If you're interested in building some muscle and getting into great shape, but are a little inexperienced, then choosing the right weight lifting program for beginners is going to be important for you to see success.
Weights and weight lifting are simply the best way to bulk up and gain muscle mass. While you may see some success performing bodyweight exercises like push ups regularly, you are unlikely to see the kind of gains that come from well planned weight lifting programs for beginners.
However, if you are inexperienced it is easy to make mistakes that can jeopardise your chances of success, and increase the possibility of injury.
Below you'll find the 3 most common mistakes that beginners make in their weight lifting programs. Have a read, note them down, and be sure to avoid them in your training sessions. Just doing this will massively increase your chances of success.
Lifting Heavy Way Too Quickly
While it is true that lifting heavy weights is one of the secrets to fast muscle growth, the beginner often forgets that what is more important is giving your body the time to adjust to the new activity.
Weight lifting programs for beginners should be challenging enough to see results, but also take into account the need for gradual ramp up in weight. I was always taught to start with light weights on the first set on a new exercise, just to get the form and technique down and get my body used to the actual motion. Once you've got that and are comfortable, then you can move on and challenge yourself. I still use this technique when I first start training again after taking some time off.
This tip will help you to prevent getting too sore on those first sessions and get you excited about coming back to the gym.
Not Learning Proper Form
This kind of follows on from the first point about lifting heavy far too quickly. Proper form and technique is essential in weight lifting programs for all levels not just beginners. Failure to follow the proper form and technique of an exercise will result at best in poor muscle growth results, and at worst in possible injury.
When you first start your weight lifting program use light weights to get a feel for the motion. Your brain and body need to work together so that after a while you'll KNOW when an exercise feels right and when it feels wrong. Watch videos or get a gym trainer to spot you at first and make sure you are doing it correctly.
One thing to note...always be sure to take extra care with your back - this is often the first thing to get injured and suffer from inexperience.
Never Changing The Workout
When we first see success it's tempting to continue with the same routine. This is fine but there will always come a point at which you stop seeing gains and begin to plateau. Many beginners make the mistake of continuing their weight lifting programs in exactly the same fashion as they had before.
However, to see sustained muscle growth over time you need to change up your routine on a regular basis, whether it's the number of sets and reps, the type of exercises, order of exercises, or rest time between sets.
Keeping these things changing will prevent your body becoming too adjusted to the weight lifting program and finding it too easy.
Try to find weight lifting programs for beginners that provide you with the ability to substitute exercises and change around your workouts as and when you need to.
Bonus Tip: Not Working Out With Enough Intensity
A quick bonus tip that is common in weight lifting programs for beginners is not working out with enough intensity.
Whether it's fear of overtraining, bad instruction, or lack of will, beginners often fail to push themselves enough in the right way and so don't see the kinds of gains that they could.
Make sure you are putting 100% into your weight lifting workouts and avoid wasting time between sets like most folks you see down the gym. Do this and you're pretty much sure to see results.
The tips above focus on what you should NOT do in your weight lifting programs...but how about what you SHOULD do? I mean, what kind of exercises, sets and reps should you be performing to gain muscle mass? The following workout program is ideal for beginners who are eager to start a weights program but are not entirely sure how to go about it, and want some step by step advice - Weight Lifting Programs For Beginners.