By: Landon Davis, CSCS, FRCms
Anyone can weightlift. But where do you start? And why would you? Weightlifting has a multitude of benefits, ranging from:
- Improves overall health- including heart, cardiovascular, muscle, and bone
- Builds muscular strength
- Improves bone density (Before age 25)
- Maintains bone density (After age 25)
- Decreases risk of falls as you age
- Regulates blood sugar, and
- Keeps the body moving with intent.
Lifting During and After Injury Rehab
Oftentimes, I see people stop lifting because of an injury. A big misunderstanding people have is, if they have an injury or are coming back from an injury, they don’t view weightlifting as an option. If you are injured or are recovering from an injury, weightlifting is a vital tool to help you build and maintain muscle strength.
Many patients start to see the value of lifting during their rehab process and then they continue building strength- on their own or with a FIT trainer- after to build upon the progress they made.
Beginning to Lift
FIT trainers are equipped to meet you where you are to help you begin your weightlifting journey. I often train people who are just recovering from an injury and/or have no prior experience with lifting.
I make sure to program my clients with exercises that I know with certainty they can do. If you jump in to lifting and try exercises that may be too difficult to begin with, that will discourage you. I choose exercises based on your level to ensure that, one, you can be successful, and two, you can find joy with lifting. I want you to start from ground 0 with success, so you can build upon your successes.
Weightlifting Basics
When I am creating a weightlifting program, I make sure my clients are moving in all three planes of motion. Standard weightlifting often revolved around front to back (sagittal) motions. Opening these movements up into the other two planes (frontal and transverse) allows your workout to be as functional as possible- because we move in three planes.
Once we are lifting, my rule of thumb is to make sure that you can perform any exercise for 3 sets of 10-15 reps with perfect form before you progress to a more difficult exercise or a higher resistance.
If you are low on time, but you still want to lift, focus on compound movements:
- Squat
- Deadlift
- Bench press, and
- Row
These movements include multiple joint movements and recruit a lot of muscle involvement rather than isolating a single muscle or single joint. You are still working specific muscle groups, but these help work many muscles with just one exercise, so you can save time!
If you have more time, prioritize one compound movement per workout and add in 2-3 accessory lifts that isolate specific muscles. This will help you get stronger over time.
Using a FIT trainer
FIT trainers can help you achieve your movement goals, so matter what your level of lifting skill is- wither you are a beginner or a seasoned athlete. We educate you on proper form and see why some movements will help you achieve your goals better than other movements.
Have a movement goal that you want to achieve? Access a FIT trainer, exercises, and coaching at your convenience- regardless of your location. Sign up to be a FIT member today.
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