Gym fitness tutorial

Ordinary people who go to the gym for the first time do not need to copy homework from Internet celebrity plans, nor do they need to be afraid of being laughed at if their movements are not standard. They follow the general framework of "warm-up→resistance→aerobic→stretching" and go 3-4 times a week, each time for 60-90 minutes. Prioritize doing standard movements and then slowly add weight. If you persist for 3 months, whether you want to gain muscle or lose fat, you will see changes visible to the naked eye.

A while ago, I met a young man born in 2000 who had just applied for a membership at the gym. He walked straight into the bench press rack. After hanging 20kg weights, he pushed down. After 3 presses, his shoulders twisted. The next day, he was in so much pain that he couldn't lift his arms. He didn't dare to come back for half a month - a typical pitfall of skipping the warm-up. When it comes to warming up, there are actually different opinions in the circle. Ordinary enthusiasts think that it is enough to do jumping jacks, shoulder circles, and lunges for 5 minutes to open the joints without getting stuck. Powerlifters are more accustomed to adding 2 sets of light-weight formal movements to activate, such as 10 sets of 2 sets of empty bar squats before leg training to find the feeling of strength in advance. Both are fine. The only old misunderstanding to avoid is to do static stretching before training. The ligaments are loosened and unloaded, which makes them prone to injury.

Don't jump on the treadmill as soon as you walk in, unless your goal for the day is simply to do aerobics. If you want to gain muscle or lose fat more efficiently, you are right to do resistance training first. This training method is actually quite controversial: for novices who have just started training within 3 months, I recommend doing full-body training. Go through the chest, back, legs, and core every time, and do 3 sets of 12-12 for each movement. Just 15 times is enough. There is no need to engage in differentiated training like "train chest on Monday and shoulders on Tuesday". Newbies have poor neural recruitment ability. If you train chest one day specifically, the next two groups basically rely on the arms to compensate for the force. It is better to give the whole body muscles a shallow stimulation every time, and the speed of strength increase is much faster. If you have been practicing for more than half a year and want to develop muscles, then differentiated training will definitely be more targeted. There is no absolute right or wrong about this, it all depends on your current stage and goals.

Oh, by the way, don’t blindly trust the guidance of the “veteran” who walks around in tight pants and waist protectors in the gym. I once saw a big brother teach a novice to squat, but insisted that the knees should not pass over the toes. As a result, the novice sat back on the ground halfway through the squat. In fact, it is completely normal for the knees to pass over the toes. Everyone has different leg lengths and hip and ankle flexibility. As long as the waist does not collapse and the force is concentrated on the thighs and buttocks, there will be no problem. Don’t rush the weight blindly. Bodybuilding-style training likes to reach failure in each group because they feel that the muscles are more fully destroyed and the muscles will grow faster. Powerlifting people prefer to leave 1-2 reps in each group to avoid joint wear and extend the training life. We ordinary people do not compete, so choosing the latter is enough. There is no need to trade meniscus for muscle circumference.

The aerobic arrangement is also very flexible. You don’t have to be frightened to do it after hearing someone say, “You must lose muscle if you aerobize first”. If the main goal is to build muscle, do aerobics after resistance and do it within 20 minutes. You can choose brisk walking or an elliptical machine. Don’t run for half an hour as soon as you start. ； If the main goal is to lose fat, there really isn’t much difference between aerobic and resistance first. As long as you consume enough, it’s perfectly fine even if you do aerobic alone for one day. I had a friend who used to run for 40 minutes before lifting weights in order to remove fat. Halfway through the training, his legs were so weak that he could not even hold a 5kg dumbbell. He lost no weight in half a month and even injured his knees. There is really no need to force the process.

There is no need to add a 15-minute KPI to the stretching after practice. Some people think that every part must be stretched until there is soreness. Some people like to use the fascia gun for 5 minutes and then leave. In fact, as long as the muscles trained on the day are relaxed, there will be no stiffness and pain the next day. However, be careful not to use the fascia gun to hit the joints, spine and bone seams. It will cause pain and easily damage the soft tissue.

Oh, by the way, there is another detail that is easily overlooked. When doing weight-bearing movements, don't hold your breath and carry it hard. Exhale when exerting force and inhale when relaxing. The last time I saw a young man's face turned red when he was deadlifting, and his vision went dark and he fell to the mat. Fortunately, there was someone beside him to support him, otherwise he would be in trouble if he hit the barbell. There is no need to buy supplements blindly. Nitrogen pumps and branched-chain amino acids are all prepared for advanced players. Ordinary people eat enough protein of 1.6-2g per kilogram of body weight every day. For example, a 60kg person eats 4 eggs + half a kilogram of chicken breast + a carton of milk every day. If he doesn’t eat enough, add two spoons of protein powder, which is more effective than any fancy supplements.

In fact, there is no absolutely correct template for fitness. If you are comfortable and able to persist, and you feel a little sore after each exercise but it does not affect your ability to climb stairs to work the next day, then the plan is the most suitable for you. Don’t be led away by the anxiety of “getting your waistline in 30 days” or “losing 10 pounds in 10 days” online. Take your time and it will be faster.