I Want To Pump You Up: Your Strength Training Routine
Much of this entire website is created around a great strength training routine. We believe it is an essential part of every good fitness program.
Alright here is some technical stuff before we get into the real meat and potatoes. A strength training routine is the use of resistance to build the strength, anaerobic endurance and size of your muscles. The most common form of strength training is lifting weights, this is the form we focus on most here, but there are others including bodyweight, bands, medicine balls etc.
Strength training has a ton of great benefits including growing your muscles it is a key factor in helping you lose weight and, of course, keeping your body strong and injury free.
No matter what your goals are, strength training is an important component of your exercise program. Remember it's never too late to start.
Ok great, now lets get on to something a little more advanced.
Gain Muscle, Lose Fat!
Gaining muscle is the real key to burning off body fat. I know what you heard its all about running on the treadmill or doing situps, but it really isnt. Muscle tissue is the most metabolically active tissue in the body. This means it is constantly burning and burning calories. Even when you are not working out.
In fact it burns up to 50 calories per pound each and every day! That means if you can add 5 extra pounds of solid muscle to your body, you will burn an extra 250 calories every day just sitting around! Most people who are trying to lose weight dont understand this. Why do you think it is possible for these huge bodybuiders to get such low fat percentages. Its because their bodies are fat burning machines. Turn your body into a fatburning, muscle building machine!
Using different workout routines is very important. You always want to shock your muscles with different exercises. You should always be using a ton of compound exercises. A really unique and effective way to change it up is to simply flip your routine. For example if your chest and tricep day is on Monday try changing it to Friday and purring Fridays routine on Monday. You get the picture.
Variety is important to keep your muscles growing. Try changing your strength training routine every month. In fact is so important it is one of the key factors in long term strength training. Want to know six important muscle building strategies
We have a ton of Free Fitness Programs. Check out your favorite strength training routine here. Dont forget to bookmark the page and come back when you need a bit of variety!
No Pain, No Gain : FALSE
No pain, no gain." This statement is not only false, but can be dangerous. Gaining strength is key, there is no doubt that you will be sore after a great workout, but dont hurt yourself.
Your body will adapt to strength training, and will reduce in body soreness each time you workout. But there is a difference between muscle soreness and actual muscle pain.
The thing about strength training effectively with compound exercises, is you will be using your muscles to their max potential. You can expect that there will be some soreness.
You should focus your strength training around these five big exercises. I call them the Power Exercises. Check out these Power Exercises that will help you get strong. Make sure to use good form to avoid hurting yourself during your workout. Remember form is paramount!!!
Don’t Wing It
There is a business term that says “Anything that can be measured, can be improved”. Keep a Journal. The whole idea of Weight Training is Progressive Resistance. Without maintaining a journal how can you remember the weight you used the last time? Don't trust it to memory. Write the exact weight, reps and sets you lifted on every workout. You will be able to watch your personal growth.
Not sure exactly where to start with your strength training routine. Check out these articles for great information and grab a Free Strength Training Routine.
It is so important to stretch. You need to get into the habit of stretching pre, post and during your strength training routines. This prevents injuries. Trust me, stretching is a hugely important part of your strength training. Check out our fantastic page on stretching and Yoga.
When many of us model what we want our body types to look like we picture pro athletes etc. Trust me when I say these guys are very flexible. Have you ever seen at the beginning of a NFL game the guys warming up. Check out the kind of stretches these guys are pulling off and then tell me flexibility is not important.
Keep Workouts Short But Intense
Your strength training routine shouldn't take you hours a day to complete. Short and Intense is the name of the game. Best results will generally when you keep your exercise time to 40-50 min.
Durring exercise your body loses glycogen when exercising, if it loses to much something called lactic acid will build up. This is what causes a lot of the pain. Lactic acid is a not going to help your muscles grow in fact to much will ruin your results.
If you are interested in bodybuilding or just want to understand strength training better, you have to read this page about the keys to bodybuilding successfully.
Drink Your Post Workout Meal
Dont neglect the golden hour for nourishment. That’s the hour right after you finish your exercise. This is by far the most important meal in a strength training. Make drinking your favorite protein shake a regular habit, right after you workout. You have to get this into your body within 30-40 min of finishing.
Your Weight Training results will soar. It doesn’t matter if you’re a natural bodybuilder or a newbie to the gym. Its important to feed your muscles right after you are finished your strength training routine. The post workout meal is the most important meal of the day!
Click here to learn about natural bodybuilding supplements that will help you along your journey. Stuff like protein powder and creatine, is really an important part of your strength training.
Gaining muscle is the real key to burning off body fat. I know what you heard its all about running on the treadmill or doing situps, but it really isnt. Muscle tissue is the most metabolically active tissue in the body. This means it is constantly burning and burning calories. Even when you are not working out.
