Using weights and strength training in your exercise routine is a great way of boosting your fitness. Strength training is all about challenging your muscles by working against force. This could be your own body weight when you are doing push ups, free weights like dumbbells or barbells, or resistance machines. The goal is to challenge your muscles to work harder than they are used to doing.
There is a lot to consider when starting out. How often to train? How many reps and sets? What weight to use? Which exercises are best? The answers will evolve as you progress. However, some key factors should remain constant throughout your fitness journey. This article will guide you through 4 essential building blocks for an effective, sustainable fitness journey
#1. Prepare Your Body: Perfect the Warm Up
Your body is a complex machine with muscles working together in perfect harmony, all coordinated by your nervous system. The body is pretty clever about this, with receptors in muscles monitoring length, tension and force to generate movement. So, when you are about to lift those weights you want to make sure your body is primed and ready. That is where dynamic stretches come in.
Dynamic stretches
Think of them as your body's way of telling itself to wake up and to get ready for some serious work. Dynamic stretches are where you move smoothly and slowly in and out of a stretch, gradually increasing joint range of motion and muscle fibre engagement. This helps your muscles to get warm, improve elasticity and get more and more muscle fibres firing.
Movement rehearsal
A good warm up does not just prepare your muscles. Practicing the workout movements without weight or with light weights will wake up and reinforce the mind-muscle connections. Movement rehearsal also gives you a chance to check your form (more on form later) and correct any faults before the main workout.
Build up gradually
Increase the intensity of your warm up gradually. The start of the main workout should feel like a natural next step. The stretches should use all the muscles the workout is targeting. Try doing about 10 repetitions of each stretch, slowly increasing how far you stretch. Do not forget to get your heart rate up a bit too, to get that blood pumping and oxygen flowing - for example, a brisk walk, time on a rowing machine or exercise bike, or a light jog.
Focus your mind
All of this doesn't just prepare your body - it gets your mind on the job too. Use this time to focus on the workout ahead, visualise your movements and get motivated. A good workout needs both your body and mind to be fully engaged.
#2. Core Power: Your Secret Weapon
Your core plays a crucial role in pretty much every move you make. It wraps around your front and back and has three main jobs: stabilising your spine when you move, holding it in a neutral position and generating power for movements. Your core is essential for everything to run smoothly. Whether you are lifting in the gym or picking up shopping bags a strong and stable core protects your lower back from getting hurt and keeps you balanced and steady.
What is in your core?
Your core is made up of multiple muscles. Muscles like the rectus abdominis, the oblique muscles, the deep transverse abdominis and the erector spinae. The pelvic floor and diaphragm are involved too. All these muscles work together to help you bend forward, backward, side-to-side, twist and stay steady.
Strengthening your core
If you want to strengthen your core muscles, you have to work them in all those directions. Try moves like:
- crunches
- back extensions
- weighted side bends
- twisting crunches.
The stronger your core gets the better your performance will be in other resistance exercises.
A stable core
Core stability is all about keeping your spine steady and in a good position. It is like having a super-strong, never-get-tired support beam for your body, a protective cushion for your spine. This is really important for keeping your lower back safe and staying balanced.
For core stability do exercises that challenge your core muscles to resist movement and remain in a fixed position for a set duration. Try moves like:
- body weight bridge (fighting the dip down)
- plank (keeping your body straight and spine neutral)
- side plank hold (resisting the pull down to the side)
- shoulder tap plank (keeping your body from rotating)
Mix up exercises that make you move with ones that make you hold still. Build some sets of a couple of core exercises in at the end of your workout. Be consistent and you will reap the rewards.
#3. Form First, Weight Second
Listen up, because this is crucial: proper form trumps heavy weights every single time. Using good form is how you make real progress and avoid getting sidelined with injuries.
You are not winning if you use poor technique just to lift a heavier weight. The muscles you are trying to target will not be worked fully as other muscles kick in to help out with the movement. That is what happens when people use the momentum of their whole body to power through a bicep curl - the biceps are not getting the full benefit. And using bad form raises your risk of injury.
So, to make sure you are prioritising good form:
- Learn what the proper technique is for each exercise. Ask a qualified trainer or join a class, where the coach will point out important form cues to watch for.
- Start light. Before you load up the weight, practice the movement pattern with a lighter weight (or none at all) to get the technique right before adding weight gradually.
- Rest between sets. Give your muscles (and your mind) time to recover and reset.
- Listen to your body. If something feels wrong, it probably is. Stop, adjust, refocus. Make changes such as reducing the weight or simplifying the exercise.
The bottom line is, focusing on quality of movement is way more important than just the quantity of weight you can move. It is about quality reps that challenge your muscles safely.
#4. Cool Down: Time to Pause
After a challenging workout, it's tempting to head straight out of the door. Instead, take an extra few minutes. Taking the time to cool down is really important – it is essential for helping your body to recover and adapt so you can keep making progress.
Here is why a cool down will make sure you get the most out of all the hard work you have just put in:
- It helps your body transition back to its resting state smoothly.
- It can reduce muscle soreness.
- It maintains, and can increase, flexibility and mobility.
Static Stretches
Static stretching is the controlled lengthening of a muscle to a position of mild tension and then keeping it in that position. Holding each stretch for 10-15 seconds will get your muscles back to their pre-exercise length and avoid muscle tightness.
Some light cardio work will keep the blood and oxygen flowing. This kick-starts the repair process in your muscles and helps flush out by-products from your workout.
You can also use the cool down time to review your workout. What felt good? What needs some work? This will help you to continually improve your training.
Your Strength Adventure Starts Now!
Smart, sustainable strength training is about consistent, gradual progress built on solid foundations. Keep these four essentials in mind: warming up properly, strengthening your core, prioritising form over weight and cooling down properly. Be patient, celebrate your progress, enjoy the process and seek guidance when needed.
Ready to take your fitness journey to the next level? Check the Concrete Fitness blog for more posts on training and enjoying the path to a stronger, fitter you! If you’ve liked what you have read, why not share this post with a friend who is on their own fitness journey.
