifts or squats instead of using a machine. Once you master your correct form of squat, progress to the leg press machine. Always start at the lowest weight and work your way up.
Do Not Forget About Your Posterior Chain
When you talk to a fitness instructor in Dallas, they can advise that you always seem to hunch forward in your daily positions. For example, when you sit at a desk, play with the kids, or text, you sit hunched. So, strengthening the back helps to rectify that position, which is usually neglected.
Hence, when you train, you always concentrate on the large muscles like your quads, chest, and abs. Thus, you neglect the posterior chain and the smaller group muscles. When you ignore these muscles, your body becomes imbalanced and leaves the other muscles weak.
You need to train your upper and lower body to keep you balanced. Thus, doing the pushing and pulling movements for the whole body helps. In addition, strengthening the back of the body helps to fix the problem.
You can do pull-downs, planks interspersed, and cobras throughout your exercise program as a start. Focus on engaging the gluteus and hamstrings more in the lower body with your strength training moves. You can also do lunges and squats.
Another excellent way to concentrate on the posterior chain is lying down on your stomach. Then pull your navel towards the spine to reach with your arms out in front of you. Keep your feet wide to the hips with the arms wide to the shoulders.
Relax the shoulders downwards with your arms in front of you. Now, exhale and lift up your legs with the upper body from the ground and hold it for three minutes. Then, inhale as you lower your back down.
Take it Slow
Do not whip through your workout if you are short on time. While going too fast can lead to sacrificing the form and it does not build strength. Instead, it leads to the repetitive misuse of muscles leading to poor posture, muscles strains, and back pain.
So, slow down and focus when you move the muscles in a full range of motion to build strength. Then, go back to basics and do your movements with the great form before you start adding more weight. You can also connect breathing with each move you make. When completing an exercise, exhale through the mouth.
When you start the next exercise, inhale through the nose. Focusing on your breathing helps the body connect with the mind and leads to a slower pace.
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