The best way to improve body composition is to gain muscle mass.  In order to gain muscle mass, you must lift with progressively heavier weights over time. This process causes muscle fiber (cellular) damage and inflammation. Usually, but not always, there will be muscle soreness. Afterwards, the rebuilding, healing phase will occur in which muscle fibers become stronger and grow (muscle hypertrophy). To enable this process, it is essential adequate recovery (rest) takes place. The amount of rest needed depends on many factors including age, fitness level, exercise intensity, diet, sleep, etc. After an intense workout, most muscle recovery as well as fat loss will occur while sleeping.  

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     Progressive resistance is recommended in order for body composition to improve.  Increasing amounts of weight applied to the body is the best way to stimulate muscle fiber strength and muscle mass hypertrophy. Bodyweight exercises can increase strength but are limited in isolating muscle groups with a finite amount of resistance. Utilizing free weights (i.e., barbells, dumbbells), on the other hand, can provide more and more increases in resistance (i.e., 5-lbs at a time) to continually increase mass in targeted muscle groups. In addition, using free weights can lessen muscular and/or strength imbalances (i.e., prioritize left biceps training if the right biceps are stronger). Both methods of training can be beneficial in improving metabolism, bone density, physical performance, cognition, insulin sensitivity, resting blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.  Both, body weight and free weight training, should be done as both can be complimentary to your training but in terms of improving body composition, free weights are the way to go.

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     A common mistake many gym goers make when working out is to mindlessly swing the free weights when curling or bouncing the weight off the chest when bench pressing. People subconsciously do this because it's their body's way of conserving energy and therefore makes the lift easier.  But easier is not always better!  Not only does this look utterly ridiculous to the casual observer, but more importantly, it's a complete waste of time!  Why?  Because swinging and bouncing weights allows too much momentum to take effect, which forces the joints (not the muscles) to bear most of the brunt of the work.             Allowing momentum to take over is counterproductive because it doesn't allow your muscles to feel the contraction and tension needed for strength and/or hypertrophy to occur. Unnecessarily swinging and bouncing weights will inevitably cause joint wear and tear over time which could lead to injury.  The faster you swing or bounce the weight, the more momentum occurs and the more force is exerted onto the joints, not the muscles.
    Avoid the temptation to quickly perform a movement and instead take your time.  Learn to control the speed of each repetition.  Think about squeezing the muscle as you lift. A good rule of thumb:  perform the concentric (contraction) and eccentric (stretching) portions of the lift in two and four seconds, respectively.  Slow down and practice awareness throughout each repetition.

​BOTTOM LINE:  Ultimately, what matters is not how much weight you can hoist (check your ego out the door) but how you can lift the weight with good form and feel the muscle working.  Your purpose in the gym, whether it's to get stronger, leaner, more muscular, etc., is to lift safely while achieving your fitness goal.  Train your muscles, not your joints!

Brian Danley, CFT
"Motivation is what gets you started.  Habit is what keeps you going."

408-688-1586 (cell)
briandanleyfitness.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandanleyfitness
https://www.facebook.com/BrianDanleyFitness ​

​Brian Danley, CFT
"Motivation is what gets you started.  Habit is what keeps you going."

408-688-1586 (cell)
briandanleyfitness.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandanleyfitness
https://www.facebook.com/BrianDanleyFitness

Everything you need to know including recommended exercises and healthy foods to eat to get in better shape is nicely summarized in this graphic: