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Positioning Yourself for Perfect Form Weight Training Tips: How to Maximize Your Workout Weight Training: What's Right for You?

Fitness Weight Training

Weight Training Tips: How to Maximize Your Workout

Summary & Participants

Are you lifting too much weight when you work out? Are you doing enough reps, at the right speed? Weight training is a subtle skill and the more you are able to optimize each session the better off you'll be. Our panel of experts will help you keep yourself -- and your body -- on the right track.

Medically Reviewed On: June 19, 2008

Webcast Transcript

DAVID FOLK THOMAS: Welcome to our webcast, I'm David Folk Thomas. Are you like me? Do you try to stay fit? You belong to a gym? It seems everybody does these days. If you're like me, you probably don't do it the correct way. I like to get in there, spend little time, just throw the weights on, and I'm sure I'm not coming close to doing the proper weights, reps, procedures, all of that. Joining us today, two guys who are going to set us all straight on the matter.

To my left is Jim Ramsay. He's the team trainer, the Athletic Trainer for the New York Rangers hockey team. So he's used to telling bigger guys than myself how to do things right. Sitting next to Jim is Dr. Jonathan Glashow. He's a sports medicine orthopedic surgeon at Lennox Hill Hospital in New York. He's also a consult to the New York Rangers, as well as numerous olympic athletes. Gentlemen, thanks for joining us today on this webcast. Now let's start with you, Jim. Weights with reps, all that. How do you know what to do? You go in there and you say, "OK, let's throw some plates on there." How do you know how many times to do it and when to move on?

JIM RAMSAY: I guess the biggest thing that can't emphasize enough is, when an individual goes into a fitness facility they should talk with their fitness professional. Certified strength and conditioning people in the facilities can give people proper direction in terms of what they need to do. The number one issue when a person goes into that type of facility is goal setting. What do they want to achieve when they go into the facility? Do they want to lose weight? Do they want to basically get a fitter body? Do they play field hockey? Do they play La Crosse, do they play soccer? Or are they just a person who wants to get in better health? That's basically your first goal, goal setting, when you go into that facility.

DAVID FOLK THOMAS: Jonathan, add to that please.

JONATHAN GLASHOW, MD: I think it's a great mistake to go in without some professional advice if they have had none in the past, as Jim said. I think if in doubt, when embarking on a new exercise, to guess low rather than high. You try to get us to pinpoint a number of how much, how many reps. There are all kinds of theories. I guess in general between 10 on the low side and 15 on the high side for repetitions and I think that should be done comfortably and in the correct form. I think all too many people sacrifice form for weights, meaning they do far too much weight and their form suffers for that. So starting at a lesser weight with proper instruction, you can't overemphasize the goal orientation, but the proper form first, then build the weight later. You don't gain anything by doing these heavy weights with poor form. All these numbers are based upon doing things correctly. Isolating the muscle you want to work and doing it correctly prevents injury and you get more out of it.

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