Congratulations. You’re a new health club member and you’re ready, really ready this time, to get fit. But before you start, stop. Exercise is not a quick fix. It’s a lifestyle. You can’t change in a couple of weeks what decades did to the ol’ bod.
Look around the gym. About half of those fresh faces who signed a new contract will not be there within three months. Don’t be a statistic. Before you train hard, train smart. Creep before you walk, advise fitness professionals.
Exercise with proper form, focus and regularity. With help from a professional trainer, your investment in time and money will earn lifestyle changes, positive health results and few, if any, injuries. To help you get on the right road to fitness, Chicago-area professionals–Mari Lindenfeld, assistant director of fitness and wellness programs, Northwestern University, Evanston; Tony Figueroa, director of training, Gorilla Fitness, Chicago; Jerry Pinkowski, owner, #1 Gym, Chicago; and Ed Huchro, fitness coordinator, Leaning Tower YMCA, Niles–offer their advice.
Warm and stretch: Before you exercise, spend at least 5 to 7 minutes warming up and then stretching. Repeat as a cool-down after exercise. Warming up improves blood flow and helps prevent muscle soreness and stiffness. Cooling down helps move lactic acid (a byproduct from exercise that contributes to soreness) out of the muscles.
Copycat alert: Your friend who dragged you to the gym is not a trainer. Don’t mimic him or her or you’ll repeat his or her mistakes.Get professional help, especially in the beginning. One or two sessions with a trainer will help prevent injury and wasted time and money. Trainers carry liability insurance; friends don’t.
Blaze trails: Use that treadmill but leave the headset and dumbbells on the floor. Learn how to center and balance the body on the moving belt. The slightest distraction always sends the uninitiated flying while the beat goes on.
Your level best: Resist cranking up the incline on the treadmill. Try 3 minutes walking at a slight incline, then 5 minutes down. When the grade is higher than 30 degrees, it can strain the lower back. Your shins and knees will thank you.
Take a seat: Adjust the seat on weight machines and stationary bicycles. Make sure the bike seat is neither too high nor too low. When seated, with feet on pedals and torso positioned upright, your extended leg should be slightly bent. Never straighten the knees.
Read on: Use those magazine racks on stationary bikes or stairclimbers. Practice proper posture to avoid neck and shoulder strain. Wear those eyeglasses and keep the chin up. Imagine holding an orange between your chin and neck. That’s the right position for the head.
On the ball: Stability balls need to be controlled, especially for novices doing push-ups. The farther away your hands are from the ball, the more intense the exercise. Avoid a sinking back by letting the ball support most of the weight. Position the ball closer to the knees than ankles.
Step up: Bad posture on stairclimbers can prevent good results. Avoid draping the torso over the console, with the back excessively arched; use arm rests only to support hands for balance; use body weight as resistance. Forget those short, choppy, hurried steps; instead, aim for long, deep continuous steps. Center your body weight, stand upright. Don’t let the step hit bottom or top.
Infomercial alert: Those abdominal rollers, the ones on the infomercials on TV, look as cool as the models’ abs. What the viewer never sees are dislocated shoulders and neck injuries, the result of over-eager, out-of-shape novices. Save ab rollers for graduation when the back and stomach muscles are stronger. Until then, stick with basic sit-ups lead with the rib cage, go slowly) and crunches.
Speed kills: Lifting too fast or too heavy is pure ego. Lifting fast means momentum, not the muscle, does the work. Avoid back injury and get results by staying centered. Focus on the specific muscle being worked and go slowly.
Spread out: Vary exercises for safety and to avoid boredom. Lift weights one day; do aerobic activity the next. Rest at least 24 hours between weight workouts. Muscles need time to heal.
Progress report: Chart your progress with dumbbells. Every three weeks or so, increase the weight by 5 to 10 percent. Never stay at the same weight for more than a month. Muscles develop only when challenged.
Scale down: Free yourself from the scale. Use it weekly as a guide. More important than that number is developing a lean, strong body and muscle. Novices will experience the good feeling associated with movement and exercise sooner than the scale shows a loss of pounds.
Bottoms up: Drink water before, during and after exercise and between gym visits. Daily water intake depends on the amount of calories you expend. Even when you are inactive, daily you lose water through sweat (24 ounces), urine, feces and breath air (12 ounces). A basic rule is a minimum of six to eight glasses (8 ounces of water each) per day even when you are inactive.
Get real: Business trip coming up? Party weekend ahead? Plan for it. Do preventive maintenance. Kick in an extra session, swim or jog some extra laps. Start each day anew. Exercise and feeling fit enhance life’s pleasures.
Read wisely: Beware of muscle magazines. They’re rarely geared for beginners. Following a routine designed for an experienced lifter can cause injury and exercise burnout. Check Web sites affiliated with professional organizations such as American Council on Exercise, YMCA, Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research, American College of Sports Medicine, Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, National Strength and Conditioning Association, National Academy of Sports Medicine and sites affiliated with fitness departments of universities and teaching hospitals. Check mastheads of fitness magazines for their sources of information and advisers.
Buddy system: Anticipate the doldrums. Find an exercise buddy. Schedule meetings and commit. A spark of enthusiasm from a pal fuels motivation, gets you through the valleys and provides a co-celebrant to split the tab for the victory meal.
En route: Enjoy the ride. Don’t wait for the final destination. Set small goals and reward yourself often.
