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7 Tips for Weight-Lifting Newbies

Are you a weight lifting newbie at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville athletic club? If so, explore these weight lifting tips to better approach this awesome form of exercise. Build strength. Increase power. Sculpt and tone your body. Plus, better support your Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym activities and other physical endeavors.

  1. Don’t be intimidated. Weight lifting, contrary to popular thought, is an accessible exercise. All the heavy lifting beasts you may witness didn’t start out that way. Lifting is a mindful progression. It’s important to add weight gradually and place the emphasis more on technique. That way, you’ll avoid potential injuries and set up a strong foundation.
  2. Form first. As mentioned, your primary focus should be on establishing proper form before you start packing on the weight.
  3. Light weights, more reps. Again, this is to avoid injury and to practice safe, aligned technique.
  4. Find a place to lift comfortably. Don’t lift in congested areas if it is going to make you feel intimated, uncomfortable, or overwhelmed. Find a corner to avoid distractions. Also, try coming to the Pivotal Fitness Greenville health center at off peak hours.
  5. Drop the excuses. Resist the urge to create cop-outs. Sure, there will be days when you are low on energy, stressed, sore, or exceptionally busy. Those are the days when you should really commit to hit the gym. Weight lifting boosts energy and speeds up recovery, so it will actually benefit you to keep up with your progress even on days where you feel off.
  6. Find a weight lifting partner. Find a trusted partner to challenge and inspire you – someone who keeps pushing you and relentlessly supports you.
  7. Consult a Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym trainer. For weight lifting newbies, this can be incredibly helpful. You’ll learn the ropes faster under a trained professional. Plus, you’ll have someone there along the way motivating and challenging you.

 

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10 Reasons Why Women Should Lift

Weight lifting is incredibly beneficial for both men and women. Some women, however, still believe it is an activity reserved for men. Some women believe themselves incapable. This just isn’t true. Lifting is not an activity reserved for men. Women are just as capable. Plus, there are specific benefits for women. So ladies, get over this anti-lifting mentality, and tackle some weights next time you find yourself at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville athletic club.

  1. Decrease your risk of osteoporosis. Lifting promotes and preserves bone density.
  2. Lower your risk for certain injuries. Lifting strongly supports the lower back by strengthening the deep muscles of the core and the muscles of the low back.
  3. Increase your metabolism. Muscle burns more calories than fat. The more muscle you build via lifting, the more calories you will burn.
  4. Better your posture. If you’re correctly lifting, your body is precisely aligned. This heavy focus on alignment and body intelligence and awareness really enhances posture, balance, and the way you carry yourself.
  5. Feel empowered. Boosting strength boosts confidence. Building physical strength definitely has the power to build mental strength.
  6. Easily track your progress. When you lift regularly, you will easily be able to track your progress, which is incredibly rewarding and pushes you to raise the bar that much higher.
  7. Boost your cardiovascular strength. If you’re lifting heavy, you are most definitely stressing your cardiovascular system.
  8. Supplement other physical activities. Lifting can help you realize goals in other physical realms. You can really tailor your strength training toward what you’re striving for due to the highly individualized nature of lifting.
  9. It’s accessible. Contrary to popular thought, weight lifting is incredibly accessible. There are always modifications to explore. Consult a Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym trainer to discover variations and options.
  10. Strong is the new sexy. Have you heard? If not, you just got the memo.
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A Fitness Myth Debunked

Countless myths are constantly circulating with regards to fitness, health, and weight loss. There’s one in particular that I would like to debunk…

Myth: Weight training makes women look bulky.

Many women shy away from weight training because they are under the impression that they’ll end up expanding instead of leaning down.

Sure, if you’re a woman abusing steroids.

The truth is, to be bulky and appear manly you have to be producing lots of testosterone. The average man produces 10 times more testosterone than the average female. So, unless you are popping steroids, fear not morphing into a man. You will retain your womanly physique if you lift weights, all the while gaining muscle and loosing fat.

