Chapter 6
Guidelines For Weight Training
Guidelines For Weight Training
- 1. Warm-up Start with the pre-dumbbell workout sequence before lifting weights. This prepares your body and mind to fully benefit from this program.
- 2. Dumbbells Lift and lower dumbbells in a controlled manner unless indicated otherwise. If you have to swing the dumbbells, they are either too heavy or too light for you and you are doing it incorrectly.
- 3. Breathing For beginners, it is not as important how you breathe than that you actually breathe. The correct breathing will take place naturally with practice. Generally, inhale using the belly during the lengthening or eccentric action of the muscle as in lowering of the weight and exhale when lifting the weight (i.e. during the concentric shortening action of the muscle under load). Breathe through the nose during all exercises. Each illustration will indicate the breathing pattern.
- 4. Awareness of your posture Keep your back straight unless otherwise indicated. Engage and brace your abdominal muscles with every movement. This protects your spine and allows a strong foundation to work from.