Lifting weights is a great example of how more doesn’t always mean better. You should continue to push yourself in order to improve, but you do not need to lift the same weights every day. You shouldn’t, because your muscles get stronger when you rest between workouts.
Tip
Beginners should start lifting weights two times a week and do a full-body workout. The session of weightlifting should last for as long as you need to complete three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions per exercise.
Start at the Beginning
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has outlined guidelines for physical activity. The Department of Health and Human Services is a great place to begin. The HHS recommends doing strength training at least twice a week that targets your major muscle groups. This means you should choose exercises that target your chest and back, shoulders and arms, abs, and legs.
Do not schedule weight-training sessions back-to-back. You’ll find that your body gets stronger during the periods of rest between workouts rather than when you are working out. If you don’t allow it to rest, then you will actually be counteracting all the hard work you have done.
You can expect to feel mild soreness after a challenging workout. However, you should wait until the soreness has subsided before hitting the weights.
The DOMS typically appears within 12 to 48 hours after a workout and disappears about 72 hours later. Giving yourself two to three rest days between strength training workouts is a good compromise between exercising and avoiding overtraining.
Tip
Did you know? The frequency of an exercise is how often you perform it. According to HHS guidelines on physical activity, you should exercise at least twice per week.
Weights, Reps, and Sets
How many reps and sets should you do? It depends on what you want to achieve in the gym. It’s difficult to go wrong if you do one to three sets per exercise, aiming for 8 to 12 repetitions.
This post was written by Darryl Johnson, Co-Owner of Apex performance. At https://theapexperf.com/ we are a community of highly trained experts looking to provide performance enhancement and a permanent lifestyle change for our clients in a fun and interactive environment. Members can take advantage of one-on-one training, small group classes and specialized courses for a wide variety of athletics, sports training and body goals!