The beginning of the year is always an interesting time in the gym. There are so many new people that are determined to keep their New Year’s Resolution of getting in shape. The problem is that most of them have no plan at all once they get inside the fitness center. It is easy to spot the new person. They just wander around and randomly use different machines. The problem with that kind of workout is that it is just too random to produce any results!
Unfortunately, machines are not always placed in a logical order in most gyms. A very important rule to remember when doing strength training is to always start with the biggest muscles first. If you are going to work your upper body, don’t start the workout by doing biceps curls. Start with exercises that work your chest, back and shoulders first. If you start with your arms, you are going to exhaust them early and then you will not get as good a workout when you work your bigger muscles.
The arms already get a lot of indirect work. The triceps are used whenever you do bench presses or shoulder presses. The biceps are worked whenever you perform exercises for your back. If you start your workout with your arms you will not be able to do enough weight when you finally get around to working the bigger muscles.
If you are going to work your legs, do not start with leg curls or calf exercises. The hamstrings and calves are not the biggest leg muscles. The biggest would be the quadriceps. These are the big muscles in the front of the leg that run from the knee to the hip. They are worked out by doing squats, leg presses and lunges. After the quadriceps have been worked, then it will be time to move to the hamstrings and calves. Again, start with the bigger muscles and move to the smaller ones.
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