As mentioned in my first blog post, I've been lifting for over six years now, I like to believe I've developed a good understanding of what works and what doesn't. I'm gonna rack my brain for the most important tips I can think of.
TIP #1: COMPOUNDS, COMPOUNDS, COMPOUNDS!
Any experienced lifter should understand this, but for those who don't I will explain! Compounds are the main lifts, mostly the one you will begin a workout with. These would be: Bench Press, Military Press, Dead Lifts, Squats. Those last two (Deadlifts & Squats) are things people tend to avoid a lot for some reason, because they are HATED! I won't lie, I just started dead lifting recently, and I LOVE IT! For squats, people just don't enjoy working out their legs for some reason. Personally, there's no better feeling than racking a bar up with 300+ lbs and squatting it for reps, MAYBE I"M JUST CRAZY! These FOUR exercises should be the main ingredient of your recipe of the body you want. These build the most muscle and are essentials to the building blocks to building your castle (Gotta love the metaphors :)).
TIP #2: It's not HOW LONG you stay, but what YOU DO in the time YOU STAY
Some people will hit the gym for 3+ hours a day and still won't see results. Simply because a lot of the time will be spent talking (will hit in a later point), or just not being focused on their workouts. I do get caught up on my phone sometimes during a workout and I hate it, try to avoid the social media for as long as possible. A WORKOUT SHOULD ONLY BE AROUND AN HOUR LONG, FACEBOOK/TWITTER/INSTAGRAM WILL STILL BE THERE, I PROMISE! Try your best to stay focused, off the phone, and completely devoted to the iron during that hour. I usually am in the gym for 2+ hours a day, but this is because I dedicate time to core workouts after my main lifts and cardio for 30+ mins. Make your workouts actually WORK OUTS. I REFUSE to leave the gym unless I"m sweating, usually a good amount. If you only have 30-45 mins, make it explosive, work your body, it won't quit on you unless you do. YOUR MIND WILL ALWAYS QUIT BEFORE YOUR BODY DOES!
TIP #3: REST IS YOUR FRIEND
I cannot preach this tip enough. MUSCLES GROW DURING REST! We tear them apart while lifting to build them back up during rest periods. You should not be hitting Biceps on Monday, then right back again on Tuesday. It's counter productive and you will not get the results you want! At least 48 hours should be given to each body part to rest for ample time to grow. Give your body the rest it deserves and feel good about it. If you hit the gym the right way, then you will be wanting to give your body a rest! I typically lift 2 days on, 1 day off, 2 days on. The weekend usually won't include lifting, but usually some sort of cardio.
TIP #4: AVOID FRIENDS!
This tip is something completely underrated. When I'm lifting, I keep my headphones in and conversation to a minimum. The gym is a place to achieve your goals for your body, don't let friends derail them! It's a time to workout, not a hangout. Start talking to a friend and you may lose a good 30 mins on a workout, which is a serious hit. Stay in your zone and stay focused. Trust me, you won't lose ANY friends from focusing on your workouts at the gym.
TIP #5: WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN
Keeping track of your progress is so vital. Sometimes when I'm in class I'll tell myself: Drew, your mind will remember this, don't write it down! You know what happens 90% of the time? I don't write it down and I forget it! Same thing with lifting, don't leave it up to your mind to remember. All of us have other things to do in life besides being in the gym, so our mind is getting a lot of work and has more important things to remember than what you benched last week. I write my workouts out on white printer paper and staple it together (notebook works too). I keep track of the exercises, weights, and if I need to increase/decrease from week to week. On top of not becoming confused, YOUR PROGRESS IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU! I've become proud of my workout sheets, because I can look back at Week 1 of Dead Lifts at 225 and see Week 8 of Dead Lifts at 275 and SMILE! It makes me happy and that's what life is all about isn't it?
I'm sure there are more tips I can think of, but this is off the top of my head. I may make another blog post with more tips. If you guys have any questions, DO NOT HESITATE to comment or e-mail me at: dcorrigan50@gmail.com
THANK YOU!!!
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