190519 Starting a weight training program
Often times a person thinks long and hard before beginning a fitness or strength program. Along the way these questions invariably arise:
- How do I start?
- Where do I begin?
- What do I do?
- What exercises should I be doing?
- How do I do them?
Women generally ask how do I flatten my stomach, get rid of the flab on the backs of my arms or strengthen my bones. Men are asking how to get a six pack and want to know how to bench press more weight.
These questions can be answered by a certified and competent trainer. Notice I did not say just a certified trainer but a competent one as well. A certification from a recognized source such as the National Strength and Conditioning Association implies the trainer has demonstrated superior knowledge, is competent to coach and is well up to the training task. Competency and results are the proof in the pudding as the saying goes. After all, it truly is a buyer beware situation when you are trying to get stronger and are paying out good money for the results you desire.
The short and sweet of the beginners training starts out in this manner:
A beginning routine consists of large muscle group exercises (as noted in the following list) featuring balanced applications of sets and repetitions for both agonist and antagonist groups. After a movement specific warm up is completed then each exercise is performed ten to twelve times do eight to ten repetitions for two to four sets. A set is one group of eight to ten repetitions.
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