The 5 Worst Lifts for Beginners

Just getting started with the iron? You'll want to avoid these lifts early on.

 

Anyone who’s spent some time in the gym knows that it’s not a smart move to use the “cookie cutter” approach to training. If you want strength and size, there needs to be a method to the madness. A beginner will get the most bang for his buck by choosing the right movements to get him big and strong, with a logical grain of salt. We’re here to help keep you on the right path. As great and effective as these lifts are, it’s probably a smart idea for beginners to sandbag them until they’ve built some skill.

This has added gravity because of the fact that Rio just happened, and the “bandwagon effect” is in full force. The Olympic lifts simultaneously require the most power, muscular co-ordination, mobility, and timing of basically any lift in the weight room. It’s what makes them so great. The problem is, it’s something a beginner simply needs more time under the bar developing through more controlled movements. Even if he’s naturally athletic enough to give the Oly lifts a try, there’s a good chance doing so prematurely will throw off his firing and recruitment patterns.

Alternatively, break the complexity of those lifts down to segments and make sets and reps of those segments for your training. Lifts like front squats, high pulls, and deadlifts are great substitutes to apply volume to for strength and size development.

This article originally appeared on : muscleandfitness.com