Strength Training Tips for Men
Our tips and guides below could help turn round your meaningless workout routines - you know the one where you can't be bothered even though you have made it to the gym! Simple changes and new ideas can radically change your mental approach for the better.
Tip 1 - Record Everything
With strength training, men often find themselves wasting time going through the motions in the gym. Set yourself goals and targets but make sure they’re achievable.
* Record your progress and monitor how much you’re lifting.
This way, you’ll avoid lifting the same weights week in, week out and repeating the same old workouts. This alone is likely to increase your strength within weeks.
Tip 2 - Supplements
The next tip is if you're going to take supplements, take the right supplements. For strength training, men are recommended to consume some sort of protein within 15 – 20 minutes of finishing their workout. Make sure you’re taking the right supplements though; if you’re aim is to pack on muscle and weight, take a protein high in calories whilst if you’re looking for lean muscle, choose a lower calorie protein.
Do your research and look at supplements like creatine, which helps supply energy to your muscles meaning you can work out harder, for longer.
Tip 3 - Workout Sets and Reps
Another great way of improving strength and size is to choose a lift and warm up gradually, repeating sets of around 4 – 5 reps but increasing the weight gradually. In strength training, men will usually have a one rep max; keep increasing until you reach 95% of this and perform three to five reps. Then, drop the weight 10% and do another set. Then continue your work out, working the same and then the opposite muscle group. Repeat this a week later, trying to increase the weight on the heaviest lift by around 5kg.
Tip 4 - Resting Properly
One part of strength training so many men neglect to consider carefully is rest periods. Whilst for muscle gain, shorter rest periods promote testosterone and growth hormone release, building up muscle and size. On the other hand, strength training requires longer rest periods. They are essential as your muscles need time to recover and failing to rest will hamper your next lifting effort. Three to five minutes rest between sets is ideal if you’re lifting heavy weights. Also, make sure you don’t overdo your workouts and take adequate rest periods between workout days.
Tip 5 - The Big Four
Base your workouts around what are known as the ‘big four’ workouts; bench press, shoulder press, dead lift and squat. Use barbells whenever you can as they require you to keep them stable and let you load heavy weights. Dumbbells are also useful, and resistance training comes last.
Tip 6 - Keep Your Form
Finally, your form is essential. Make sure you know how to do every exercise you’re doing properly and don’t cheat. Too often guys in the gym will stack a huge weight on the bench only to dip the bar a few centimetres before pushing it back. Make sure you’re touching your chest for optimum chest strength gains.
In Summary
If you want to see real progression in your gym, without any injuries or problems with your health, then a combination of all the above tips can help you to approach your workouts in a different way. All of the tips are important, but perhaps the one that we've not put is the best, to listen to our body.
Do not, under any circumstances ignore your body if it's telling you you don't feel well or a niggle in one of the muscles. Ploughing on through pain will set you back in the long term and is just not worth it.
