Weight training techniques

Developing weight training techniques can be confusing. However if you learn the basic mechanics and how the muscles work, you can develop your own routine to optimize your muscle development, weight loss and strength throughout your lifetime. You can develop just the right amount of muscle you desire. Strength training at every phase of life keeps bones strong, muscles toned and provides quality of life.

I do not want to scare anyone off with the larger weights. I just wanted to demonstrate that anyone can remain strong at any age. Do not succumb to the rehtoric that you become feeble and weak as you age. Strength and muscle mass becomes an incredibly important quality as we move into our years. I am 5'6" and weighing 180 lbs. This is good evidence that weight alone is not a good indicator of health. Measuements and inches are better metrics. I was 57 years young when this picture was taken.

What's more, weight training is the most effective at shedding those unwanted pounds, loosing those unwanted inches around the waist, lift that sagging butt, and tightening those flabby arms.

Some people enjoy weight training and advance their routines to develop a full muscular body while others just want to maintain a lean tight physique. I can show you how to do a strenuous daily 1 hour workout or develop weight training routines lasting about 10 minutes each day five days a week. Whats really important is that everyone should have a weight training program. Let's begin by examining the terms associated with strength training.

--- Weight lifting terms----

Terms are important for understanding your weight lifting routines. It is the jargon used to describe certain actions

Repetition or Rep- One complete cycle of a weight exercise from start to finish. For example if I were doing bicep curls, a rep would represent beginning with the weight at my side, then curling it straight up, then returning to the starting position.

Sets- A set defines the number of repetitions performed. If I performed say 2 sets of 12 repetitions (2 sets X 12 reps) that means I did 12 repetitions 2 separate times with a brief rest period in between.

Positive- Exerting pressure against the weight from the starting position to move it away from you or by pulling it towards you.

Negative- Descibes the weight moving back to its starting/finish position from the height of the exercise.

Range of motion- Describes the distance moved to perform the exercise.

Rest period- The time allowed between sets to allow for recuperation.

-----Weight training techniques-----

Before begining weight training routines,lets discuss technique. Once you understand techniques it is easy to develop your own program. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Reps- 6 to 8 repetitions per set represents heavy training, 10 to 12 represents medium training, and 12 to 15 reps represents light training. Heavier training means using heavier weights while lighter training means using lighter weights. So if I want to do a heavy set, I would choose a weight that I could only do 6 to 8 repetitions before the muscle fails and I can't do any more. That is how you choose your weight for a particular exercise in the medium you would like to train in. Always train the muscle to failure in all three of the above categories. That is where the benefit lies. Never just lift a weight 12 to 15 times and stop. There is not much benefit to it.

It is important to note that if you are begining, you want to allow your muscles time to adapt before you take them to failure. Initially choose a comfortable weight that you can do a couple of sets of 12-15 reps of a particular exercise then stop. Don't get overly sore or you will regret it.

Recent studies have shown that you must bring the muscle to failure within 90 seconds either by light weight with lots of repetitions or heavy weight with fewer repetitions to make strength gains and build muscle. Bringing the muscle to failure forces protein synthesis, muscle adaptation and growth.

This is good news because this means you can build muscle using heavy or light weights. Don't be afraid to lift heavy weights. This is especially important for the women. Women cannot develop huge muscles like body builders and power lifters because women do not have large amounts of testosterone in their body. So women do not be afraid to lift heavy.

I usually use all three in my program-light, medium, and heavy. It goes like this, set 1 = (12-15 reps), increase weight-set 2 = (10-12 reps), increase weight-set 3 = (6 to 8 reps). This is called progression.

Range of motion- Always work your muscles through the full range of motion. This is a common mistake I see all the time. I see people doing 1/4 squats, 1/4 bench presses, swinging curls, and the like usually with weights that are way to heavy for them. Good muscle structure is a result of forcing the muscle to adapt and work through the full range of motion

Weight- How you choose your weight to train with is important. Remember this, the weights are only a tool. I see guys all the time in the gym loading up the bar at the bench press and pressing the weight maybe 2 or 3 inches from the start point. Obviously the weight is too heavy for them but they want to impress all their friends. But the exercise is useless, pointless, of no benefit.

Always choose the weights to work the muscle through the full range of motion. So here is my rule of thumb. Choose the medium you want to work in light, medium or heavy. Select a weight that you can:

1. Perform the full range of motion.
2. Perform successfully all the repetitions in the range including the benefit reps. Benefit reps are a term I use to describe the last 2 or 3 repetitions. These are the ones that do the most good. Here is the way I do it. Let's say I am working in the medium range of 10-12 reps. I select a weight I can do 10 reps with. I do the 10 reps then force an additional 2 reps to the exercise. These reps usually burn and are a struggle to get up. These reps are the ones that shape, and make the muscles adapt.

Movement- Movement through the range of motion should be steady and secure. Never jerk or swing a weight. The movement from start to finish should be smooth. Each rep should take a minimum of 3 seconds to perform. Never perform the positive and drop the weight back to the starting position without any resistance. Many studies indicate the negative to be as important and maybe more important than the positive.

I know of one body builder in the past that packed on significant gains by resisting the weight at least 2 seconds before allowing it to return to its finish/starting position.

Form- Never compromise form. This especially true where the squat is concerned. Always maintain your head up and your back straight. This forces your spine to remain straight. If you find yourself leaning forward, lighten the weight. Don't sustain a back injury. Here are a couple of tips. Sit down or lie down to perform as many exercises as you can. It is hard to cheat this way and it forces the muscles to work. Use dumbells. Dumbells force each arm to work independently and provides better balance, movement and overall muscle development.

Sets- To be beneficial a minimum of 3 sets per body part per week must be performed. I categorize strength training 3 ways, Beginners 3 sets, Intermediate 6-9 sets, advanced 9-12 sets. Select a program that you can be consistent at.

Rest period- Rest periods should not exceed 1 1/2 minutes between exercises. Rest periods should be enough time to allow your heart rate to return to normal and the muscle to recuperate. I keep my rest periods to 1 minute.