Lots of women also believe that the key to weight loss is loads of cardio. Wrong. While cardio is beneficial to your health, you have to be careful because lots of cardio will result in loss of muscle. Loss of muscle makes it that much harder to stay fit and keep the weight off. As you shed fat and muscle simultaneously, you weaken your digestive fire. Less muscle, then, correlates to a lower metabolism. No good.

So, what’s the best weight loss solution?

You may not want to hear this: Diet is first and foremost the most important component in cutting fat. Second to diet is a solid weight training program. Cardio comes in last. In fact, it’s not even necessary to kill yourself with cardio. Clean eating combined with weight (or strength) training creates a highly effective fat loss package all on its own, sans cardio.

So, it’s always odd to me to see so many people (especially women) killing themselves with cardio and avoiding lifting. While a cardio craze may yield temporary weight loss results, it’s not effective for sustained weight loss. To sustain, you must watch what you put in your body and boost your strength.

Next time you are at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym opt for a weight training routine over cardio. Maybe even consult a Greenville gym personal trainer to help you design a customized diet plan and weight training program.

Shift your perspective and make strength and diet a priority to realize true, lasting weight loss results.

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Two Ferocious Chest and Back Circuits

Next time you are at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym, destroy yourself with these killer chest and back circuits inspired by fitness innovators and educators Krissy Cags and Travis Baker.

First, enjoy this dirty, giant set of fortifying chest and back exercises:

  • Incline Barbell Press x 12 reps
  • Pull Up x 12 reps
  • Flat Bench Press x 12 reps
  • Bent Over Row x 12 reps
  • Dip x 12 reps
  • Reverse Grip Chin Up x 12 reps
  • Push-ups x 12 reps

Repeat this circuit 5 times, resting 45 seconds between rounds. Ouch.

Not going to lie, this will hurt. You’ll immediately feel like you put on some extra pounds of muscle after manning your way through this circuit beast. What’s more, you’ll definitely feel this one the next day. That’s a good thing! It means you successfully worked those chest and back muscles. It means you are moving forward, tackling your Greenville gym fitness goals and creating your best you.

To add more brutality to the fitness mix, here is a further series of exercises you can perform at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym to fire up the muscles of the chest, back, and more. Get ready and pumped to slam, swing, and slam some more.

Slam. Swing. Slam. via Krissy Mae Cags Webstagram

  • Rope Slams
  • Kettlebell Swings
  • Ball Slams

Fun, right? Right. You definitely gotta muster up some enthusiasm for this set!

Perform exercises as repeats of 40-30-20-10-20-30-40. That’s 40 of each exercise, 30 of each, 20 of each, and so on. We’ve got plenty of exercise equipment at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym. However, if you can’t find some of the equipment necessary, ask a trainer or staff member at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville athletic club to help steer you in the right direction or modify the exercise. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

What’s the hold up? Transport yourself to the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym. Suffer the burn. Generate a sweat. Strengthen and sculpt those chest and back muscles. Meet your fitness goals. Create your best version of you.

Kill it.

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Getting Motivated, Part 1: Setting A Goal

When you were getting started, you had to build up the motivation to work out. Maybe your hobby is running, weight-lifting, biking, etc. Maybe you got started 10 years ago, and maybe you got started 10 weeks ago. Regardless, all of our Greenville gym members have one thing in common: You had to practice, make it part of your lifestyle and then learn to excel at your activity of choice. After some time, you’ve probably settled into your routine – and if our trainers have anything to say about it, you’ve probably even become good at it.

But now it might be time to shake things up. Maybe you’re ready to hit the next level of performance, break past a weight plateau or simply look forward to a new incentive to keep coming back each week. And we have the perfect recommendation for everyone, regardless of their skill level or type of workout: Set a new goal.

The best way to do this is by choosing a goal with a definitive end date, especially one that’s set by someone or something other than you. One great example is the marathon. You can look for a local event that’s coming up and suits your skill level – then sign up. Having that goal to look forward to will give you a new enthusiasm for hitting the treadmill. You may need to set higher limits or come in more often to meet the training requirements for your event. You may want to join with other runners from the gym or within the neighborhood. You can build a network of support at home and work.

