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If you are reading this article, you’re probably at the stage where you know why you want to get into weightlifting and have already set a goal for the next 3-6 months or so. But I can almost see all those question marks hovering above your head. “How do I choose a training sequence?” “How do I make sure my personal training program is efficient?” “Сan you help me get into weightlifting programming?”
Good! I have a set of questions for you, too — answering them will get you ready to create your very own weightlifting training program. Let’s go!
Question №1. What’s your starting physical condition?
If you have had any previous injuries or other health issues, you should consult your doctor and coach. Actually, that’s a must. You’re training to improve your health and body, and not to harm yourself more! As you train and progress, keep assessing and reevaluating your physical condition. Trust me, your issues won’t go away on their own if you choose to ignore them.
Now, when you think of a starting point, bringing up your past athletic experience can be helpful. What has worked for you and excited you then might work now, too. Let your coach evaluate your form, and remember to be realistic: if you’re not a lean, strong 20-year-old anymore, no need to over-exert yourself with unbearable loads.
Question №2. Do you need to track your progress?
A rhetorical question, really, because the answer is always a resounding YES, you should absolutely keep a diary of your workouts. It can exist in whatever form you prefer: an actual notebook, a Word document, an Excel spreadsheet, any of the workout apps, etc., etc. Track and measure your progress (or lack thereof, which you will be able to notice) on every step of your weightlifting training journey. Document your loads, the number of reps & sets, what’s your mental state, how your body feels, how long it took you to recover, and so on. Looking back on these notes, you will be able to track what went wrong and think of ways to correct something in your workout plan or to see how far you’ve gone compared to three months ago.
Question №3. How often should you train?
An immediate follow-up question: Realistically, how much time and effort can you put into achieving your fitness goals, taking into account your family obligations, your work schedule, your lifestyle, etc.?
You can start with hitting the gym (or working out at home, why not) twice a week for 2-3 weeks, then add the third day, then a fourth, if you feel like it. I wouldn’t recommend going over 5 training days per week unless you’re a pro going in for Olympic Gold. Wide variations of training programs you can find on torkhtiy.com
Rest days are important, too, because – surprise, surprise – you are not building your muscles at the gym, you are breaking them down. Then, they get rebuilt stronger as you allow yourself to rest.
Also, try focusing on doing full-body workouts as you start out, rather than focusing on specific areas. You can add those body part-/muscle-specific days later.
Question №4. What exercises do you choose, and how do you progress?
Choosing just a handful of exercises for your weightlifting training program out of the thousands and thousands of exercises that are out there surely can be overwhelming! So it’s a good thing you’ve got Torokhtiy Gang to show you the light.
Know your specific moves. Interested in Oly weightlifting, or powerlifting? Are you a crossfitter? Do include those specific movements in your workout!
Master bodyweight movements. Push-ups, pull-ups, jumping, lunges, etc. are necessary for your progress and will be helpful with more complicated moves like weighted squats, barbell bench press, etc.
On compound moves. Those are multi-joint movements that work several muscles or muscle groups at one time, super-effective! A full-body routine can be built just out of 4-5 of those. What you want is a routine that has some work for you:
- Core (abs + lower back): planks, side planks, exercise ball crunches, mountain climbers, jumping knee tucks, hanging leg raises.
- “Pull” muscles (grip, biceps & back): chin-ups, pull-ups, bodyweight rows, bent-over rows.
- “Push” muscles (triceps, chest, shoulders): overhead press, bench press, incline dumbbell press, push-ups, dips.
- Back of your legs (your behind and hamstrings): deadlifts, hip raises, straight leg deadlifts, good mornings, step-ups.
- Front of your legs (quads): squats, lunges, one-legged squats, box jumps.
Don’t overlook accessory (auxiliary) movements, or additional, smaller, and more focused moves. These will help you with your balance, coordination, and unilateral strength, and you need all of it for mastering your main lifts.
Also, make sure to make cardio and flexibility exercise part of your workout routine.
Once you are confident in all of your moves, it’s time to add some variety and progress to your workouts (it’s best to consult your coach first). Sticking to a routine is great and all, but what if you hit a plateau, or get bored, or start slacking? Mix up the ingredients! Pick up a different exercise to challenge yourself. Do snatches one day, then clean on another day, then jerk presses. Another anti-stagnation weapon is the method of progression. My go-to progression ways are either increasing the number of reps or increasing the weight I’m lifting, sometimes both. Three sets of 3 reps of snatch pull, then 4 reps, 5, 6. After a month of steadily increasing the reps, try adding additional 5 pounds (2kg) to the barbell and start with 3 reps.
Question №5. How many sets and reps should you do?
Just to make sure we’re on the same page: doing three sets of 10 reps of, say, good mornings means you’ll hinge 10 times, rest, and repeat two more times. In other words, a “set” is how many times you do a certain number of repetitions without stopping.
Sets & reps programming is essentially a separate form of art, a new branch of science. This doesn’t mean it’s over-complicated, though. You’re perfectly capable of creating your own effective training sequence, I promise, just consider my pointers below:
- Keep your fitness goal in mind. Do you want to become stronger? Focus on low-rep, high-set schemes (6 sets of 3 to 5 reps). A lower rep range will allow you to lift heavier. Put on muscle size? Do 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps. This yields enough time under tension to grow your muscles. Want to bid “farewell” to excessive fat? I recommend high-rep schemes like 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps. I wouldn’t go higher than that, though, unless you want to test your endurance.
- Let your body recover! A well-made weightlifting workout should factor in rest in-between sets. Beating your body to oblivion isn’t an efficient technique. I’d say, 45 to 60 seconds of rest is optimal for elevating heart rate, calorie burn, as well as muscle growth. From time to time, you can challenge yourself to stick to quicker rest periods if you feel like it, though.
- You do you. The hardest and, by far, the most important thing is to get started. Once you get the hang of your workout routine, you’ll learn your body’s reactions to working under strain, and adapt to your own needs.
Question №6. What inventory/equipment/accessories are available to you?
Yeah, this point often gets overlooked, yet it can be so frustrating when you plan a workout and cannot find the right tools for it. So learn your gym’s layout, overall environment, and what range of equipment, weights, accessories, etc. they are offering.
If you prefer home workouts, I’d advise you to invest in some equipment, too. Bodyweight moves are cool, but for Olympic weightlifting, it will not work.
If you feel you are not ready yet to build a training sequence on your own, I’ve got your back! You can choose any of my own weightlifting programs. Feel free to modify them as you go on, or even get inspired to create your own program based on these!
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This content is brought to you by Kyryk Oleksandr.
Photo: Shutterstock
