Weight Training Basics
Weight Training helps to build muscle, tone and strengthen your body. However, for a strength training regimen to be effective, it is important that
you understand the basic components to a workout.
Free Weights vs. Machine Weights
Free weights are better for weight training than machine weight exercises. Free weight exercises provide the fastest results
because you use more of the muscle you are working as well as other secondary muscles. Further, you will be working three-dimensionally,
as compared to two dimensionally with machines, relying on strenght AND balance during the exercise. When you work two-dimensionally,
you do not have the added benefit of needing to balance the weight, which will limit the amount of muscles you exercise.
Components of a Strength Training Workout
To strengthen your muscles, you have to put them under a certain amount of stress. To do so, you repeat an exercise a
certain number of times, with a certain amount of weight, a certain number of cycles. It is also important that you give
your muscles time to rest. To understand more, look at the chart below.
|
Repetitions (Reps)
|
Repetitions are the number of times that you perform an exercise. One repetition
occurs when you lift a weight up once and bring it back to the starting point. If you
perform that same movement a second time, it is your second rep. Most regimens require you do
8 to 15 repetitions. The number of times you lift the weight depends on what you are trying
to achieve during your workout.
|
- 8 - 10 repetitions: Lifting a lower number of repetitions will help build muscle.
- 10 - 12 repetitions: Lifting between 10 and 12 repetitions is good for strength
building.
- 12 - 15 repetitions: Lifting a high number of repetitions is good for toning muscle.
This will help to shape the muscles more than anything.
|
|
Sets
|
Sets are the number of times you complete a collection of repetitions. Each set should
end with the muscle reaching 'failure' or when you can't complete another repetition in good form.
Most regimens should include 2 to 4 sets of each exercise per workout, with a rest interval
between each set.
|
There are different types of sets. Each one has a different purpose:
- Single Sets: These sets basically involve one muscle and one exercise of
that muscle at a time. For instance, a set of bicep curls incorporating 8 to 15
repetitions.
- Compound Sets: These sets involve combining opposite muscle groups
together, back to back, with no rest in between.
- Super Sets: These sets involve doing a combination of exercises back to back,
with no rest in between. There are two ways of doing this:
- Same Muscle Group which would be exemplified by doing two types of bicep exercises
back to back.
- Opposing Muscle Groups which would be exemplified by doing a set of a back exercise
and then a set of a chest exercise.
- Giant Sets: Giant sets are a grouping of four exercises done one after the other with
no rest between sets. Again, you could either do these with the same muscle group for all four
exercises or opposing muscle groups.
|
|
Rest Interval
|
The rest interval refers to the amount of time you rest between sets.
|
Rest intervals can vary between 60 and 90 seconds maximum.
|
|
Weight Progression
|
When you do an exercise, you use weights to stress the muscle. How much weight you
use depends on your level of strength.
|
When choosing the weight you should use for an exercise, consider this:
- The weight should be heavy enough that it will be challenging to lift, but light
enough so that you can lift it several times (8 to 15)
- When you lift the weight, you want to make sure that whatever number of times
you lift it, that the last one or two times is very difficult, so that it is almost
too difficult to complete the exercise
- It is important to continue progressing as time goes on. Every time you work out,
you want to either do at least one more repetition or use heavier weight than the last
time you worked out.
|
|
Variation
|
Varying the exercises you do when you train is important in ensuring that you see
continuous gains in strength and muscle tone as well as to prevent boredom.
|
Variation can occur in a number of ways:
- Using different techniques to stimulate the muscle
- Changing the number of repetitions and sets
- Changing the exercises you do
- Changing the rest in-between sets
- Changing grips and positioning of your hands during the exercises
|
|
Order of Muscle Groups
|
Whether you work all your muscle groups in one day, or divide them up into sub-groups,
it is best to work larger muscle groups before smaller muscle groups. This
is because even when you work out the larger muscles, you will be engaging the
smaller muscles. If you were to start with the smaller muscles, you would fatigue
them, making it difficult to maintain your form and strength for the larger muscles.
|
|
|
Upper Body Order:
- Back
- Chest
- Shoulders
- Biceps
- Triceps
|
Lower Body Order:
- Buttocks
- Thighs - Quadriceps, Inner Thighs, Outer Thighs
- Hamstrings
- Calves
- Tibia
|
|
|
Frequency and Rest
|
Frequency refers to the number of times in a week that you exercise.
You should exercise your muscles with a certain amount of frequency to ensure you are
getting the benefit.
This also holds true for resting your muscles. When you strength train, you
basically 'rip' or 'tear' your muscles due to the extra stress you put on them.
This 'tearing' allows you to then rebuild them to get stronger and denser.
Resting allows your muscles to do this rebuilding and repairing.
|
- It is good practice to strength train all of your muscles, 2 to 3 times a week.
- Make sure that you rest any muscle that you work, for at least 48 hours
(except for the abdominal muscles) before strength training that muscle again
|
|
