So you’ve heard all about this “lifting” thing.
How
women benefit just as much from it as men. How “strength is the new sexy.” How it
can replace those endless hours of elliptical time you’ve been putting in,
without any real progress. How you can eat so much more food and still look and
feel fabulous.
-If something hurts (snapping, pulling, pain), stop the exercise. This is almost always due to poor form. Lower the weight and focus on proper form the next time.
-Always do a warm up set (sets are a group of repetitions of one movement) with a very small percentage of your maximum weight (your “max”). For some beginners, this may mean doing bodyweight exercises.
-Invest in proper lifting shoes. Running shoes’ soles are too thick and cushiony. Converses, or anything with a very thin sole, are good for lifting.
 |
| Holy shoulders, Batman! |
And now you want to give it a try, and I’m so happy for you!
My life was completely changed when I first put a barbell on my back, and I’m
excited to welcome you to the world of strength.
You’re gonna love it.
...Now What?
If you’ve done any research on lifting, you may be slightly
intimidated. StrongLifts, StrongCurves, 5x5, 1RM, RPT, PR, OHP, BP, DB; what
are we even talking about!?!
Then when you get to the gym, and see all of those machines,
the different racks and bars, strange pulley contraptions and the big men
swarming the weight area?
It’s enough to make you say, “Forget it. I’ll just go on the treadmill. Again.”
It’s enough to make you say, “Forget it. I’ll just go on the treadmill. Again.”
That’s what I’m here for. To simplify things. After all,
when it comes down to it, all we’re doing it picking things up and putting them
down.
A Few Notes
-An empty bar is typically 45 pounds. If this is too heavy to begin with, start with two dumbbells.-If something hurts (snapping, pulling, pain), stop the exercise. This is almost always due to poor form. Lower the weight and focus on proper form the next time.
-Always do a warm up set (sets are a group of repetitions of one movement) with a very small percentage of your maximum weight (your “max”). For some beginners, this may mean doing bodyweight exercises.
-Invest in proper lifting shoes. Running shoes’ soles are too thick and cushiony. Converses, or anything with a very thin sole, are good for lifting.
The Big Three
You’ll hear talk about “The Big Three,” which are the bench
press, the squat, and the deadlift. These are the core movements around which
you will design the remainder of your workouts. Popularized by Arnold Schwarzenegger,
they are complex movements that incorporate many different muscles, especially
the core, and are therefore great for building a solid foundation of strength.
Let’s break them down.
1. Bench press. Next to curling, this is the most
“bro” exercise because it hits men’s vanity muscles: chest and arms. Lie down
on a flat bench underneath the bar and grab overhand about shoulder-width
apart. Bring the bar down under it touches your chest, and then, focusing on
pulling the bar outwards from the middle, push up until your elbows are
straight. Repeat for 5-15 repetitions (“reps”), depending on your goals (more
on that another time. For now, let’s say 8 reps).
During the movement, keep your feet flat on the ground and use them for support. Pull your shoulder blades together, but keep them on the bench.
Standard goal* for bench press: 1RM (“one rep maximum”) of 1x bodyweight.
*Standard goals are for 1-2 years of lifting. When you begin, start with whatever weight you can handle, and each week, try to increase the weight by 5 lbs.
2. Squat. There are many variations of the squat (front, high back, low back, overhead), but for purposes of this article we will be discussing the high back squat. This means that the barbell will rest at the top of your back, atop your squeezed trap muscles. In the squat rack, hold the bar with your elbows stuck out behind you. Feet should be shoulder width apart or slightly farther, with your toes pointed outwards by 30-45 degrees. Keeping your back straight, stick your butt out behind you and sit down, keeping your weight on your heels. Your thighs should be at least parallel to the ground at the bottom; ATG (ass to grass) will work your glutes (butt) more, but it’s harder.
Once you’re at the bottom, squeeze your butt and focus on driving your hips back up to standing position. Repeat for 3-5 sets of however many you want, but know that squats respond better to higher reps.
Standard goal for squat: 1RM of 1.5x bodyweight.
3. Deadlift. My favorite major lift, deadlift works the entire posterior chain (lower back, hamstrings, glutes, and calves). It is also responsible for a lot of injuries, which is why some gyms ban them. However, if you perform the deadlift with proper form (keeping your back straight) you will not hurt yourself. The exercise involves picking up the loaded barbell from the floor, with a straight back, and then putting it back down. That’s it. It sounds simple, but it’s actually pretty difficult to master. So to make sure no one hurts themselves (by, you know, not keeping your back straight), I’m going to make a video of this and dedicate and entire future post to it.
Standard goal for deadlift: 1RM of 2x bodyweight.
During the movement, keep your feet flat on the ground and use them for support. Pull your shoulder blades together, but keep them on the bench.
Standard goal* for bench press: 1RM (“one rep maximum”) of 1x bodyweight.
*Standard goals are for 1-2 years of lifting. When you begin, start with whatever weight you can handle, and each week, try to increase the weight by 5 lbs.
2. Squat. There are many variations of the squat (front, high back, low back, overhead), but for purposes of this article we will be discussing the high back squat. This means that the barbell will rest at the top of your back, atop your squeezed trap muscles. In the squat rack, hold the bar with your elbows stuck out behind you. Feet should be shoulder width apart or slightly farther, with your toes pointed outwards by 30-45 degrees. Keeping your back straight, stick your butt out behind you and sit down, keeping your weight on your heels. Your thighs should be at least parallel to the ground at the bottom; ATG (ass to grass) will work your glutes (butt) more, but it’s harder.
Once you’re at the bottom, squeeze your butt and focus on driving your hips back up to standing position. Repeat for 3-5 sets of however many you want, but know that squats respond better to higher reps.
Standard goal for squat: 1RM of 1.5x bodyweight.
3. Deadlift. My favorite major lift, deadlift works the entire posterior chain (lower back, hamstrings, glutes, and calves). It is also responsible for a lot of injuries, which is why some gyms ban them. However, if you perform the deadlift with proper form (keeping your back straight) you will not hurt yourself. The exercise involves picking up the loaded barbell from the floor, with a straight back, and then putting it back down. That’s it. It sounds simple, but it’s actually pretty difficult to master. So to make sure no one hurts themselves (by, you know, not keeping your back straight), I’m going to make a video of this and dedicate and entire future post to it.
Standard goal for deadlift: 1RM of 2x bodyweight.
In the meantime, I would suggest you start off with squats and benchpress.
Final Thoughts
Having a spotter is only really necessary for bench press, and that’s when you’re pushing a lot of weight around. Squat racks have catches to dump the weight on if you can’t get up, and you can just drop the weight on a deadlift.
There are many accessory exercises you can do alongside the
Big 3, like lunges, curls, overhead press (OHP), pulldowns, leg presses, good
mornings and many more. We will discuss those in upcoming articles, but if you’re
anxious, bodybuilding.com has some good resources.
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