Effective strength training is based on 10 basic principles, compliance with which significantly affects the quality of the results obtained. Do you want to gain muscle mass quickly? Do you want to increase your strength and endurance in a safe and controlled way? Learn 10 rules of strength training that will help you get the results you want in a short time.

The rules of strength trainingis a collection of tips intended mainly for beginners who want to start exercising with additional weight or with their own body weight. Knowing the basic rules will help you avoid the most common mistakes and increase the safety and effectiveness of exercises.

1. Strength training rules: set a training goal

Setting an exercise goal is the first thing you should do before you start weight training. The goal affects every aspect of training: its type, frequency, duration, and load selection. The lack of a set goal makes it more difficult for us to mobilize ourselves for effort, and consequently the effects are not visible as quickly as we would like.

You can do strength training for several purposes:

  • as part of general development training to increase your overall fitness,
  • to shape the figure and increase muscle mass,
  • to lose weight,
  • to increase your strength endurance.

For the results of the effort to be even better, it is worth clarifying your goal - not only to determine what I'm exercising for, but also what specific effects I expect, e.g. "I want to slim down and firm my stomach and buttocks", "I want to develop my biceps", "I want to lose 5 cm in waist" etc.

2. The rules of strength training: exercise according to the training plan

Establishing a training plan is the next step that will help to maintain the regularity of training sessions and guarantee the rapid appearance of exercise effects. The training plan contains information on the frequency of training (how many times a week to take place), their duration, the number of repetitions and the type of exercise (e.g. Tuesday - exercises for the legs and arms, Wednesday - cardio training by bike, Thursday exercises for the chest pectoral and abdomen etc.).

The final shape of the training plan depends on the training method we choose - a different training frequency is assumed in the Full trainingBody Workout involving all muscle groups to work (then we train 2-3 times a week), and another training is isolated on machines (in this case, you can exercise more often, but one muscle group cannot be trained more than twice a week).

3. The rules of strength training: adjust the load to your abilities

Adjusting the load to the capabilities of your body is a key issue that determines the speed of progress in training. Too little load may delay the appearance of exercise results, while too much may lead to overtraining and a complete inhibition of muscle growth.

In general, a single moderate-intensity strength training session should last no more than 30 minutes (not including warm-up and cooling-down exercises). The repetitions should be done enough to complete the series before the complete loss of strength (i.e. if we are not able to perform the tenth repetition in a technically correct way, we do 9 full repetitions). One series should not exceed 15 repetitions for large muscle groups and 20 repetitions for smaller groups. However, these are indicative guidelines - details should be agreed in accordance with the rules of a given training method, and preferably in agreement with the personal trainer.

4. The rules of strength training: take care of the correct technique

Beginners who have never trained in strength before should undergo several training sessions under the supervision of a personal trainer. This is especially important for people who want to exercise in the gym with the intention of building muscle mass. The instructor will not only show you how to use individual machines, but also give tips on the proper diet, indicate the most common mistakes and help you determine the right training plan.

When practicing alone at home, we must focus even more on following the technique, because no one is able to correct our mistakes. Therefore, before training, it is worth trying a few exercises, strictly following the instructions in the manual. Another way is to ask the other person to watch us during the first few workouts and pay attention to elements that need improvement.

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5. Strength training rules: warm up before each workout

Strength training usually consists of intense exercises that put a heavy strain on the entire motor apparatus. Unheated muscles, tendons and ligaments are more prone to injury and also workless effective. To prevent negative effects of training, you need to prepare your body for exercise by warming up for at least 10 minutes. Half should be for cardio-type exercises (e.g. jogging in place, jumping jacks, stationary bike riding) and the other half should be focused on specific parts of the body (e.g. squats to warm up the leg muscles, arm circles, torsion, etc.).

6. Strength training rules: remember to cool down after training

Each training session should be completed with cool down exercises, so that the body can safely and in a controlled way move from the intense exercise phase to the resting state. Sudden stopping is dangerous to the cardiovascular system - it can cause you to faint, faint and even cause a blockage in the veins.

Cool down consists of moderate-intensity cardio exercises (e.g. light jogging) and stretching exercises that protect against muscle contractions and speed up muscle recovery.

Quick strength training according to Jacek Bilczyński

See the ultra-fast weight training proposed by coach Jacek Bilczyński. Although it is short-lived, it effectively sculpts the body and helps burn fat. Watch the training video:

7. Strength training rules: make changes to your training plan

In order for the muscles to constantly develop, it is necessary to make periodic changes to the training plan (this is the so-called muscle disorientation). Otherwise, the body gets used to a given type of load and the workouts are no longer effective.

Changes should be made every 6-8 weeks. They should consist of exercising the same muscle groups, but with the use of different movement stimuli - for example, replacing traditional crunches with knees hanging up to the chest hanging on a bar.

8. Strength training rules: breathe properly

Properly breathing in and breathing out can make coping with heavy loads much easier and therefore increase the effectiveness of your effort. Despite this, it is often not paid much attention to it, and the practitioners make many mistakes in this regard. How to avoid them?

You have to remember to draw air into your lungs before lifting a weight (including your own body). Breathe out when lifting, hold your breath for a second in the final phase of the movement, and then breathe in again while lowering the load.

9. Strength training rules: plan your rest

Each training session of a given muscle group should be preceded by at least 24-hour rest. This is the minimum time needed for muscle regeneration -this is when the muscle fibers grow and increase their endurance potential. For this reason, people who use circuit training (i.e. involving all muscle groups during one training session) should exercise a maximum of 3 times a week. On the other hand, people choosing split training must be careful not to overload the same part of the muscle day after day.

10. The rules of strength training: take care of a diet rich in protein

When starting strength training, you must not forget to make the necessary changes to your menu. A greater load on muscles is associated with a greater demand for their basic building block - protein. For the results of exercise to be visible, it is necessary to significantly increase its share in the diet.

The general recommendation is to consume 1.2 - 2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight for moderate-intensive training, and from 2 to 2.4 g per kilogram of body weight in intensive training. It is also important to never skip a meal after training - if we do not provide the body with "fuel" within 2-3 hours from the end of exercise, catabolic processes (breakdown of muscle fibers) will be activated. A wholesome post-workout meal should include plenty of protein and carbohydrates.

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Bodybuilding