Bodybuilding Tips, How To Perform A Safer Workout Routine
1) Warm-up. Some may consider the quaint notion of warming up as being little more than an extended clich. This is not completely accurate as even though warming up is oft repeated by many, it is repeated due to the extreme importance of warming up. When you rush into the gym and decide to crank out sets and reps, you will be making a huge mistake.
A proper warm up leads to the increase of the body's core temperature which opens the door for your metabolism to get into high gear. This also aids in lubricating the joints which is also incredibly important. Basically, you will be getting your body ready to get into top shape prior to lifting heavy, excess weight.
Your warm-up should consist of 5-10 mins of moderate cardio on a treadmill or stationary bike, 5 minutes of light stretching and, as you get ready for the weights, 1-2 light sets before your "real" sets begin.
2) Stretch. Not taking the time out to properly stretch will lead to the muscles shortening over time and that will make you significantly less flexible. This might seem like a minor detail to some, the development of weakened and inflexible tissue will lead to potential injuries and lifestyle problems.
If a supporting muscle stiffens or becomes shortened, it will start interfering with the normal groove of your exercises. Not a big deal at first, but over time you train increasingly "wrong" and put a lot of extra stress on joints, ligaments and unintended secondary muscle groups. The cumulative effect over a couple of years can throw some serious curveballs at your bodybuilding efforts.
Stretching between sets flushes out lactic acid and byproducts while bringing in fresh nutrients, thus making your stronger for your next set. Finally, the post-stretching helps you recover faster between workouts. In a nutshell, you stretch slowly, without bouncing, for 30 seconds or more taking care not to inadvertently put undue stress on the joints.
3) Control. There is great temptation with loading up on heavy weights and cheat your way to the conclusion of a set. Controlled cheating is an intensity boosting technique many prominent bodybuilders advocate.
But, cheating should really only be performed at the end of a normal set in order to gain additional reps. Swaying or using momentum from the second rep on means you have selected too much weight and you can't workout effectively.
Another aspect of control is avoiding any type of bouncing, jerking or partial moves forced by necessity. In other words, if you stop halfway down in the negative phase of your biceps curls because you wouldn't be able to curl up otherwise, you're using too much weight.
4) Strong Abs. The midsection is home to the stabilizer muscles that hold the body together. When you fail to build a solid, balanced midsection, you will always be in danger of suffering a problem when performing overhead presses of other such exercise.
Think about a barbell military press. From feet to hips, you're pretty much standing straight. Then you lean backwards so that you can stay balanced while pushing up the barbell and the only thing protecting your spine is your abs. In fact, ab tension is a prerequisite for getting into the starting position.
5) Safety Precautions. People buckle their seat belts when they get into their car not because they expect an accident to happen. They do so just in case one occurs their injuries will be minimized. Take this attitude into the gym with you.
Likewise, attempting heavy barbell bench presses to failure without a spotter is little more than Russian roulette. You can even up the ante by using "monkey grip" (thumbs on the same side as the rest of the fingers) for the added thrill of potentially dropping 300 lbs on your face.
None of this is too difficult to comprehend and all of these 5 steps can help reduce the chances of an injury from occurring. - 17268
A proper warm up leads to the increase of the body's core temperature which opens the door for your metabolism to get into high gear. This also aids in lubricating the joints which is also incredibly important. Basically, you will be getting your body ready to get into top shape prior to lifting heavy, excess weight.
Your warm-up should consist of 5-10 mins of moderate cardio on a treadmill or stationary bike, 5 minutes of light stretching and, as you get ready for the weights, 1-2 light sets before your "real" sets begin.
2) Stretch. Not taking the time out to properly stretch will lead to the muscles shortening over time and that will make you significantly less flexible. This might seem like a minor detail to some, the development of weakened and inflexible tissue will lead to potential injuries and lifestyle problems.
If a supporting muscle stiffens or becomes shortened, it will start interfering with the normal groove of your exercises. Not a big deal at first, but over time you train increasingly "wrong" and put a lot of extra stress on joints, ligaments and unintended secondary muscle groups. The cumulative effect over a couple of years can throw some serious curveballs at your bodybuilding efforts.
Stretching between sets flushes out lactic acid and byproducts while bringing in fresh nutrients, thus making your stronger for your next set. Finally, the post-stretching helps you recover faster between workouts. In a nutshell, you stretch slowly, without bouncing, for 30 seconds or more taking care not to inadvertently put undue stress on the joints.
3) Control. There is great temptation with loading up on heavy weights and cheat your way to the conclusion of a set. Controlled cheating is an intensity boosting technique many prominent bodybuilders advocate.
But, cheating should really only be performed at the end of a normal set in order to gain additional reps. Swaying or using momentum from the second rep on means you have selected too much weight and you can't workout effectively.
Another aspect of control is avoiding any type of bouncing, jerking or partial moves forced by necessity. In other words, if you stop halfway down in the negative phase of your biceps curls because you wouldn't be able to curl up otherwise, you're using too much weight.
4) Strong Abs. The midsection is home to the stabilizer muscles that hold the body together. When you fail to build a solid, balanced midsection, you will always be in danger of suffering a problem when performing overhead presses of other such exercise.
Think about a barbell military press. From feet to hips, you're pretty much standing straight. Then you lean backwards so that you can stay balanced while pushing up the barbell and the only thing protecting your spine is your abs. In fact, ab tension is a prerequisite for getting into the starting position.
5) Safety Precautions. People buckle their seat belts when they get into their car not because they expect an accident to happen. They do so just in case one occurs their injuries will be minimized. Take this attitude into the gym with you.
Likewise, attempting heavy barbell bench presses to failure without a spotter is little more than Russian roulette. You can even up the ante by using "monkey grip" (thumbs on the same side as the rest of the fingers) for the added thrill of potentially dropping 300 lbs on your face.
None of this is too difficult to comprehend and all of these 5 steps can help reduce the chances of an injury from occurring. - 17268
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