subject: Important training factors – before the training begins [print this page] Important training factors before the training begins
The following information is a list of very important factors in my opinion that need to be carefully considered before you begin your training. Bodybuilding, like any other activity or sport, requires a level of knowledge in order to obtain good results. So, before you start your workout, be sure to have these important factors in mind:
Safety
The first thing you need to do before you start your workout is to be sure every piece of equipment is well adjusted and stable. You don't want a plate to fall down on your foot while you exercise, do you? So, to be sure that doesn't happen, you have to check your equipment first. Check to see if the cable connections are secure, if the bolts are tight, the adjustable weights are properly fixed, if the benches are steady and stable, and so on.
Shoes
When you're weight training you really don't want to have shoes with thick soles or spongy soles. Those type of shoes won't hold your feet steady in position. If your feet move while squatting for example, the rest of your body will move too. This will get you out of balance and will make the exercise inefficient and sometimes can even result in injury.
So, what you want to do is to get a pair of shoes with standard height of heel and with a good grip.
Another thing you should do is to tie your shoelaces tightly.
Warm-up
Warm-up is also a very important factor. Before you start your training you must do a simple 5 to 10 minutes warm-up that includes low-intensity exercises. A good warm-up will increase the blood flow and will result in a decrease of muscle stiffness. This is important because you will have a low risk of injury and a high training performance. The more intense the workout will be, the more complex the warm-up before the workout should be. The probability of overstretching a muscle and causing injury is much lower if you consider doing a quick warm-up before training.
Training surface
After acknowledging the importance of wearing proper shoes when training, we can see that it's much more comfortable to train on o rubber or wooden surface rather than training directly on concrete. Wood and rubber surfaces will make it more tolerable if your exercises involve sitting down on the floor or lying on your back.
