Weightlifting Basics

So you just purchased a gym membership, but you are uncertain what to do when you actually go to the gym. Well, this guide will tell you exactly what you need to do to become acclimated with the gym.

First, we must determine your goals. If you are trying to build strength, you want to use heavier weights and less reps. Anywhere between 3-5 reps is ideal when trying to build strength. If you are looking to build muscle mass, higher reps is ideal. Anywhere between 8-12 is a good range. Personally, I like to mix this up. I think regardless of your goal, it is important to incorporate a variety of reps. You cannot build strength without building some muscle mass, and you cannot build muscle mass without building some strength. One popular technique is the 5x5 program. This means that you do 5 sets of 5 reps per set. I integrate this technique with the rest of my workout, and it seems to do the job nicely. The key is variety. If you do the same exercises with the same reps for months, you will notice your body becoming too acclimated to your regimen. Anyways, onto some of the basics when actually lifting weights.

1. Never lift more than you can handle. Do not be embarrassed if you cannot lift too much weight because everyone who is in that gym started out with that much weight. Leave your ego at home.

2. Focus on your technique. While perfect technique isn't essential, good technique is. Bad technique can and probably will lead to injury. Plus, bad technique will not benefit you as much with growth. The first time you lift weights, your technique will probably be poor. I recommend visiting www.bodybuilding.com - they have videos on almost all of their exercises, and you can see the proper technique.

3. Train ALL muscles in your body. This one for sure veterans and newbies alike do not seem to follow. There is no reason to never train your legs. You will start to look disproportionate.

4. Decide whether you are going to do a full-body workout, or individual body parts. I'd recommend a full body workout when starting since your muscles will tire easily. I used to do three upper body day and two lower body days. Now I do a chest day, a back day, a shoulders/traps/forearms day, a leg day, and a biceps/triceps day. You'll be able to figure it out as you go along.

5. Do NOT overtrain. Especially when beginning. I'd recommend spending about an hour to an hour and a half in the gym. No more is necessary per day. Your body starts to fade around an hour, so anything significantly after that will probably suffer from poor form. Thus, you'll end up wasting time and possibly injuring yourself.

6. REMEMBER THE BIG THREE: Squats, deadlifts, and bench press. These power exercises are essential to any workout. You'll see the most gains in strength and mass by incorporating these exercises into your routine. They also burn a significant amount of calories, so they are great if you are trying to lose weight. I generally only see people doing the bench press; much of that has to do with those people only working their upper body. These exercises are ESSENTIAL. Do not skip them.


These are just some of the basics to weightlifting. I'll follow up this article with an article on some more advanced techniques. However, if you are beginning, I highly recommend you follow this advice. It will save you time and potential injury.