មាតិកា
“You hurry up, you will make people laugh” – folk wisdom, relevant at all times. This adage often comes to mind when observing beginners in the gym. As a rule, the mistakes they make are typical and easily predictable. Of course, it will hardly be possible to completely avoid all mistakes – but it is still possible. To do this, you need to choose a coach, first study the basic principles, terms, concepts with him, and only then go to the simulators.
An important task of the trainer is to show you the technique of performing various exercises on the simulators, to help you calculate the load and select effective exercises. Supervised exercises will help you avoid injury and achieve the desired result faster.
What is important to know before starting workouts
It is very important to organize your meals with training in mind. So, between the last meal and classes there should be a break of 1-1,5 hours. After training, it is better to eat in 0,5-1 hour. In order not to disturb the water balance in the body, it is necessary to drink water before, during and after training. In addition to internal comfort, external comfort is no less important: clothes for training should be comfortable, should not tighten your body or dig into it, should give you room for action. You should also think about this in advance.
The most common mistake newbies make is being overly enthusiastic. In the gym, the beginner does a lot of exercises on various simulators, he tries not to miss anything. This leads to overwork and refusal from training in the future. It is better not to rush in this matter.
If the exercises are performed correctly, the muscles should hurt a little, and there is stiffness in them. This sensation goes away after 2-4 days. If you experience pain in the joints and spine, you must immediately stop training. If these symptoms are observed, it is most likely that the exercise technique is incorrect or the weight is incorrect.
Fitness training composition
The workout must necessarily consist of 3 parts – warm-up, main part, relaxing exercises.
The task of the warm-up is to activate the work of the respiratory and circulatory systems, warm up the muscles that will be loaded in the main part of the workout. Usually, the main problems for beginners come from ignoring the warm-up (injury, discomfort after training, etc.). The warm-up should last at least 10-15 minutes. It should include a minimum of 5 minutes of cardio on any cardio machine to prepare the heart, a light complex of joint gymnastics, dynamic stretching and bodyweight exercises to prepare the joints.
The main task is to perform exercises for the planned muscle groups. The number of exercises, sets and repetitions depends strictly on individual goals and may vary. The main part of the workout should be 6-8 exercises. Each muscle group should have 1-3 exercises. It is important for beginners to work all the muscles in one workout in order to teach their body to move correctly and remember the technique of basic exercises. Exercises are arranged in training according to the principle from complex (multi-joint for large muscle groups) to simple (single-joint for small muscles). At the end of your workout, pay attention to working your abs.
The number of approaches for beginners should not be large – 2-3 approaches in each exercise are enough. The number of repetitions in each approach is 10-12. Rest between sets – until breathing and heart rate are restored. Whenever you feel ready, continue your workout. On average, the rest after each set is 1,5 minutes.
Let’s decipher such concepts as the number of approaches, the number of repetitions. For example, suppose you train your leg muscles by doing the Barbell Shoulder Squat. We went to the racks, took the barbell on our shoulders, did 8 squats with it, then put the barbell back. In this case, you did 1 set with 8 reps. You can rest and repeat the exercise 1-2 more times, and then rest again and move on to the next exercise.
The purpose of the third part of the training is to normalize breathing and blood circulation. It is recommended to take 5-10 deep breaths, perform a simple stretching complex and hang on the bar.
Fitness center equipment
There are 3 types of equipment in fitness centers: strength training equipment, cardio equipment and free weights (dumbbells and barbells).
Strength machines are needed to work out muscles in an anaerobic mode using weights. On them you give a load to the skeletal muscles. Most of the basic beginner’s exercises should be done on a simulator. The fact is that a beginner athlete still does not feel his body well and does not have that knowledge of the technique of performing exercises that would allow him not to make mistakes. The trajectory of movement in strength machines is thought out in advance, which will allow you to feel your muscles.
Cardio trainers give mainly the general load on the body in an aerobic mode. On them you train the endurance of the cardiovascular system. They are suitable for those looking to lose weight or warm up for a more serious workout.
Free weights are dumbbells and a barbell. There are basic exercises for each muscle group, with the bulk of the basic exercises being done with dumbbells and barbells. In order for your muscles to get the proper load, regardless of goals, do not forget about this type of equipment. However, adding free weights should be done gradually. This is especially true for technically difficult basic exercises.
Beginner program example
Warm up: 5 minutes on an elliptical trainer and joint exercises.
Main part: 8 exercises, each performed in 2-3 sets of 10-12 repetitions.
- Leg press in the simulator;
- Extension of the lower leg in the simulator;
- Flexion of the lower leg in the simulator;
- Pull of the vertical block to the chest;
- ទាញប្លុកផ្ដេក;
- Press from the chest in the Hammer simulator or push-ups (it is possible from the knees);
- Swing with dumbbells across the sides;
- Lying crunches.
Cool Down: 15 minutes of cardio and a simple stretch.
As the level of training, you can replace the extension of the legs with a more complex basic exercise – lunges in place in the Smith simulator, learn the squatting technique in the same simulator. Then gradually expand your vocabulary of exercises, mastering the technique of new movements with barbells and dumbbells.
Many beginners think that muscles get stronger and more enduring with training, but this is not at all the case. During training, the entire body receives an impulse in which direction to move, while the very processes of burning fat and growing muscles occur during rest. For example, if you did a workout to lose weight, adipose tissue in this case will be broken down mainly after training.
Hence, we conclude: proper nutrition combined with quality rest is the key to successful workouts that bring results.
Good luck in this difficult task – building a figure!