Health Update: Health Update: How to lift weights – fitness experts weigh in. – What Experts Say– What Experts Say.
How to exercise at home for beginners
You don’t need a gym to exercise. Here’s how to work out at home.
ProblemSolved, USA TODAY
If you’re venturing into the world of lifting, there are more than a few ways to go about curating a workout split that supports your fitness goals.
Whether you’re interested in Olympic lifting or powerlifting, the activity offers immense benefits for developing muscle, improving mobility, boosting energy levels and relieving stress.
For the unfamiliar, a workout split simply refers to how you curate your exercise routine and how to divide which exercises you’ll complete over a week’s worth of time, says Dr. Robert Trasolini, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at Northwell Health.
Is there one split for lifting that prevails above the rest? Here’s what fitness experts say.
Is there an ideal workout split for lifting?
“No, there really isn’t a perfect split,” says Alex Milton, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and the director of sports performance at MedStar Health. How you vary your upper and lower body workouts over the course of a week will ultimately depend on how much time you can dedicate to going to the gym.
If you’re able to commit four to five days at the gym, one gym session could be dedicated to an upper body workout that concentrates on building strength in your chest, shoulders or arms, and the following session could focus on the lower body to work your legs, lower back and posterior chain.
If you’re heading to the gym closer to two to three times a week, it may be more beneficial to complete full-body lifts to stay more consistent with your workouts, Milton recommends.
The push-pull-legs split is one type of lifting framework that prioritizes strength building and muscle development, says Trasolini. “Push” exercises primarily work your body’s anterior front structure, and could look like a mix of chest, shoulder and tricep workouts. “Pull” exercises consist of pulling weights toward your body, such as back or bicep workouts. The third and final portion of the split centers around leg workouts, which could include squats or dead lifts.
Incorporating recovery into your split is essential, says Dr. Trasolini. From a physiological standpoint, exercising works to break down the muscle with the intention of rebuilding it. “You need that recovery time for your body to see the damage, reassess and then repair,” he says.
How to lift weights
If you’re not yet an experienced weightlifter, prioritize the quality of your reps over quantity, the experts say. “There’s a big fear factor with weightlifting,” says Milton. “A lot of people think they’re gonna get hurt when they (lift), so naturally, they want to do higher reps because the weights (are) lighter and they feel a little bit more comfortable.”
Higher reps put a bit more emphasis on cardio conditioning and endurance, whereas starting with a lower range of reps (around four to eight) will have a greater demand on your muscles and central nervous system as you gradually increase the load and intensity, Milton explains.
If you’re a beginner to lifting, Trasolini recommends working with a fitness professional, such as a certified personal trainer or sports medicine specialist, to prioritize correct form and reduce your risk of injury while lifting.