General Principles of Weight Training- Part Two

Hamilton Personal Trainers believe that many added years of muscular health and fitness can be gained through proper training habits.  It is important to understand some basic principles about weight lifting.  This will allow you to get maximum benefits from your exercise  program, while limiting your potential for injury.   If you ever feel unsafe, or have any concerns about a given exercise of lifting technique, ask your Hamilton Personal Trainer or Fitness Consultant to clarify your questions before you continue with your program.

When performing any weight lifting exercise use slow, controlled movements.  One of the most basic laws of physics, when applied to weight lifting, states that if you lift the weight quickly, much of the “work” at the beginning of the repetition is done by momentum, not by your muscles.  It follows then that if you want to get the most our of your weight lifting workout you should not use momentum to assist you:  use slow, controlled movements.  Not only will this help you get the most out of your exercises, but it will also reduce the chance that you will injure yourself through over-exertion or by moving beyond your body’s natural range of motion.

Body posture, this is perhaps the most under-rated principle of weight training, especially among beginners.  Sure, everyone likes to be able to lift a lot of weight:  it can make us feel good.  But if you cheat when you lift the weight…. if you swing the weight to allow its momentum to assist you…if you contort your body so that you can squeeze out those last two or three reps… if you recruit larger muscle groups to provide extra power and momentum when you are doing an isolation exercise…. then in the end you are only fooling yourself while increasing your risk of injury.

It is very important when lifting weights to use your muscles the way they were designed to be used.  If the muscles and joints are not used in the automatically and bio mechanically correct manner, there is obviously a great risk of damaging  them.

Muscle balance is critical to joint stability and reducing risk of injury.  All major joints in the body are surrounded by at least two muscle groups, which act together to move the joint.  Normally, these two muscle groups act in opposition:  the agonist muscle contracts to cause the movement, while the antagonist counter-balances and controls the speed of the movement so that the joint is not damaged.  If overextended, for example, when the biceps (agonist ) flexes or bends the elbow rapidly, the triceps (antogonist) contracts to ensure that the rapid movement  will not exceed the limits of which the joint is capable.

In order to ensure that the relationship between the agonist and antagonist is balanced, both the muscle groups should be exercised in the proper proportions.  If a balanced weight training program is followed, optimal body posture and stability can be achieved.  This will help to improve both athletic performance and physical appearance, and again, the potential for injury will decrease.

Watch Your Back !

Body Weight & Your Back

Back pain is often caused by excessive body fat around your waist.  Without the support of strong abdominal muscles, this extra weight will gradually cause a forward pelvic tilt, which causes pain and tension in the lower back.

To help improve your condition, strengthen you abdominal muscles regularly.  Again, exercise within your limits it takes dedication and perseverance.   Stretch your lower back muscles, buttocks, and hip flexors.  You can ask a Hamilton Personal Trainer which stretches are best for you.   By strengthening the abdominal area and stretching the hip and back areas, you can gradually correct the forward pelvic tilt which causes many back problems.  Since excess abdominal fat may put undue strain on the lower back, work to gradually decrease your body fat through regular cardiovascular exercise and a healthier diet.  Remember, if you are overweight and you start to walk one extra mile every day without stopping, while maintaining your current caloric intake, you should lose about 4.5 kilograms in one year.

Exercising for a stronger back.  Before beginning any rehabilitation program, consult your doctor or Hamilton Personal Trainer for their recommendations.  For people who already suffer from lower back problems some exercises have been shown to be successful in treating the condition.

Relaxation techniques to relieve stress and muscle tightness.  The pelvic tilt, to stretch your lower back muscles and strengthen your abdominals.  To perform a pelvic tilt, lie on the floor with your knees bent.  Rotate your pelvis by flattening the small of your back into the floor, and hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds.  Relax and repeat.  Remember not to hold your breath!  Regular physical activity.  The vertical load experienced in weight bearing exercise such as walking and lifting weights pushes fluid into the disks which helps to nourish them.  Weak abdominal, buttock and thigh muscles deprive your back of essential support.  Your back’s balancing act is made possible by these muscles, as well as those of the hip, knee, and ankle joints, and of course, the back muscles themselves.  Together, these muscles balance your back’s natural curves and provide support.  When lifting weights, take extra care to use correct technique and to keep your spine in proper  alignment: use head rest pads and keep your back against the back rests.  Concentrate on tightening your abdominal muscles during any lift, as this maintains the correct pelvic tilt position, which will support your back.  Cardiovascular or aerobic exercise, in addition to any specific back exercises, is also critical in maintaining a healthy back.  Brisk walking, stair climbing and swimming are recommended activities for the back.

Most of these exercises can be performed anywhere,  at any time.  Depending on your doctor or Hamilton Personal Trainer’s recommendations, you should include back exercises as part of your exercise program at least 3 times per week.