Contents
I bought a subscription, go to the gym, but do not see the results? There are two ways out – to give a decent amount of money for personal training or to master the basic techniques of building an ideal body on your own.
Where to start if you’ve never been to a gym before and have no idea how to navigate equipment and training programs? Of course, first of all, you need to clearly define what you want to get at the exit. What is the end, so must be the means to achieve it. However, there is knowledge common to any type of training that will be useful to everyone.
Always start your workout with a warm-up – 10-15 minutes
Where to begin
First, the workout should start with a good warm-up, because the muscles need to be warmed up for subsequent exercises. This will create the mood, help to avoid injuries to muscles, ligaments and tendons. This will help you: treadmill, exercise bikes, light gymnastics and stretching exercises. Warm up should be given 10-15 minutes. The on-duty gym instructor will help you master the cardio equipment.
Next, you should move on to the main training – exercises with weights. First of all, you need to learn that they are all divided into two large groups. The first is universal or so-called “basic” exercises that involve several muscle groups in the work at once. They are most effective at high weights. Another type is exercises that target one muscle group and are performed with small weights. They are called “isolated”. For example, if we are pumping the pectoral muscles, then the basic exercise will be the bench press, and the isolated exercise will be the spread of the arms with dumbbells. At the first stage of training, it is better for beginners to perform mainly basic exercises, and with increasing experience, connect those that will help hone the relief.
We systematize training
The effectiveness of resistance training is associated with the use of the split training method, as a result of which all muscle groups are worked out. For example, on Monday and Thursday you work chest, shoulders, triceps, forearms + abs; on Tuesday and Friday – upper back, biceps, forearms, calves + abs; wednesday and saturday – legs, lower back, calves + abs. Note that we turn on the press every time, because this muscle is an indicator of the fitness of the body and recovers quickly, so it should be given special attention.
Abs should be paid attention to every training day.
Exercises for each muscle group are performed a certain number of times. It is called repetition… For a high-quality workout of the muscles, it is necessary to repeat one exercise several times. It is called approaches. The optimal number of approaches for basic exercises is 4-6, and for isolated ones – 3-5. Repetitions are usually done 8-10 times for basic, 10-15 for isolated.
How to choose weight
To find out what weight will be optimal for you, try with the lightest options. Take an exercise like the bench press, for example. For him, in any gym there is a special stable bench with barbell racks. You need to lie down on a bench, take a stable position and try to lift the barbell bar (as a rule, its weight is 6-12 kg). Do 15-20 reps. If the exercise is done effortlessly, the weight is too small. Hang a disc on the fretboard and try again. Any weight you can do 8-10 reps with maximum effort will be ideal. The result can be expected if your last repetition in the last set (9, 10 repetitions) is performed at the limit of possibilities.
Ideal is the weight that you squeeze with maximum effort on the last repetition.
Basic and isolated exercises for all muscle groups:
Pectoral (pectoral) muscles
Basic – bench press; isolated – raising hands with dumbbells lying down.
Shoulders (deltoid)
Basic – standing barbell press (classic – from the chest or from behind the head); isolated – lifting arms through the sides with dumbbells.
Upper back (lats or lateral muscles)
Basic – barbell pull in an inclination to the belt; isolated – lifting shoulders with dumbbells in lowered hands (shrugs).
Lower back
Basic – deadlift on straight or bent legs; isolated – extension of the trunk lying across the bench, face down (hypertension).
Front of the thighs
Basic – squats, leg presses on the simulator; isolated – bending the knees on the simulator.
Biceps
Basic – standing presses with a barbell or dumbbells; isolated – alternate bending of the arms while sitting with the elbow on the thigh (concentrated flexion).
Triceps
Basic – extension of the arms with a barbell lying (French press); isolated – extension of one arm while standing from behind the head.