Three Simple Ways To Increase Weights Gradually
Wanna take your weightlifting to the next level and avoid plateaus? Try out these simple tips to gradually increase the weights you lift.
Weightlifting is not for everyone. When it’s your first time at the gym, it may seem intimidating to see rows of dumbbells, barbell racks, and other weightlifting machines all lined up.
Weightlifting requires training the muscles and joints to lift a load. You start off with manageable weights and move your way up to heavier ones. That’s the usual process and pacing for dedicated bodybuilders.
With grit, there’s no limit to what you can achieve in terms of fitness. You need to establish a specific routine for your body to adjust and ease into a particular weight.
This means you’ll have to lift the same type of weights often enough and long enough before moving forward with heavier weights.
Having a trainer will make things even easier for you when it comes to increasing the weight you lift. Even without one, though, you can still increase weights progressively by following these quick tips.
How To Increase Weights Gradually
Here are three tips that will help you increase weights gradually and stay safe while doing it:
1. Start With Small Increments
If you’ve been lifting 50 pounds for two or three weeks, and you feel your body is just about ready to increase it, then work your way up by gradually adding more weights to your daily routine.
Start by adding three to five pounds daily. On your next trip to the gym, add the mentioned weight to your usual routine, and keep working on it for a week.
Add more pounds as you move along every week. Before you know it, by the end of the month, you should be able to lift 100 pounds without breaking a sweat.
2. Listen To Your Body To Avoid Injuries
As a beginner gym-goer, you need to have proper rest and a support system for your body.
For safety measures, gym rats always have muscle tapes with them and apply them to knees or joints. This will prevent the lower extremities from sustaining injuries while lifting objects.
Other than wrap-around support, you also need to get enough rest for your muscles to recover. Without sufficient sleep or relaxation, your body will not be able to cope and repair the damaged cells caused by the lifting exertion.
No matter how much you try to push yourself to up your metal pull, it won’t do you any good if you don’t rest enough. An essential part of the strenuous cycle of building up muscles is sleep.
If you insist on lifting weights without letting your muscles repair themselves first, then you won’t be able to finish your usual sets or repetitions.
Your performance will slow down. Or worse, you may hurt yourself in the process. You’ll end up hampering your gradual progress and go back to square one if you get injured.
3. Follow Proper Form And Add Variety
Your lifting form is essential. With a solid preparatory form, you’ll be able to lift more weight and avoid injuries.
The accepted practice in deadlifts or other heavyweight equipment is to raise the bar as fast as you can and lower it in a slow and controlled manner. This will let you hit the right muscle groups and maximize traction on them.
While the best way to improve your weightlifting is by doing more weightlifting, at some point, you may reach a stable state of little change.
Plateauing is as common as can be among gym enthusiasts. It’s a state where your body becomes too accustomed to the lifting movement. You’ve normalized your routine so much to the point where you can no longer improve and take your weightlifting sets to the next level.
Adding variety to your routine and changing things up every now and then is crucial to prevent plateauing. Body-weight-centric workouts like squats or plunges can strengthen the surrounding muscle groups of your targeted limbs.
Do various high-intensity exercises in between sets instead of doing too many weightlifting repetitions. It can help you produce the maximum energy you need to lift more than you have done before.
These three tips alone can help you increase weights gradually, add variety to your workouts, and take your weightlifting to the next level.
