How To Become Fit and Remain So

It's been 4.5 years since I've maintained a healthy fit lifestyle. It's been said that the first year is usually wasted, the second year spent learning, and the third year and following years are doing things right. I'm sure that can be said for other industries and hobbies. Ironically in the age of information, there is so much content that it becomes a skill to sift through it and find truths.

You may find many weight lifting routines online and in magazines, and you may wonder how you would fare on then and the results you'd see afterwards. Ultimately though, no program will be tailored specifically for your body, experiences, and lifestyle.

As someone who doesn't like to waste time or effort, I decided early on lifting that I wanted to do the barbell lifts, and that learning their technique would allow me to progress and continue my fit lifestyle for the rest of my life. Alternatively spending time on machines, and using too many different types of exercises will not lead to foreseeable gains from utilizing more determination and focus.

Although I'm not a powerlifter, I find the three power lifts to be the most valuable as do many others. They are the Squat, Deadlift, and Bench Press. It is more common for people to be the most proficient in Deadlifting over the other two lifts because of the nature of the lift and the leverage you are able to apply. Deadlifts are also the most taxing to the body and its nervous system. For this reason they're performed less ofter than the other two lifts.

A strong squat ultimately decides the strength, stability, and mobility of a person. I feel it's the most life enhancing out of all of the lifts, and that it's smart to program it as your first lift for every workout - if even just for a warm up. I see many people clinging to smith machines, other machines, and walls when performing squats, and I would advise against any sort of handicap if possible. The thought process is that someone will start on machines, learn form, and then transition to free weights (barbells), but that transition doesn't seem to happen with many people, leading me to believe you should never use the crutch in the first place unless you are truly injured.

Lifting is about using correct leverages, which allow you to lift more weight, which spurs even further strength and muscles gains. While on one hand you want to have the knowledge to know the correct cues and body position for each lift, you also want to simply let your body act as efficiently as possible (and simply not take the reigns, or try to force anything beyond what should happen).