Pumping Iron - For Beginners

I have spent a considerable time in working out in the gym (close to 3 years) and even though I don’t possess a physique that is worth emulating, I have benefited a lot from the process in terms of improving my health. It is only after going through the process that I have learnt a thing or two which I thought must share through this blog.

The content may not help those who have passed the first stage – who join the gym for the first time – but I hope the beginners will immensely benefit from this.

Exercise and nutrition

Good exercise and nutrition are two sides of the same coin. People joining gym often neglect the second part and continue to eat food which are unhealthy. Depending on this diet, they neutralize whatever gains they may have made in the gym. It is known to everyone that a diet rich in protein (I am not going into fast digesting or slow digesting proteins) is helpful in gaining muscles. Some people resort to dieting (drastic reduction in one’s diet) which may further create problems. It is better that you first cut down on unhealthy food (ghee, butter, white bread (maida), sugar, potato etc) followed by a slight reduction in diet. It is always better to have small meals at regular intervals than a big meal once. Make sure you get the proteins you need in your diet. Look over the internet to check natural sources of protein (egg whites, chicken (not butter chicken please) etc). It is difficult to resist from things like chocolate cake, gulab jamun, ice cream etc but if you are able to control yourself initially, you would not have any problem later and eating healthy food eventually becomes a part of your habit.

Choosing the right trainer

In many of the gyms that I have been to, I have seen trainers who don’t know much about the exercises. In many of the cases, the trainer himself has never done any workout. Others have some experience and they try to impart the same to others. Bodybuilding (BB) is a science where every exercise has a logic behind it – which muscles to activate, when to do it etc. But if you try to ask these broscientists, they give you answers that are funny. Therefore, it is important to pick a knowledgeable trainer. If you think that he is not able to give you satisfying answers, go over the internet and learn a thing or two about the exercise that you do. Some websites that are worth seeing are:

http://www.youtube.com/user/vicsnatural

http://www.youtube.com/user/scooby1961?feature=watch

http://www.youtube.com/user/Instructionalfitness/videos?view=0

There are many others that can be referred to.

Learn your muscles

It is important that you learn your musles – biceps, triceps, deltoids, chest, abdominals, quadriceps etc so that when you do a certain exercise, it is important that you link that exercise to your muscles. Moreover, it always helps if you know what you are doing.

Protein supplements

There is a big market out there for protein supplements. Many people prefer Whey Protein which comes in various forms – isolate. Concentrate, blended etc. The good thing about these supplements is that they give you high protein which is fast digesting and with less fat (this is what people have told me. I have still not used any supplements). One thing is clear that you require proteins if you want to build muscles. So if you are able to get the required protein from your regular diet, it is well and good. But if we talk about a typical Indian diet, it is more of a balanced diet rather than a high protein and less fat diet. So a typical Indian plate would consist of a mixture of carbohydrates, fats, proteins etc. In that case, it becomes difficult to provide the proteins that we require for muscle building. People have estimated it to somewhere 0.8g per pound of your weight to 1g per pound. I don’t know about the methodology followed but if it is true, a regular diet can’t give you so much proteins. Moreover, a high protein diet is not a poor man’s diet. It is quite costly to spend on eggs, chicken, milk etc everyday. It is here protein supplements can help you in giving proteins. Arguments on whether whey protein supplements (WPS) are safe are equally strong on both sides. People who oppose WPS criticize these companies who have marketed their products well and talk about the side effects – some say kidney problems; others liver problem. That is the reason I have not been able to make up my mind. But I am sure, WPS if taken in right quantity and at right time may not pose any problem since whey is considered to be natural – byproduct of manufacture of cheese (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whey). In any case, anything taken in excess is bad. Even your pizzas or burgers.

Focus on the muscles and keep it slow

Many people who join gym for the first time observe seniors and imitate their way of exercises going fast but in the process affecting more muscles than what is required of them (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwJg6nOJ6fM). It is important to keep the motion slow and make sure your mind is focusing on the muscles that are affected – some sort of mind body connection. Keep the weights light at first and once you have mastered the motion and the focusing, gradually increase the weights. Breathing in and breathing out is as important during the process.

First toning/shaping and then mass

If you haven’t been to a gym before, it is important that you first keep the repetitions high and keep the weights heavy enough so that you are able to complete the required reps (12-15). This will allow the toning of the body and give shape to the muscles. It is after this heavy weights can be employed keeping the reps low (5-10) which will help to build mass.

Make a schedule

Again for first timers or even people re-joining gym after a long time, it is important that for the first week or so, you do a mix of all exercises (all muscles per day) so that you touch all the muscles in that period. It will also help you in toning your body. After that you can switch onto one muscle per day type of schedule.

Don’t forget the legs

People generally wish to build big biceps or chest muscles and forget the legs because it is easy to flaunt biceps and chest but legs generally stay covered. I must say that working on legs (quadriceps, hamstring, calves) is more important than everything else. Your whole body rests on legs and therefore stronger and healthy legs become important. Moreover having stronger muscles in legs help you to avoid problems in older age when people have problems in their knees – a common problem.

Even though this is not something that is something new that I have written, people generally overlook them. It is very important to mention here that doing wrong exercise may build you good muscles but the long term bad effects can cause a bigger harm that one can ever imagine.