How to Train: The 3 things PTs are doing and we should be doing too
A lot of us go to the gym and workout several times a week, but are we doing things in there that will help us progress and improve our physical capabilities, as well as keep us injury-free and safe? Not too many people are. What are those secret methods that PT’s are using, but we aren’t?
The 3 things are not actually any secret or complicated at all. They are common practice to any personal trainer or athlete. To keep our body moving, safe and injury-free, we need to:
- Do compound lifts
- Incorporate mobility exercises
- Focus on form over load.
Let’s chat about these 3 tips of personal trainers that MuscleFood have found out, and see how we can incorporate them into our workouts.
Compound Lifts
These lifts are designed to engage several muscle groups at once, and will help you make your workouts much more efficient, as you will be training a wider selection of muscles at the same time. The aim of compound lifts is not just to workout you out, but also to make you work on your posture and engage supporting muscles of your body. By doing compound exercises on a regular basis you will reduce the risk of injury outside the gym and prepare your body for physical activities of your daily life.
How to incorporate: squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, pull ups, bent over rows.
Mobility
Mobility lies at the bottom of correct movement and injury prevention. However, even personal trainers will often overlook this part of a workout due to lack of time or perceived unimportance. Mobility exercise warm up your joints and allow you to move your limbs in a safe manner during the main part of the workout. Missing them out from your workout puts you at a much higher risk of tearing ligaments and damaging joints.
How to incorporate: yoga and Pilates poses, bodyweight exercises (non-explosive).
Form
You will see so many people wanting to lift a heavier weight and pushing themselves hard at the gym, but such a huge proportion of those people have very poor technique that will lead to injuries, tearing muscles and inability to move properly in the future. Before you put any weight on your barbell, do the same exercise with an empty one and learn how to do it correctly. If not sure, ask a personal trainer – they will always be happy to help.
How to incorporate: weight-baring squats, ask someone to keep an eye on your technique, get advice of a personal trainer.
These 3 things are so easy to incorporate and will make such a huge difference to your workouts and massively reduce your risks of injuries. Make sure you take the time to train more effectively, rather than faster or with loads that are too big for you.
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