Tom Anagnost has 14 years of experience as a women’s soccer coach and is currently head coach at Mississippi State University. Apart from his work life, Tom Anagnost maintains a commitment to fitness and working out.
For beginning weight trainers, employing proper form is perhaps the most important consideration. Above starting weight and specific regimens, learning the right way to lift the weights can be the difference between sustained improvement and injuries that can set one back in their journey.
Most experts recommend that beginners don’t focus too much on rapidly increasing weight during their initial weeks of weight training. Instead, they should focus on learning the proper way to do each lift while working with weight that’s easy to manage. Only when the lifter has perfected the form should they begin adding weight.
One of the reasons form is so important is because major areas of the body, such as the spine, can suffer serious injury if heavy weight is lifted improperly. Proper alignment of the back is vital, especially for compound lifts such as deadlifts and squats. In these lifts, the lower back should be flat (or neutral) to prevent injury.
Beginners may need to seek the advice of an experienced trainer to learn how to perform other lifts properly.
