You don’t want to miss these performance tips if you want the best out of your workout days.

Ages ago, when weight training was considered only for the bodybuilders and high-performance athletes, none of us realized that strength training would turn out to be a vital part of our health and well-being. There have been a multiple medical research proving that weight lifting helps gain stronger bones and muscles.

Stronger muscles are important for healthy bodies. Performing strength-building exercises wrong can end up doing more wrong than good. So, here are the performance tips that you can follow to keep your goals on track and injuries away:

1. Warm up & cool down: Yes, you heard me right! Warming up involves two components. 5-10 minutes of a low-level cardio warm-up helps increase muscle flexibility and temperature. Secondly, it allows you to practice good techniques and gives you better coordination further helping you avoid injuries. Likewise, cooling down helps bring the body temperature back to normal, and helps relax the muscles to avoid DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). Mild jogging or running can be a great warm-up, and stretching can be a good way to cool down.
2. Breathe: Always remember to breathe right when strength training. If you are someone new to weight lifting, seek the advice of a personal trainer or fitness instructor of your health care provider to learn more about breathing techniques. Or, you can refer to my past article, which teaches the right breathing patterns during strength training, also known as the Valsalva maneuver.
3. Use proper form to maximize gains & avoid injuries: Like my previous suggestion, I would always encourage you to work with a personal trainer for a while to learn proper form and techniques, then gradually move towards becoming independent. Still ensure that you keep getting your form checked timely to fix the flaws that may develop over the period, especially when you start progressing. Fun fact, even personal trainer have coaches to keep a check on them, if they too are making any mistakes.
4. Never lock the joints: You must have heard this that full ROM (Range of Motion) is where the benefit is. But you must have never been told that at the point of failure in that ROM is where the chances of injuries are more. Whether standing or sitting at the bottom with the weights, or pushed away or pulled in the weights, never ever lock your joints. Never reach 100% with either flexion or extension unless that exercise is designed as such for certain specific reasons. Always follow the 99% rule. Slightly keep your knees or elbows bent when extending, and vice versa when flexing.
5. Don’t be too eager, too quick during the sets: This comes from my personal experience as a fitness coach. I have had clients with different energy levels, and 40% out of them are always missing the techniques as they try to just get done with the exercises. That scares me, as in this process, they miss doing the entire set up. They get to quick to squat with that barbell on their backs or push away the weights on the machine. You put a lot of stress on your joints when you don’t move mindfully, and put yourself under a great risk. So, always make sure that you spend enough seconds at each stage of a particular exercise, especially when lifting heavy. And remember to take anywhere between 30 seconds to a minute of rest between the sets.
6. Address the pain: I always use this statement when I train my clients, especially the ones with painful joints, but does not necessarily apply to just them. There is a very thin line between pain and discomfort. You need to feel the discomfort, but the moment you feel any particular exercise is giving you pain, stop then and there. Tell your trainer about it, and he or she would be able to give you an alternative which is not painful, but equally challenging, or might need to give it a rest at all. But it is important that you communicate, and address the pain instead of pushing yourself with it.
7. Never use momentum: I have seen many members in the gym making use of momentum in almost all the exercises, especially when they want to lift beyond their abilities. Many gentlemen, and women for example, swing along with the lat pull-down machine, getting their entire hip off the seat, even though the pads on the seat are meant to stop any movement on the lower body, and swing and dance along with the hand bars. This is INCORRECT. You should not bounce on your knees when you try and get up from your squat, you should never swing the whole body to pull that weight down. This is too intense on the back, and rest of the joints. Remember the 90% rule from point 4. Working on the right tempo helps you stay in control instead of compromising on strength through momentum.
8. Stick with the routine: Consistency is the key, was said long back by someone wiser. There is a very limited benefit in variety, so don’t tell your trainer that you get bored of the same routine and that the reason you want a trainer is so that he/ she can give you variety. I would quote this statement by James Clear, of Atomic Habits (The book), ‘anyone can work hard when they feel motivated. It’s the ability to keep going when the work isn’t exciting, that makes the difference’. If you are looking to see a difference or progress in your lifting abilities, stay consistent.

Note: These suggestions are intended for general population readers. It is always advisable to consult with a healthcare professional, such as a doctor or physiotherapist, if you have any injuries or medical conditions before attempting to follow general exercise guidelines.

Reference:

7 tips for a safe and successful strength-training program. 2015. Available on: https://www.health.harvard.edu/exercise-and-fitness/7-tips-for-a-safe-and-successful-strength-training-program

Long, M., 2023. 10 weight training tips for beginners. Available on: htps://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/no-matter-your-age-or-skill-level-its-never-too-late-to-start-weight-training