The science around muscle development and strength training has significantly changed over the years. In fact, there is a great chance that the exercises you’ve been doing are wrong for building muscles and power. If you want faster muscle gains, you will have to embrace the new science. Fortunately, it doesn’t take a lot to fix the old mistakes you’ve been doing. Below are some new weight lifting tips that will get you the muscle size and strength you have always desired.
Mistake #1 – Lifting light weights with excessive reps
When it comes to what is weight training, many of us believe that the more reps they do, the bigger muscles they get. If you want to gain strength, you need to push your body hard for it to burn fat. Thus, it is always a good idea to lift heavier weights with fewer reps. Refrain from lifting more than five reps. Start with heavier weights and do 8 to 12 reps. And whenever you go to the gym, increase the weight you are lifting a bit more.
Mistake #2 – Doing workouts that isolate muscle groups
Exercises like bicep and hamstring curls isolate muscle groups. However, these are movements that you don’t use in everyday life. What you should do are exercises that make use of multiple muscle groups at ones. Squatting, for instance, is an exercise that works your legs and your shoulders, which is ideal for muscle strength gains.
Mistake #3 – Avoiding what you cannot do
If you are having a hard time doing pull-ups, there is no way you should avoid them. Avoiding the necessary exercises just because you are not good at them will likely create an imbalance in your body, which can even lead to injury. You have to identify what you are not good at and just start doing them little by little. Eventually, you will also master them.
Mistake #4 – Joining weight training programs without specific goals
Unless you have a clear goal, you will find it hard to be motivated to work out. It is important that you have something that you strive for, so that you have a reason to sweat it out. Identify your goals, and make sure they are specific, relevant, attainable, and measurable. This will then be your basis for creating a workout routine that will suit you.
Mistake #5 – Sticking to high intensity workout routines
It is not true that only by engaging in intense workouts can you develop big and strong muscles. In fact, with the help of occlusion training, you can gain muscles even by doing low intensity workouts. This training method makes use of restriction bands to prevent too much blood from escaping the muscles you are working on. As a result, the muscles swell more and get bigger in no time.
