Does lifting weights make me stiff?

For many years, a lot of people relate lifting weights to becoming stiff. In fact I grew up next to a conventional gym and it was extremely common to see those muscular men with thin legs walking like Robocop. Incredible as it may sound, it was almost impossible for them to scratch their back with the hand due to how stiff they were. So as you will see, I had that same belief for a long time.

The reality is that working with weights does NOT make people stiff, the problem is the way people train with weights. Gym machines can be of great help if used correctly, however they tend to isolate muscle groups if they are worked on individually, thus causing loss of mobility.

Talking with GoMind’s coach Javier Gómez, he tells me that in fact all people should train with weights because of the great amount of benefits it brings to the body. For him, the fact that some weightlifters are stiff depends exclusively on the sport objectives of each one. While some just want to look well and focus on developing symmetrical biceps, others focus on a more holistic work and care about mobility.

For those who still demonize work with weights, here are some of the benefits that can derive from resistance training:

-Exponential increase in strength

-More rapid loss of body fat

-Improves the elasticity of muscles

-Increases bone density

-Improves cardiovascular health

In an ideal world, working with weights should be directed to improve physical abilities for certain tasks so that the training provides function.

If you are an athlete, you should seek weight training to help improve your sport, with movement patterns that improve the practical applications of the discipline you practice.

If you exercise with weights for health, look for exercises that help you perform your daily tasks with greater efficiency. Understand daily tasks such as climbing stairs, tying shoes, lowering grocery bags, climbing a tree, walking the dog, among many others. It's not just about showing off your muscles to look good.

I would tell you to do exercises with weights without fear of becoming stiff, but taking into account the following recommendations:

1. Always accompany your weight routines with exercise that works and generates connections between muscles (avoid isolating muscle groups) or implement flexibility routines at the end of each training that in the same time helps to "cool down".

2. If you are going to perform strength or power workouts that require the use of weights, DO NOT perform deep stretching before. Remember that deep stretching causes an answer in the muscle that goes against these manifestations, so your workout goals may be affected. The best thing to do is to perform dynamic mobility combined with static positions of short duration to activate the zones that will be worked out.

3. When you finish your workout with weights, stretch your muscles. This will help to relax them and thus reduce post-workout muscle cramps.

4. Do not perform your weight routine without prior warm-up (dynamic and static mobility) as the muscle is not ready for a counter-resistance workout, so you can expose yourself more easily to a muscle contracture or tear.

If you do not believe what I tell you, look at the Olympic lifters. Although they lift more than 200kg in weight, they have a DESIRABLE mobility of ankles, hips and shoulders.

Train strong, train with weights, train happy.

#english