Do you want to have one of those incredible before/after photos for your Instagram feed?
You before — attractive but not sculpted. You after — ripped.
Wishing doesn’t make it so. You need a plan of attack. Your enemy? The constant stream of distractions that are easier than hitting the gym. Your weapon? The motivation that comes from knowing how much strength training will improve your life.
Adding weight training to your fitness routine can help you get the body you want. In addition to burning calories, weight lifting builds strength, increases muscle size, and improves endurance. It can also help you beat the winter blues naturally. Strength training releases more feel-good endorphins in a faster period of time than cardio. By adding free weights to your fitness routine, you will move easier and have better balance because you must learn to control the weight as well as lift it.
Convinced? Here are some steps to get you started.
- Get a picture of the end goal in mind. What does it look like? How do you feel? How are you better?
- Set a weekly schedule and don’t miss your appointment with yourself for any reason, ever.
- If you’re new to weight training or have been away from it for awhile, get instruction from a qualified trainer. Contact us to schedule that appointment.
- Take safety precautions, ensuring that you are using proper form and proper technique.
- Pay attention to both the dominant and non-dominant sides of your body so that muscle imbalances don’t develop.
- Exercise the large muscle groups first, then target the small muscle groups.
- Make progress by gradually increasing the amount of weight, the number of repetitions, the number of sets, or the difficulty of the exercise.
Over time you’ll move from short-term goal oriented behavior (#1 and #2) to a lifestyle that you enjoy and seek out (#7). If you can push past the first few weeks with no excuses, you will start to see results and kickstart yourself into an upward spiral.
Start now. Today. Procrastinators don’t have before/after photos.