Resistance is not futile
WITH a tighter grasp and understanding on the basics of how to gain muscle from last week’s article, let’s progress to the next step of gaining muscle through resistance training concepts.
Stepping on to that gym floor for the first time can be a daunting experience. Cue flashback - a long time ago, in a gym far away, I was a 16-year-old kid standing in the free weights area staring at an array of dumbbells not knowing how to perform a chest press; let alone what weight, or how many sets or reps I should be performing. If only there was a fitness column in the Bristol Post to help me…
Not just free weights but machines, hammer strength machines, cables…. Then you hear gym lingo such as ‘compound vs isolation, fatigue, failure, muscle splits’… the list goes on! Your mind is probably going into progressive overload just from thinking about all these concepts and what they all mean…
We are going to break down these concepts one by one to give you a clearer understanding of what each of them mean. By the end of this section you will be able to step on to that gym floor with more confidence and knowledge and get to work on making them sweet gains you’ve been craving!
Let’s kick off with resistance machines. Now I know you’re probably wanting to go straight for those free weights, but let’s hold off and first take a look at the advantages of resistance machines. I will get into free weights next week.
If you are a beginner to resistance training, they can provide as a great starting point, here’s why:
They provide the safest and stable platform in which you can perform your desired exercise and put tension on a muscle through its range of motion.
They come with a clear set of instructions on how to use the machine. Our natural instincts is always to skip the instructions on most things; however, I would take a few minutes to read through these to give yourself a better understanding of how to use these machines.
Using weight machines as a tool for progression – If you are a beginner to weight lifting, you might struggle to perform a certain exercise, such as a body weight pull up or dip.
However, don’t get too disheartened if at first you don’t succeed.
You’ve got to remember we are not all blessed with the strength of Thor or Captain America but rather start our journey as Steve Rodgers before the super serum and will have a different level of upper/lower body strength as we begin!
Do you think Arnie was bench pressing 200lbs when he first started?! Unlikely! Like anything in our lives such as starting new jobs, learning to drive etc we progress over time with practice and experience gained.
Anyway, back to it… this principle also applies to weight lifting, so if at first you can’t do a pull up, then why not start on an assisted pull up machine.
Over time you’ll build up your upper body strength & progress to a more challenging weight. Before you know it, you’ll be gripping those pull up bars and pulling away from that assisted support.