More and more people are incorporating weight training into their normal routine, which is great. However most of them are also making some common mistakes. Here are some I see often and how to avoid them.
Skipping Warm-Up
You wouldn't start your run out with a full out sprint right? You'd normally take a little jog and loosen up beforehand... well the same goes with weight training. Before you pick up those dumbbells do some small movements with your own body weight or lighter weight. If you don't have too much time at the gym, try incorporating the warm up into the routine itself. Here is what I do...
- Legs: 5-10 minutes on a bike or walking
- Arms: curls and tri extensions with some light weight
- Chest: pushups
Sacrificing Form
Proper form is the most important factor in injury prevention. Make sure to watch videos on proper form or ask a trainer at your gym (they are more than happy to help for free). Bodybuilding.com has great instructional videos. Try mastering the proper form with your own body weight before adding more weight on. But some overall key tips:
- Stand up straight
- Look forward
- Stabilize your core
- Don't lock out.. keep a slight bend in your joints
More is not always better
We all have the tendency to do more reps, more weight, more sets ... but doing this too quickly could lead to really hurting yourself. After you have mastered your form slowly add more weight. Most of the time you want to aim for about 85% effort when weight training.
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