How to start weightlifting

Lifting weights from scratch!

I receive many questions on social media about how to start weightlifting as a complete beginner. Nowadays athletes are not very patient and everyone wants to lift as much as possible in a short time or even better without practicing the fundamental exercises for too long. They search for a lot of information on the internet and try to implement it in their routine without knowing what they’re doing.

In this article, I will discuss what you need to do when you first step into a gym. Whether you have a sports background or you don’t make sure that you know how to move properly and that the joints and muscles work optimally for lifting weights.

It is very important to start properly and not rush the process. No matter how much you wish or how good you think you feel, if you do not follow the steps correctly it will only be a matter of time until you get injured and you will have to take it again from the beginning with fundamentals. So the best way is to be sure that you start right and you are prepared to lift weights.

The pyramid below shows us what are the right steps to follow for proper lifting. The key here is to start from the bottom with a solid base and reach on top.

What to test before starting weightlifting?

“Movement” is in constant relationship with stability and mobility which are the most important things in how to start properly. Without these two abilities, you will not be able to follow a training program and develop strength, speed, endurance, or power.

A bad start would be to begin from the top of the pyramid with “skills” that in our case are Snatch and Clean&Jerk. Without mastering this movement very well you will realize that you cannot lift the weights you are capable of and it will be a matter of time until you will have pains or injuries that will force you to stop and start from the bottom with basics. So if you plan to lift weights in the long term without injuries I will recommend giving yourself time to go through basic elements.

You will find below in this article the definition of mobility and stability, their importance, and how to develop them:

• Mobility is the ability to execute ample movement easily; manifests itself in the learning of any motor skill, reducing the duration of learning when it is developed properly. Otherwise, it limits the development and capitalization of the other basic motor qualities, the execution of the elements, and the technical procedures, affecting their amplitude, strength, speed, power, and efficiency.
• Stability is the capacity of the muscular system to maintain and resist movements.

I will list below some important joints that we need to test and make sure that they work optimally before we begin weight training and assign to each one a specific post where I will show you how to test and improve your mobility or stability:

• The Foot (Click to open the article)
• The Ankle (Click to open the article)
• The Knee (Click to open the article)
• The Hip (Click to open the article)
• The Low Back (Click to open the article)
• The T-Spine (Click to open the article)
• The Shoulder (Click to open the article)
• The Scapulae aka Shoulder Blade (Click to open the article)