Trainer's Blog

Give ya a hint: it involves lifting weights

If you have ever stepped foot in a gym you’ve seen someone doing biceps curls. Or bench pressing. A little known fact: Monday is officially Bench Press Day, and in fact, the week should go; Benchpressday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. All this to say; most people have a misconception regarding what effective weight-lifting is. Well, I’d like to tell you what the most effective and efficient use of your time in the gym is, and try to deter you from being another bench press and curl enthusiast, or, if you’re a woman, a leg press and leg curl enthusiast. Don’t get me wrong, any activity inside or outside of a gym is good, but I want to show you what is BEST.

Now, I know why you do nothing but bench press and curl, or why you do leg extensions and leg curls. You do them because you want to have a big muscular upper body or nice toned legs, respectively, and you believe that those movements are the best way to achieve those ends. The truth is that the best way to improve your upper body is by doing the big movements such as Bent-over Rows and Pull-downs for the back and biceps, and Bench Pressing (yes, bench pressing...) and Military Pressing for the shoulders, chest, and triceps, and the best way to improve the legs is also with the big movements, such as any variation of the squat or deadlift and single-leg movements like lunges. These movements allow you to handle the heaviest weight possible for those...