Safely Strength Training
Strength Training, if done sensibly, can be extremely effective and safe, a protocol that I have been recommending for over two decades to all kinds of patients and athletes. Here are some pointers for you to get on with strength training, whether it be on strength training machines, weights or free body weight exercises.
What are the 3 important things to remember to Strength Train safely?
Do the exercise only as long as the form is good, not causing pain elsewhere and till you keep the movement slow (smooth).
What weight should one start exercising with?
Keep the weight or exercise that seems easy to begin with.
What about (exercise) Form?
Focus on form and not just on doing the movement. Of course, Form follows Function, but that doesn’t mean you don’t think about the correct movement from day one.
How to Breathe while exercising?
Do not have your breathing in sync with movement. Let it be independent of the movement. Do not close your mouth. Do not hold your breath. Remind yourself to relax your shoulders. Breathe in slowly, and then breathe out slowly.
Strain while exercising
Before starting any exercise, always think which body part is that particular exercise meant to work. If there is strain somewhere else while doing the exercise than what the exercise is meant for, that means you are doing it incorrectly or aren’t yet ready for it.
What should the posture be like?
Sit tall like a puppet as if you are being pulled up, i.e. only pulled up by God by just about an inch right now.
For upper body exercises, let your shoulders down & get them to neutral position. Take your shoulders all the way forwards, take them all the way back and now neutral will be somewhere between these 2 positions.
Move Slowly and without Jerks
Keep the movement Slow. Slow is Smooth. Smooth is Fast. So aspire to be Smooth. Keep movements slow and smooth. Don’t be in a rush.
Avoid jerking while raising the weight or lowering it. There is a tendency to jerk when the weight becomes too heavy for you.
What should be the range of movement (RoM) for any exercise?
Keep RoM only as much is comfortable, without pain and till where form is good. As you get tired, RoM will reduce. Stop when that happens. Trainer, Ustaad or buddy will tell you what your range is. You can also check your RoM on the scale on the machine. RoM doesn’t need to change frequently. Possibly in a month or more, if at all.
How often should machine settings change?
Machine settings don’t need to change frequently. Possibly in a month or more, if at all.
At what speed should the exercises be done?
Follow a 4-2-4 seconds protocol, i.e. do each repetition over 10 seconds. It’s a good idea to get a metronome app on your phone to sync your movement with. If you count, it’ll be far quicker than seconds are.
How many repetitions should be done?
Do only 6-9 repetitions per exercise. Effectively that becomes 60-90 seconds per exercise. Basically the focus is on Time Under Load, instead of number of repetitions.
If you can do more than 9 repetitions, do maximum of only 12 and then stop. For the next session, slightly increase the weight for that exercise.
If you are not able to even do 6 repetitions for a particular exercise, stop. For the next session, slightly decrease the weight for that exercise.
What about gap between exercises?
Give a 1-2 min gap between different exercises. If you need more rest, that’s fine too. As you get used to the exercises, you’ll not need long gaps between exercises.
How many sets?
One single set per exercise is ample. First 2-3 repetitions become warm for the exercise. The real change is happening in the last few repetitions.
Should different body parts be done on different days?
Do exercises for the whole body, rather than thinking about different body parts.
How much time should be spent doing Strength Training?
Total time for the workout will end up being less than 30 minutes.
How many times a week should Strength Training be done using this protocol?
This protocol is only followed on alternate days, i.e. 3 days in a week. Rest of the days, do easy workouts.
Why take a break?
Recovery days become very important to allow the loaded muscles to optimally adapt & become stronger
(Photos / Videos of Gym exercises to follow very soon.)