Mens Weight Training | Maximise Your Training Routine

Maximise Your Training Efforts

The word "maximally" is to emphasise that we are lifting a weight, we should maximise the effort we put into it. All too often, I see members in a health club using minimum effort to lift a weight. To give you an example, I will illustrate something you have probably witnessed before. Remember the guy that you saw in front of the mirror doing a biceps curl? Do you remember how he was bouncing the weight up and down? No regard to form and technique. Just doing them as fast as he could. That, my friend, is training minimally.

Train Maximally, not Minimally!

Someone who trains "minimally" is worried about how much weight they are doing or how many repetitions they are doing. What they don't grasp or have not been taught, is that it's not how much, or how many, it's how you do it. Now, if you're getting ready for a weightlifting event or something similar, the amount of weight you do does matter. But, I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about normal people, who want to lift weights to develop a great body and feel better.

To give you the details of how you train "maximally" follow these 2 following tips:

Squeeze the Muscle - When you lift a weight, don't bounce it, don't lock the joint, but actually, squeeze the muscle for a pause between 1- 3 seconds. Squeezing the muscle will maximise the end of a positive contraction, which is where you are actually lifting the weight and the muscle is shortening.

Slow Release - Instead of abruptly dropping the weight, slowly lower the weight in a smooth, controlled manner. This will maximise the effort of a negative contraction. A negative contraction is when the weight is being lowered and the muscle is lengthening. The negative contraction should be between 2- 5 seconds. Do not lock or overextend the joint at the end of this contraction either.

These are just a couple of tips to maximise your weight lifting efforts. The reasons why are for safety, better muscle tone, increased metabolism, and developing true strength to name a few. Training "maximally" is not as easy as training "minimally." You will feel it more. However, it's about reaching your goals and doing it right, not what comes easy. Right?

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Date Published: Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Date Modified: Wednesday, July 3, 2024