Weight Training – The 3 Basic Principles
As a general rule, let’s keep this very simple. The basics of weightlifting revolve around three basic principles and they are: pushing and pulling, breathing, and proper form.
When it comes to weightlifting or resistance training, it involves just two movements, pushing and pulling. For example, when you do a chest press, you are pushing the weight and this engages your chest, triceps, and shoulder muscles. There are other muscles that innervate or come into play when doing this particular movement, but for this article, we’ll stick to the main muscle groups. If you want more detail, I suggest you hire a personal trainer to learn the action, insertion, and origins of the muscles in an anatomy or anatomical kinesiology textbook (excellent reference tool). Another example would be doing a back exercise. For example, when doing a seated row, you are pulling with your back muscles, biceps, forearm muscles (flexors/extensors), core muscles (transverse abdomins), and lower leg muscles.
The second most important component of resistance training would be breathing. Many people, from advanced to novice, still don’t know how to breathe properly, and it is highly recommended that you seek the advice of a fitness professional to learn this properly. For example, when you perform a leg press, you initially need to move the weight. When you push the weight up or out, you want to exhale the air. When you are lowering the weight, imagine that the air is going down into your lungs and when the weight goes up or out, you want to exhale the air. Also, you want to tell yourself quietly. When you lower the weight and then raise it, that’s one rep. When you count, you automatically breathe because that’s the way sound travels (through air particles). If you feel like you’re getting dizzy or seeing stars, stop what you’re doing because you’re reversing your breath or holding your breath.
Also, if you vomit during resistance training, a lot of it is caused by intra-abdominal pressure or the Valsalva maneuver. You don’t want to do this because it can be dangerous with people who have high blood pressure. To master this technique perfectly, hire a professional personal trainer. The basic rule of thumb is, if you don’t feel well, stop and rest. You can always go back and finish your set or choose another exercise/machine that works those same muscle groups.
The last principle is the form or biomechanics itself. I’m going to make this as easy as possible: the key is 90 degrees. If you can remember a right triangle, it will always keep the proper shape. For example, when doing shoulder presses, as you push the weight up and lower it down, you should stop when your elbow looks like a right triangle (90 degrees) and then push it back up. This rule applies to 95% of all the exercises you are going to do. Another example would be when you’re doing squats or leg presses. When you lower the weight, stop when your legs look like a right triangle, and then push it back up. Remember, when you push the weight up, you don’t want to lock your elbows or knees because this can cause future injury to these areas by stretching certain tendons and ligaments.
These are the three basic rules for resistance training and/or weightlifting. One final tip for the fitness trainer: When working on the major muscle groups, you always want to work the larger muscles, such as your chest, back, and shoulders, before you work your triceps, biceps, and forearms. This rule also applies to the lower leg muscles. You don’t want to do leg extensions and leg curls when you’re going to do leg presses and/or squats that day. I would suggest doing a warm up by riding the stationary bike to get some blood flow to those lower extremities. If you are a novice, take your time when embarking on this type of training. By doing so, you will be more informed and prevent future injuries and incorrect form.
