Being in shape is everyone’s goal when it comes to weight training. Whatever your workout methods, we all want to become stronger, more muscular, and with better endurance. To help you do this, Sean Hyson, author of the Encyclopedia of Muscle, revealed the five most important things according to him.
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1- The mind/muscle relationship is important
Often described as a myth when it comes to weight training, the mind/muscle relationship is much more important than we think. Already advocated by Arnold Schwarzenegger when he was preparing for Mister Olympia, this technique consists of visualising the muscle group you are working on. This allows you to focus all your attention on your workout and allows you to have a technique that is as close as possible to perfection. Focusing on your muscles means activating them to better work them.
2- Let your muscles rest
There is no need to go on about the importance of having a day or two of rest per week. Everyone knows how important it is to give your body time to recover. When we say ‘rest,’ we mean not working oneself to exhaustion.
The cluster set technique seems to be one of the most effective ways to overcome this exhaustion. Instead of doing 4 sets of 10 repetitions on the bench press and taking the risk that the last two sets will be a technical disaster, try to take a 15- to 30-second break halfway through. You’ll put the bar back and resume the series afterwards to be able to finish in the best way and activate as many muscle fibres as possible.
3- Adapt your workout to your current fitness level
Don't always do the same thing, the same series and the same number of repetitions. To be as fit as possible, you have to adapt your training to your form at this precise moment. To measure yourself, try to do a series with a certain number of repetitions and a weight you have chosen. If you can't reach your goal, lower the weights, but if it's too easy, increase them. Then work with this number of repetitions and this same weight over several series’. Here again, it is up to you to see how many reps you can do depending on your fitness level.
4- Vary the cardio between low and high intensity
To reach your best physical condition, you must be ready to do all kinds of different workouts. Running is good, doing HIIT is good too. But we must not only do one or the other, one must vary both. You will thus be ready to endure intense workouts over a short period of time, but you will also have the resources for more moderate and longer efforts over time. Sean Hyson recommends doing two high-intensity sessions and one classical cardio session per week, all accompanied by classical weight training sessions. This may sound like a lot, but you can incorporate HIIT at the end of your weight training sessions.
5- Respect your muscles
Be kind to your body and it will thank you. After each session, remember to take care of your muscles. Massage is the best way to recover after a workout, as well as a cold bath. Drink water accordingly, rest, recover and do some stretching to work on flexibility as well. A good recovery is essential if you want to improve.
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