Beginning a weight training routine can be intimidating if you are not familiar with weightlifting and have never been a regular gym-goer. If you have a more experienced workout partner, you may find that his exercise routine is beyond your level of expertise. Workouts for beginners differ significantly from those intended for use by more experienced lifters. Consult a physician before starting any workout program.
Exercise Selection
Despite the potential benefits some exercises offer, they may not be appropriate for beginners. If you are not a seasoned lifter, you should avoid explosive exercises, as these have a high risk of injury. Beginners should focus on using exercise machines, as these guide you through the motion and have a lower injury risk and allow you to adjust resistance quickly and easily. After you can assess how much weight you should be lifting, you can move to free weights, but always have a spotter with you. Focus on compound exercises such as squats, rows and bench presses, as they are the most effective for building strength, according to fitness website Muscle & Strength.
Repetition Ranges
The number of repetitions you should perform in each set depends upon your goals. According to fitness expert Tom Venuto, performing fewer repetitions -- between one and eight per set -- primarily encourages strength gains. Meanwhile, performing 13 to 20 repetitions per set can encourage improvements in muscular endurance.
Exercise Frequency
As a beginner, you should exercise less frequently than more experienced lifters. This is because your body is not yet accustomed to heavy resistance training and may need more time to recover between sessions. Olympic trainer Charles Poliquin notes that training three times each week is the most popular training frequency, and it can be quite effective.
Recovery
As weight training website StrongLifts.com explains, beginners require more recovery time than more experienced lifters. To maximize your recovery, StrongLifts.com recommends ensuring you get enough sleep, as this is when growth hormone, a muscle-building hormone, is released. In addition, water helps your body recover, so drink water before, during and after workouts. Nutrition also factors into your recovery. Research from the April 2009 issue of the "Journal of Applied Physiology" explains that consuming carbohydrates and protein after exercise can encourage muscle development and recovery.
References
- Muscle & Strength: Compound Exercises Only Workout
- Freedom Fly.net: Tom Venuto: What Happens Within the Muscles in Response To Different Rep Ranges?
- Body Building.com: Charles Poliquin: Frequency of Training!
- StrongLifts: How To Build Muscle: The Definitive Guide to Building Muscle
- "Journal of Applied Physiology"; Coingestion of Protein With Carbohydrate During Recovery from Endurance Exercise Stimulates Skeletal Muscle Protein Synthesis in Humans"; K.R. Howarth, et al.; April 2009
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