Suddenly, the running you were already doing becomes a whole new agenda in light of this goal. It’s like adding the spark back to your romance after some time has passed. Your relationship to the gym and your love of your personal favorite fitness activity is almost like keeping the excitement alive with another person!

Of course, the marathon for you might be a swim meet, a bike tour or a weight-lifting competition. It may even be something as simple as making a friendly arrangement with a spouse, friend or fellow gym member to compete for miles, hours or other stakes over a predetermined amount of time. By setting a goal like this, you get a fresh flush of motivation that you may not have had since you first started coming to our Pivotal Fitness Greenville sports club.

Check back next week for Part 2 of the process, which is fulfilling your ambition.

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Weighting is the Hardest Part – Part 1

If you’re a fan of yoga classes and cardio equipment, you might come and go to Pivotal Fitness Greenville sports club without ever going near the weights. So we ask: why wait?

1. Maybe you think they’re just for body-builders and muscle maniacs.

Don’t worry, that’s not true at all! Just adding some simple weight exercises into your routine when you visit can have numerous benefits. You can condition your muscles so that they react better to your yoga poses and get the most out of your cardio. You can just slim down without bulking up. And toning your body can improve your posture, endurance and energy levels in your everyday life.

2. Maybe you’ve never been trained to use them, so you find them intimidating.

Don’t think about the unfamiliar resistance machines and the giant weights for the bench press. Start by thinking about the smallest set of dumbbells weighing three or five pounds. You can learn some extremely easy exercises that involve lifting these over your head or curling them in toward your body. It’s not always about how heavy a weight is. It’s also about how many times you can repeat a certain action, getting your muscles into a slow burn as you work out. You can start with a limited amount of reps and aim to improve that number every week with very limited pressure about performance or know-how.

Here’s some terminology that you can learn to get started even before meeting with one of our personal trainers to get you started with free weights:

  • Reps: This is one action, like lifting your arm out to the side one time. It also includes the follow-through of bringing your arm back down to its starting position. You repeat these actions several times, through repetitions, hence the name.
  • Sets: When you perform reps, whether its 15 or 50, that number that you do is called a set. When it comes to exercises that bear repeating, such as with each arm, some people consider a set 15 with each arm, while others consider each of those an independent set.
  • Circuit: Several sets are put together into one routine that’s called a circuit. With the help of a trainer, you can put together a circuit that targets your trouble areas. Some people have different circuits for different days of the week, targeting separate muscle groups, instead of doing the same sets all the time. This keeps it light and interesting.

See? There’s no reason to be intimidated. You already know more than you did five minutes ago, and you’re on your way to being in the know about weight-lifting. Check back next week for even more about how to get started!

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Weight Lifting Helps You Slim Down

Many people, men and women alike, resist the notion that weight lifting is a critical component in a weight loss program. Somewhere along the way they got the notion that weight lifting adds bulk when it can actually help you slim down. Here are the top reasons you should add weight lifting to your fitness routine:

1. Weight lifting burns fat. By including weight lifting in your workout routine you are building muscle which burns fat so you increase your metabolism and burn more calories throughout the day, even when you are not working out!

2. Weight lifting maintains muscle. If you are combining cardiovascular exercise with a low-calorie diet you are probably losing muscle as well as fat, decreasing your metabolism and making it more difficult to lose weight.

3. You will feel stronger and more toned. By doing the right exercises you will quickly see results as your body parts become leaner and more toned. If you are not experienced with weight lifting and don’t know what exercises to do, hire a Pivotal Fitness personal trainer to get you on the right path.

4. Your energy will increase. Increasing your muscle mass will not only increase your metabolic rate and help you shed pounds, but you will also start to gain more energy, increasing your quality of life!

If you want to lose weight or get in better shape, weight lifting is a must. At the Pivotal Fitness Greenville health club we can help you get on the road to meeting your goals with tips like these. Our personal trainers and fitness specialists are experts in health and fitness and can help you change your life.

If you are not already a member of our Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym come in today to get a free 7 day pass.

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