Beginners LIFTING TIPS

LIFTING TIPS

Picked up some weights this morning and it got me thinking about attempting these in a public gym for this first time. How lucky I feel that I can work out in a private space with my own mirrors because back before I had the studio HONESTLY I found it hard doing weights in front of people and the biggest reason was F E A R. Fear of doing things wrong, fear of looking stupid, fear of failure, fear of people looking at me, and this was even when I was a qualified PT. If you feel intimidated by the weights area don't worry, I'm sure 90% of the people in there either feel it too or have felt it before. My biggest reason was always fear of doing things wrong so I've put together a few tips to help if you're heading in there today and want to avoid the form police and need a big slap on the back of encouragement.

1. Ask a professional for help. I'm saying this first as this really is the best thing you can do. If you can't afford a PT there should be gym staff on the floor who can help. PLEASE please do not be afraid or embarrassed to ask. That's what they're there for and trust me, I used to do that job and it made your day if you could help someone instead of cleaning machines! Ask them to show you a few things or even just ask them to check your form. If you're starting out at home with weights then reliable video tutorials are probably your best bet. Check out bodybuilding.com

2. If you're not keen on asking for help, are working out at home or would rather try things out yourself first that's fine too, but first, do some research. Don't just head in, grab some weights and attempt something you've seen others do a few times. As above Bodybuilding.com has an excellent reliable database of exercises where you will find videos, diagrams and step by step tutorials. Watching videos is more useful than looking at step by step pictures.

3. Start light. It's better to master things with a lighter weight that you can handle before you move up to heavier ones. Especially if you don't have a spotter. It's not cool when you drop a weight on your head and have to go to a&e with a big bandage round your noggin (I've seen this happen!)

3. Use mirrors. It's not vain, they are a huge tool for checking your posture and form. Don't always go by how things feel especially if it's a new exercise because at first it might 'feel' strange. In fact often clients complain that things feel awkward even when theyre doing it right, this is normal until your body learns how things should feel. For example, standing with your knees slightly bent and your bum sticking out isn't a natural position to do in public! You must learn and practice these things and get comfortable doing it. Please don't worry about looking silly as doing it correctly looks WAY better than someone whose obviously about to do themselves an injury.

4. Rules of thumb.

Keep your back straight. Again use a mirror and create a straight line along your back and neck. Some advanced exercises might use an arched spine but if this article is any use to you then that's probably not you yet.

Align your joints. Knees should follow toes, don't overly strain or bend joints at funny angles. If it looks awkward it's probably wrong. If you're struggling, again ask for help.

G O - S L O W Weights are best done slow and controlled and the only muscles that should be moving are the ones you're working. Your whole body shouldn't be flapping around wildly! Focus on the mind muscle connection which will help your muscles work harder and think about contracting the muscle/s you're using.

This list doesn't cover everything but these tips will help keep you right for those first fearful attempts in the weights section. If you're a female I know it can be particularly intimidating - even though I'm a PT I still feel it. However thankfully more and more women are using weights, so lets ignore the gym bros (who are probably just posing anyway) and get in there and do our thing. Most people (even the guys) actually feel really self conscious too and are probably too busy worrying about how they look to bother looking at you.

Stick your headphones in and focus on your own work.

I hope you found this helpful. Happy lifting! x