Tuesday, May 15, 2007

The Keys To Successful Weight Training

If you float around the Internet enough you re bound to jump on to a weight training forum.

And while forums are great places to share ideas, build an online community and give advice, I m shocked at how many posts on the forums are about which training methods are the best and other horse crap like rep speed, HIT, Super Slow, supplements and program design.

That s putting the cart before the horse. Newbies and even some intermediates are jumping from website to website, buying the latest book written by Mr. Guru Steroid user to find the perfect routine that will give them the perfect body.

If this describes you, forgive me because I m about to burst your bubble and at the same time put you on the path to enlightenment. There are only two keys to weight training success and you re going to hear them right now.

First off, there is no perfect program. I repeat - there is no perfect program! Every routine has its adherents and detractors. Some are into bodyweight only, some HIT, some German Volume and the list goes on and on. You ll go deaf if you pay attention to the different factions arguing who s method is superior. Stay away from that.

Here s how you should approach program design and you can do it in three simple steps. This is the first key to successful weight training.

1. Pick exercises that are mostly compound, multi-joint movements. Squats, bench press and deadlifts are the real muscle builders. Don t compromise, pick the exercises that work the most muscle over the entire body.

2. Avoid overtraining. Everyone is different. Some can lift only 2 days a week, some can go 5-6 days a week. Only you know what you can do. Experiment with it. If you are lifting three days a week and after a couple of months (please, please, please at least give a routine 2-3 months before you give up on it), you re fatigued, not gaining and aren t seeing results - drop down to two days a week and watch what happens. When all else fails, train less not more.

3. Pick a program that you enjoy and will work hard at. If you aren t enjoying it you won t give it your best and if you don t give it your best - no results.

The second and most important key to successful weight training is to take consistent, determined action.

A program or routine is only as good as the effort you put into it. If you aren t going to attack your training like a lion going after its prey than you might as well just join a fern and chrome gym as Brooks Kubik likes to say.

Only if you are committed to taking action, being consistent and working hard will you achieve success with the iron. Of course you could take performance enhancers but all that does is make you a loser. True natural strength training and bodybuilding takes consistent, determined effort. Quitters need not apply.

Building a muscular, healthy body is not easy. If it were we wouldn t have 61 percent of the country diagnosed as clinically obese.

It may be hard work but the principles are easy to learn. Stop chasing your tail and wasting your money looking for the perfect routine or the perfect supplement. All it takes to build a powerful, muscular body is hard work and consistent effort on big compound movements, performed with unrelenting determination and patience.

If you follow these keys you will build the body of your dreams, it may not happen as fast as you want it to, but it will happen. Now go to work!

Brian Carson is a writer and workout enthusiast who writes and edits the Workout Routine blog, the site devoted to workout routines by bodybuilders, powerlifters, strength trainers and strongmen from the past to the present. Amazingly, Brian has nothing to sell so check out some great training routines. Visit us at http://workout-routines.blogspot.com/

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