Looking to squeeze in a quick workout on a busy Monday? When I'm in a crunch, one of my favorite timesaving tricks is to focus on exercising the big muscle groups (chest, back, butt, and legs) in my body. Working the large muscles is a fabulous way to boost your metabolism since the bigger the muscle, the more muscle fibers activated, and therefore the more calories burned.
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When I go to the gym I usually do cardio first, but sometimes I like to switch it up and do my resistance exercises first. I am sure you have your way of doing things, so which do you usually do first, cardio or weights?
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You know you should be spending time strength training, but you already spend a lot of time at the gym doing cardio and don't think you can fit in toning sessions. Don't assume you have to spend hours lifting weights — it doesn't take much to start seeing results. Start with 20 to 30 minutes of strength training sessions twice a week.
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We've heard that it doesn't pay to be macho when lifting weights. So why do so many people — sorry to say, it's primarily men — insist on slamming down their weights? More often than not, my gym workouts are rattled by the clanging of weight plates or the sound of someone dropping a giant barbell onto the floor.
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This hilarious Shape Up! Alarm Clock (price unavailable) has you hit the weights instead of hitting snooze. The dumbbell-shaped alarm buzzes until you've done 30 reps of bicep curls.
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The next time you're lifting at the gym, take a minute to focus on your breathing or lack thereof. Unknowingly many of us, myself included, have the tendency to hold our breath and tense up during the hard part of an exercise. It's time to break the habit.
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Whether you're using dumbells or a weightlifting machine, you aren't doing yourself any favors by cheating. So make sure that for every rep, you complete the full range of motion for the exercise.
If you're using free weights, this means returning to your starting position after every rep: If you're doing bicep curls, lower you hands all the way down and bring them all the way back up.
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Lifting weights at the gym is one of the best ways to a lean body. There are, however, a few common mistakes that many of us make when pumping iron and they could do more harm than good. Here are highlights of a list reported by Newsweek of the most common weight lifting mistakes:
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When I first starting going to the gym I would watch other gym goers and repeat what they were doing, assuming it was correct and that I didn't need to spend any time with a trainer. Before I smartened up to the fact that the folks I was mimicking were just as clueless as me, I incurred really poor habits and a bit of back pain.
So, try not try to lift like the guy next to you in the weight room — unless they're a trainer, they could be doing it wrong.
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