“I can only advise beginners, and even those who are not completely new, to seek help from a competent coach,” insists Marc Francaux, former high-level swimmer and researcher in Motor Skills and Physiology at UCL. “The coach will ensure that you use the right weights with the right movements. By doing anything, you risk exhaustion and, above all, injuries. The coach will have to take into account various parameters to design your training, including your sports background – regular or occasional sports – and your age.”
Maintaining quality of life
He also points out before giving his main advice that muscle strengthening is useful at all ages. “Muscles are important because they generate the strength needed to perform daily tasks for a long time,” he stresses, targeting people over 50. “Getting out of the car, out of the bathtub, climbing the stairs… Engaging in a physical activity that works on your muscle chains allows you to maintain a certain quality of life for longer. This can extend up to 10 or 15 years. It also helps to preserve your bone mineral density to the maximum, which is beneficial when considering the level of disability reached after a hip fracture, for example. In young people, muscle strength is beneficial in many sports, even endurance sports. Most importantly, it provides more protection against various injuries. However, the same advice applies here – caution and progression are key. Doing more, like accumulating heavy weights, is not usually the best approach.”
With that said, here are some tips from Marc Francaux on various topics:
– How often? “If you are getting back into sports, start by practicing once a week for a few months. Then twice. Then three times. Do not start with three sessions per week, as you risk muscle or even tendon pain. Progression is one of the keys to success. Your session can last up to an hour and a half, with a part dedicated to cardio (cycling, elliptical, treadmill…) and another part to muscles. If you are an athlete and want to do muscle strengthening, you will need to plan with your coach a periodization of the training load, with specific blocks for certain aspects of your sport. A marathon runner will not aim for mass gain, unlike a sprinter or a rugby player. There may be periods when you have more sessions, like three or four times a week. The important thing is to never stop in order not to regress. Hence the need for reminders, like once a week, when the focus is on the sport you’re practicing as a base.”
– What about nutrition? “If you go to the gym for health reasons, without excess, for normal physical activity, you should eat normally. There is no need to take protein or carbohydrate supplements. Perhaps you just need to adjust your portions.”
– For children? “Should we avoid weightlifting for very young children? Let’s rethink this. It’s a 20th-century idea. Pediatric muscle training can be done, and even weightlifting, but only with a very special focus on technique. You also need to be attentive during the growth spurt period. But with good supervision, strict rules, it can be beneficial, especially for learning good movements that will be useful later on.”
– Which circuit? “You should always start with a warm-up (cycling, elliptical…). Then, for beginners, work with guided bars (the opposite of dumbbells or weightlifting bars). Do between 8 and 10 stations (3 x 15 repetitions each time), working your entire muscle chain in the end. Don’t forget the often neglected buttocks. Like quadriceps, they are large muscle masses. Working them well is beneficial for metabolism.”
– Copying videos seen on the internet? “I am a strong advocate for well-trained personal coaches. Currently, anyone can claim to be a personal coach. Anyone can post videos showing exercises to do. A beginner comes across them and doesn’t have the perspective to say if it’s good or bad. So be careful and follow this basic rule: always trust people who promise you rapid progress.”
