Weightlifting Routine Do’s and Don’ts

It’s the start of another week stayfitbuggers and I hope you are all ready to rock and roll this week. Today I am going to start off with some workout do’s and don’ts. These are the should and shouldn’t do’s in the weights room and in your weightlifting workout routines.

These are many of the things that I see far to often while working out. Some of these things I have covered before. But to make for a great workout experience for all of us muscle heads at all times, be sure to use this as a go to guide that will lead you to being respected by all when working out.

The Weights Room

Spotting

DO
Spot your friend during a lift. Support his wrists on dumbbell overhead and bench presses.

DON’T
Support his elbows. It might help him get more reps, but if he loses control and his elbows bend mid-set, he’ll be eating his meals through a flexi-straw the rest of his life.

The clock

DO
Bring a digital watch or timer to the gym to help count down your rest periods between sets.

DON’T
Rely on the clock on the wall. It’s small, in the distance, and if you’re training hard enough, your eyes will be stinging too much from sweat to read it anyway.

Barbell placement

DO
Rest a loaded bar on the floor or on the supports of a rack.

DON’T
Set it on the bench. That can permanently bend the bar, tear up the upholstery of the bench, or tip over, sending weights flying all over.

The Mirrors

DO
Look in the mirror for exercises like curls and overhead presses. It helps you keep good form.

DON’T
Look in the mirror during squats (though that can be unavoidable if your gym’s squat rack is right in front of the mirror). It may cause you to tilt forward, straining your lower back.

Lift weights standing

DO
Stand up for most of your exercises. You’ll build more overall muscle and burn more calories.
DON’T
Stand right in front of the dumbbell rack. It blocks people from replacing their weights, and makes them want to hurt you.

Weightlifting routines

DO

Be consistent

You have to stick to your program and do your best every single workout. Remember the barbarian workout? If not make sure you read it. That is the attitude you will need to have.

Stick to the basics

I know that I encourage you all to build muscle using innovative exercises, but you should always include the basic exercises in your weightlifting routines.

• Dead lifts
• Dumbbell presses
• Chins
• Squats
• Military presses
• Heavy bicep curls

These will not be going out of style anytime soon.

Don’t over train

Allow yourself enough time to recover between workouts. Be sure to watch for signs of over training.

Eat super foods

Your diet should consist primarily of rice, pasta, oatmeal, vegetables, chicken, lean beef, tuna, and other Foods that I have mentioned in the past few weeks.

Sleep

Sleep at least 8 hours per night. I know that you all probably get les than this, but you need this time to recover as well as benefit from the natural boost of natural growth hormone that occurs during REM-sleep.

DON’T

Stick to the same weightlifting routine

Get stuck in a rut

Doing the same things with the same exercises month after month will not challenge you. The difference between sticking to a program and being stuck in a rut is whether you change things around and make progress or not.

Substituting good food with supplements is a bad idea

Supplements are great for giving you that extra edge that you may need at times, but it can never take the place of real food. Plan your diet around solid meals, and use supplements to feed your body of the nutrients that it may lack.

Never ignore injuries or signs of over training

Be sure to rest and/or talk to a doctor if you experience stubborn joint pain or similar symptoms. Prevention rather than detection.

Don’t get caught up in fitness magazines

If some hulk sized muscle head says he does a sh*t load of sets for biceps, that doesn’t mean you have to do that too. Listen to your body; you will know when enough is enough

Don’t lose sight of the big picture

You may have hit a plateau and motivation maybe low. If so, there’s only one-way to beat it…

Try harder and train smarter.

The reward will come when you get off the plateau and start making progress again. A positive attitude is everything.

These are all things that I have covered at some point or another, and you should follow them at all times. Just in case you missed it, have a read of the gym etiquette rules that I laid out some months back. Once you follow all of these rules in your weightlifting workouts, you will find that working out will be more fun for each and every one of us.

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