Exercising and staying active is important where Fitness is a concern. There are several types of exercise, each being relevant for different circumstances.
Athletes, in particular, have to undergo intense exercise consistently to optimize their physique and performance.
A lot of science goes into developing the physic of athletes. In advanced sports, each athlete has a custom exercise for their body.
Weight training is an effective way to put on muscle and reduce body fat. You are to take measures to ensure that you lift the correct weight. Lifting weights that are too heavy has serious repercussions on your health.
There are several aspects to consider when doing weight training, and RM is one of them.
What does RM mean in Fitness?
Repetition Maximum or RM is the maximum number of times you can lift a load of a given mass before your muscles experience fatigue. RM helps in determining the weight load classifications when working out. It is used as a standard of safety to work out without injuries.
How To Ensure Safety When Exercising
Safety is the number one priority regardless of the nature of your exercise. You must always ensure that you are protected from injuries. It would help if you also protected those around you.
How should you maintain safety?
1. Warm-up properly
Most people underestimate the importance of warming up your muscles. You are more likely to suffer from muscular injuries if you do not warm up.
Do some light jogging and stretches before exercising. Aerobic exercises are also great for warming up your muscles.
2. Slow Start
After your warm-up routine, you should start working out. Always ensure that you start with light and easy exercises. You can always start with light weights before gradually moving to heavier ones for weight training.
Gradually increase the intensity as you continue working out.
3. Do not do too much
If you exercise beyond your limits, you will get injured. Do not surpass your lifting capacity or go beyond the recommended number of sets. You should always adhere to limits to prevent fatigue.
Exercising vigorously for extended periods does more harm to your body than good.
4. Take Breaks
It would help if you took breaks every once in a while between your routine. Taking breaks allows your muscles to relax before the next round of exercises.
You should have about three minutes of rest between each of your sets. Do not take long breaks between sets, as you will lose momentum. Your muscles could also cool down.
5. Illness and injuries
It would help if you tried to avoid exercising when you are sick without your doctor’s consent. Some conditions could be made worse by strenuous physical activities.
If you feel nauseous or dizzy during your workout, you should stop immediately. If you are recovering from an injury, do not get back to your routine too soon.
6. Maintain good form
When exercising, you should always ensure that you take up the correct posture. Get a qualified trainer to assist you so that your workout can be effective. Posture allows you to distribute weight evenly, preventing injuries and rapid fatigue.
7. Hydration
It would help if you always stayed hydrated as you exercised. Our bodies lose water through sweating as we exercise. Even light exercises cause precipitation, and you should stay hydrated.
Exercising for long periods could cause dehydration. Always carry enough water when you work out.
8. Diet
Do not exercise on an empty stomach. Your body needs to burn calories through respiration to produce energy during your workout routine. The synagogue can help you with your nutrition concerns and ensure that you stay active.
9. Dress for the occasion
If you are going to work out, you should dress in loose-fitting clothes. They allow your muscles to expand and contract without restrictions. Lose clothes also provide your body with adequate aeration as your work out.
10. Equipment maintenance
It would help if you worked out using properly maintained equipment. Equipment in bad conditions could cause severe injuries. Ensure that the gym equipment is kept properly and that maintenance is done regularly.
1RM, Meaning, And Importance
1RM is a metric that is closely related to RM. 1RM is an acronym for One-Rep Maximum. It is defined as the maximum weight you can lift in a single muscular contraction. It is a proper estimate for maximum strength.
When lifting, you cannot possibly exceed your 1RM without inflicting serious injuries to yourself. It is recommended that you strictly work within your strength limitations.
How do we determine 1RM? There is a definite procedure for estimating the One-Rep Maximum:
Step 1: Select the activity
The One-Rep Maximum is tied to a particular activity. It can be a deadlift, bench press, squat, etc.
Step 2: Preparation
In step 2, you should ready yourself how you would typically prepare for your set. It includes your warm-up routine.
Step 3: Half-estimate
Take about half of your supposed maximum and do about eight complete reps, then take a break.
Step 4: Increase the weight
Take your half estimate, and multiply the mass by 1.8. Do three full reps, and take a break.
Step 5: Incremental weights
Keep adding weights in 10% increments until you reach your threshold while staying in proper form.
Alternatively, you can determine 1RM through complex mathematical computations. The most reliable way is through Brzycki’s Formula if 1RM computation.
What Are The Dangers Of Lifting Excess Weights?
Lifting above your threshold has severe consequences. It does a lot of bodily harm, and you should avoid doing it at all costs.
Here are some of the consequences:
Muscle damage
Lifting excess weights will cause large muscular tares. It will also damage your connective tissues and tendons. As you work out, microtears are normal. They heal quickly, and your muscles regenerate fast.
Huge tears will take weeks and even months to heal. They may not heal properly, and you will be in pain for a long time. It is why you should know your RM and 1-RM, and you should exercise within limits.
Hernias
Lifting heavy loads, particularly deadlifts, can result in Hiatal hernias. When too much force is exerted on the rectus abdominis muscles in upward thrusts, it may cause the muscles to give in, causing your stomach to retreat into your chest cavity.
Shoulder injuries
Lifting excessive weights result in rotter cuff injuries. It occurs when the connective muscles rip due to lifting beyond your capacity.
Spinal injuries
Spinal problems can have devastating effects. They might even cause paralysis. The intervertebral disks might experience too much compression, and it causes serious injuries. Herniated disks occur when you lift without proper posture.
Cardiovascular ailments.
Lifting weights above your classification will cause many cardiovascular ailments. Studies show that heavy lifting can cause enlargement of the aorta.
Wrist injuries
When you lift heavyweights excessively, you place a lot of undue strain on your carpals and metacarpals. It also causes strains on the tendons on your wrist, thereby causing serious injuries.
Proper Weight Lifting Procedure
Using the correct technique is the key to exercising effectively and avoiding injuries. The preparation stage is really important.
Before you lift, remember to consider your diet. Your body needs to oxidize calories to provide energy as you work out. Click here to view the best dietary supplements.
How should you approach weight lifting?
1. Maintain good form
If you are lifting for the first time, you must keep good form. You should have a trainer to show you the proper technique, and you should brush up on it regularly.
2. Warm-up
You must always warm-up before lifting. Warming up will make you less susceptible to injuries.
3. Repetitive sets
You should do a single set multiple times before graduating to the next. You should do the same set about 13 times.
4. Do not rush through the sets.
Many beginners and pros make a mistake in a hurry while doing lifts. It would help if you took things slow. Rushing through sets barely gives your muscles the chance to contract and relax properly. Take your time.
5. Breaks between sets
Taking brief rests between your sets is beneficial. Your muscles get time to recover adequately, and it assists you in getting ready for the next round. The rest should be brief to ensure that you still maintain your momentum.
Conclusion
It is important to ensure that you remain safe from injuries when working out. There are a lot of measures you can take to ensure your safety and that of others as you exercise.
Weight training is an effective exercise for weight loss and muscle toning. Each person has a different mass lifting capacity. A person’s Repetition Maximum is the maximum number of times they can lift a load before fatigue kicks in.
It helps determine load classifications and is also a safety precaution for exercise.
