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Top 10 to Gain Quick Results from a Weight Training Program
 You
don't have to spend hours in the weight room seven days a week to experience positive changes in your fitness level. A
resistance-training program that does not focus on technique
will get you results much more slowly and may put you at risk of injury. Here
are some very important technique tips.
 Quality and execution of movement is critical. It makes no
sense to perform 20 sloppy reps. It is far better to perform eight reps with
perfect form and
then a break.
 Take is slowly. Proper resistance training is not a fast
sport. Wayne Westcott, a leading strength and conditioning researcher, has
determined that one repetition should take approximately five to six seconds, that is, two seconds to lift the weight and four seconds to slowly
lower it in a controlled fashion. Most people lift much too quickly, using
momentum instead of muscle. A proper set of 8 to 12 repetitions should take
approximately one minute to complete. Proper execution of each rep is the
most critical factor in weight training. Reps performed with poor technique
will get you nowhere!
 Breathe. A proper breathing rhythm will make each set more
effective. Focus on exhaling as you lift the weight or when you exert, and
inhaling as you recover or lower the weight.
  Maintain good posture. Proper posture is critical to ensure
you are working the correct muscle groups and not putting your body at risk
of injury. If seated, sit up straight. Always keep your abdominals
contracted through the entire set of any exercise. Pull them up and in
toward your spine to help stabilize your trunk. Keep your shoulders back and
chest lifted up and out during any seated, bent-over or standing exercise.
 A good exercise set
will finish once you hit momentary
muscle fatigue. This is the point at which you absolutely cannot do another
rep with perfect form. If your set is supposed to be 8 to 12 reps but
you should perform the extra reps to hit momentary muscle fatigue, and next
time increase the weight so that you hit momentary muscle fatigue within the
suggested repetition zone of 8 to 12 reps.
 If you cannot perform 8 reps, the weight is too heavy. If
you can perform 12 reps with perfect technique, increase the weight by five
per cent.
 Never go to failure. Failure is when you continue the set
with poor technique, or when other muscle groups kick in to help finish the
set. It is important that you always avoid bad technique and muscle
substitution.
  Perform your
muscle-conditioning sessions on alternating days. Your muscles require a day of
rest in between muscle-conditioning workouts.
 Put your mind into it. It is okay to let your mind wander
while you perform some fitness activities. For example, you can jump onto a
treadmill and plug in a seven-minute-mile pace and whether you think about
it or not you will expend the same amount of calories. However, this is not
the case with muscle-conditioning exercise. You must focus on what you're
doing because there is such a strong connection between the brain, the
nerves and the muscles. Studies show that if you concentrate on what you are
doing you can significantly increase the amount of muscle activity measured
during these exercises. So put down your magazines, cease all conversation
and really focus on each set. Each repetition and each set will become much
more effective and you will experience results much more quickly.
 Change the Exercise Order. Plan the order in which you do your exercises as seriously as you plan the exercises themselves. Try alternating between muscle
groups--e.g., doing elbow curls (arms) followed by knee extensions (legs)-or "stacking" all the exercises for one muscle group (i.e., performing them consecutively). A third possibility is to start with the exercises of greatest priority to you and follow them with exercises of lesser
importance.
The most effective way to add variety to your workouts is through
periodization, which means making systematic changes to your training at regular intervals. Periodizing your strength workouts can help you avoid
plateaus, prevent injury, and make greater gains in strength, power, muscular size and endurance, and athletic
performance.
Dated 03 December 2012
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