Four Ways to Lift Weights Better

By now you know lifting weights is good for you no matter your fitness and health goals, especially since every decade our metabolism plummets if we do nothing about it. But even if you train avidly with weights, you may be stuck in a routine that has your body (and your mind) at a stale mate. Here are four ways to get more out of your strength-building sessions.

1. Fuel Wisely

I see this mistake often at the studio – people go into their workout thirsty, which often means they'll perform poorly on certain strength training moves. While you don't need to drink after each set, simply keep a water bottle on hand in case you start to feel parched. And to take the fuel advice even further: Consider eating a small post workout snack that pairs protein and carbs, such as whole-grain toast with peanut butter. This will help your muscles recover by nourishing damaged tissue.

*Weight Loss Tip: If you're trying to lose weight, consider waiting until your next meal before you re-fuel (but don't wait more than 90 minutes to eat).

2. Crank Up The Count

Your best bet for increasing strength is to strive for three sets of each move. If you're an experienced lifter and feel ready to take it up a notch, do 10 to 15 repetitions per set. A strength-training newbie? Start with one or two sets of 10 to 15 reps and gradually add weight on. Once you find yourself breezing through three sets, increase the weight by a few pounds. If an exercise feels easy, your body has already adapted to it, and you're not gaining any strength. You've got to push yourself – otherwise you're just getting a mild aerobic workout.

3. Bookend with Cardio

Before you lift, warm up with five to 10 minutes of jogging, cycling, elliptical, or any other aerobic exercise. Occasionally a client will ask me why I'm a stickler about warming up before we start our sessions. The reason: When you warm up, it boosts blood flow to the muscles you'll activate as you lift, and this in theory helps nourish and prepare your muscles. Another postworkout cardio stint (five minutes of brisk walking) can facilitate recovery and possibly reduce next-day soreness as well. If you still feel sore the next day, don't worry about it. Muscles soreness is perfectly normal and usually more intense for beginners or if you've worked a muscle group in a new way or a higher intensity. As long as you can lift again 48 hours later, you're good to go.

4. Go Total Body

The ideal strength-training session engages your arms, back, shoulders, chest, abs, hips, and legs, so squeeze a few moves for each muscle group into every workout. This means you can double up on muscle groups with one exercise (i.e.: Performing an overhead press with a squat). Many people (ahem: listen up, guys reading this!) focus only on their upper body when weight lifting. They think running or cycling can substitute for lower-body weight training, but neither builds muscle mass the same way weight training can. Plus, below-the-belt weight training can keep your knees and hips limber by indirectly increasing collagen content and enhancing ligament and tendon strength. Sounds beneficial, doesn't it? Because it is!