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The Rat
believes that working out for the majority should be simple, enjoyable
and
effective. You want to know that what you do in the gym will get
results. Because of this, our resident gym rodent thought about
going back to basics and providing you with a great no-nonsense
weight-training workout. You’ll build muscle, achieve great
shape and you won’t have to set up camp in the gym in order
to do this. |
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No-nonsense
reasons to weight train
 You’ll
boost your metabolic rate. Your body’s calorific consumption
reflects your metabolic rate. You burn calories to eat, drink,
sleep, talk etc and exercise. Research indicates that regular
weight training can increase your metabolic rate. Although the
activity of weight training will only burn around 5-8 calories
per minute, the overall long-term benefits of weights are hard
to ignore. “The more muscle fibre recruited, the greater
the opportunity for increasing your calorie burning potential,”
explains the Rat, “hence my choice of large muscle group
recruiting moves. Weight training should form a part of your fat
burning programme. The leaner you are, the more calories your
body will burn, even at rest. So don’t even think that fixed
or free weights are not for you – they are.”
They’re best for growth hormone Research indicates that
training at intensities between 55% and 75% of 1rep max produced
more GH release than 90% intensities. Why is this important?
Maximising your GH output is important – this hormone
initiates fat breakdown, spares muscle glycogen and helps rebuild
muscle tissue. In short, you increase lean muscle mass and get
stronger quicker.
No-nonsense advice
Perform 2 good sets,
rather than 3 or more average ones.
Weight training in multiple sets, compound sets, and super sets,
particularly for muscle tone and fat loss, can be complex. The
2 sets of 10-12 reps as advocated in the
No-nonsense workout can be a very effective way to train. The
key – as in any training programme – is
progression. Don’t go through the motions. Get in the
right frame of mind to tackle your workouts. Keep records of
what you lift and gradually and systematically progress.
Give yourself a
good rest
It’s important to take a good rest between weights (and
tough CV) workouts, to enable the body to
recover and grow stronger. For the No-nonsense workout take
at least a day off between weights workouts and do no more than
3 sessions a week. If you begin to feel accumulatively fatigued
drop down to 2
sessions for a week. |
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| The
no-nonsense weight warm-up |
Spend 5-10 minutes warming
up. “Yes, this is possible,” says the Rat. “You
can spend an hour carrying out all different types of stretches,
which is great if you have all day to train, but not if you have
less than sixty minutes. You can get yourself ready to work out
in ten minutes if you knuckle down and focus on what you’re
doing.”
Select a piece of cv kit and use it for five minutes. Raising your
body temperature and gently preparing your cv system for working
out are the most important aspects of warming up. Stretching is
less important, but shouldn’t be neglected. So for a further
five minutes, The Rat recommends that you stretch all major body
parts and hold each stretch progressively longer (up to 15 seconds
5-8 reps). This will at least maintain current flexibility levels.
The Rat also points out that you can continue to stretch throughout
the workout in between weights moves, so as to maximise your workout’s
stretching component. |
| No-nonsense
weight
exercises |
| Select
resistance exercises that recruit a large amount of muscle fibre.
Choose moves like the bench press, or the squat. To quote Gym
Rat’s American cousin, “You’ll get more bang
for your bucks.” These exercises not only work large muscles
like those in the chest and thighs respectively, but they also
bring into play numerous other muscles in a secondary role; eg.
the back, shoulders and calves for the squat, and the muscles
of the rear of the upper arms (triceps) and front of shoulders
(deltoids) for the bench press. Both these moves also work the
abdominal muscles.
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| Five
no-nonsense weights moves for a great body |
The moves
the Rat has selected recruit maximum muscle fibre and focus on the
body’s major muscle groups in a harmonious way, this will
ensure symmetrical body development.
They are the key exercises for the general fitness trainer to build
their weights workouts around. |
Shoulder
press
The shoulder sculpting move ‘par-excellence’.
This exercise can be performed with either a barbell or dumbbells
or on a machine, either standing or seated. Those new to exercise
should begin with fixed weights machines.The key points to
remember are the maintenance of a straight back
and head looking forward position. Push the weight up until
your arms are almost locked out, then lower under control
before repeating. Don’t push the weight back behind
your head, or lean back, as this can lead to back injury.
Main muscles worked: front of shoulders (deltoids). |
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Lat
pulldown
For a shapely and toned rear torso. Sit on the machine’s
seat having taken hold of the bar with an over grasp and wide
reaching grip.
Depending on your arm length, your hands should be gripping
somewhere along the downwardly angled ends of the bar. Maintain
a slight bend at the elbow joint.
Incline your head forward and pull the bar down to a position
a couple of centimetres from the top of your neck. Straighten
the arms and control the bar on its return path.
Main muscles worked: the muscles that run
from under your shoulder to just above the waist – the
lats). |
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Leg
press
A great move for all
round leg strength and shape. Sit on the
machine’s seat having set it up to achieve a 90-degree
or slightly greater angle at the knee joint (this is usually
achieved by removing a selector pin and sliding the seat backward
or forward). Push the plate away from you until your legs
are almost straightened (don’t lock the knees out, so
as to avoid injury to the knee joint), then lower the weights
under control until you achieve a 90-degree angle at the knee
joint. Repeat.
Main muscles worked: front and rear of upper
thighs (quadriceps and glutes). |
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Bench
press
For a great chest. Lie flat on your back,
knees bent and feet on the floor, with head back on the bench.
Take the bar at arm’s length from the squat racks or
a Smith machine if using free weights. For fixed weight machines,
ensure the grips are level with the mid point of your shoulders.
Lower the bar under control and then press it back up. Do
not lock the elbows out, and maintain the natural curvature
of your spine whilst performing this move. |
Squat
For a perfect butt, upper and lower legs.
Step under the bar (if using free weights) or the machines
pad (if using fixed weights) Ensure that you maintain a flat
back (to avoid injury), feet shoulder width apart, flat on
the floor, head looking forward stance. This will reduce injury
potential, permit balance and allow for the even distribution
of the force created by the exercise to be safely transmitted
through your body. Bend the knees to lower the weight and
then straighten them to complete one rep. Squat no deeper
than a thighs parallel to the floor position and don’t
lock the knees out fully when standing up.
If you’re a beginner, start with a light weight and
gradually increase the depth |
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| Crunch
– main abdominal region
“No all-over general fitness weights workout should
go without an abdominal move,” explains the Rat, adding,
“By far the best all round ab move is the crunch.
The exercise targets all areas of the abdominals.”
Lie flat on your back, lift your feet off of the ground
so that lower legs are parallel and your upper thighs are
at a right angle to the floor. Don’t grab your head
or neck, rather, keep the elbows out with your outstretched
fingers
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| Gym
Rat’s No-nonsense weights workout |
| Here’s a great routine
that uses the five great exercises described above to get
great results |
| EXERCISE |
REPS AND SETS ETC |
| Bench Press |
2 x 10-12 reps. |
| Squat |
1 minute between sets Shoulder
press and exercises |
| Leg press |
Stretch between |
| Lat pulldown |
moves |
| Crunch |
3 sets of 6, super slow
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Perform the No-nonsense workout
3 times a week for 6 weeks. The session should take no more
that 50 minutes to an hour to complete. Gradually increase
the weight you lift. If you’re a beginner, start light
and increase the weight you lift on each exercise by one
plate for
machines and 2-5kg for free weights at the end of each week.
Experienced trainers will want to use a weight that proves
difficult to complete on the last couple of reps of each
set, whilst maintaining good form. If you know your 1 rep
max on these exercises, select a weight around 70% of it. |
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