Click Here to Sign Up for Your Free Weight Training Magazine Subscription
Beginner Weight Training
Free Beginning Weight Training Guide
Along with cardiovascular training, weight training can also be beneficial in maintaining a healthier better looking body. Having more muscle mass can prevent certain injuries. For example, injured backs can sometimes be contibuted to weak ab muscles. Furthermore, after the age of 30 without weight training your muscles slowly deteriorate, losing 8% of your muscle mass a decade, leading to injuries and a poor quality of life. Also, the way your body looks and your self-esteem can be changed through weight training.
As I have said before the best way to lose fat is proper cardiovascular exercise. However, the more muscle mass you have the more fat you burn, as muscle burns more calories than fat. You burn 30 to 50 more calories a day for each additional pound of muscle.
For years some people have stayed away from weight training out of fear that it would make them muscle bound.However, now people of all kinds, from athletes to soccer moms are adding muscle to become more fit. Not just football players are weight training anymore, basketball, baseball, and even tennis players and golfers are trying to see how much they can bench press. Tiger Woods hits the gym regularly and has dominated golf over the past 5 years or so, making his competitors get off their lazy butts and also start lifting. Each year that goes by more and more home runs are hit in baseball because guys are more muscular because of weight lifting.
When beginning a weight training program it goes without saying you should start slow and work yourself up. Start with weight you can lift 12 times per set, and do 3 sets each, lifting 2 to 3 times a week. Always lift with proper technique, it helps prevent injury and works the muscle your trying to train better. After a month or two you can start lifting 8 reps per set and really start tyring to add some muscle.
Beginners workout:
----Day one-Chest, triceps, shoulders, and abs (abs you can work everyday)----
Chest exercises --Bench press(vary your grip), Peck Deck, Dumbbell flye
Tricep exercises --Narrow grip bench press, Over head dumbbell extensions, Cable push down
Shoulder exercises --Military press, Lateral raises
Ab exercises --Crunches, Leg lifts
--------Day two-Bicep, Back, Legs, Abs--------
Bicep exercises --Straight bar curls, Dumbbell curls, Concentration curls
Back exercises --Pull up, Seated row, Seated pull down (vary grip)
Leg exercises --Squat, Lunges, Leg extension, Leg curl, heel raises for calves
Ab exercises--Crunches, Leg lifts
----------Day Three and Four rest----------
--------Day Five and Six repeat days One and Two--------
For intermediate to advanced lifters I would follow the same basic exercises and routines stated in the beginner program, but I would add 1 or 2 exercises to each muscle you are lifting. For example, you could add cable cross overs, pull overs, and or dumbbell press, and vary the bench angle with your chest workout. You must experiment with different exercises and equipment to find what works best for you.
A couple exercises I would be cautious of are oblique exercises with men, and leg and butt exercises with women.
Fat tends to build up around the waist of men creating a spare tire effect, by building your oblique muscles up your only enhancing that by pushing the fat out farther, and thus having less of a v-shaped look to your body. So unless you have a naturally narrow waist and naturally less than 6% body fat I would stay away from oblique exercises, they will get enough exercise with your normal ab exercises.
Fat tends to form on women around the upper legs and butt. So building muscle in those areas just pushes the fat out farther only making them appear larger. Remember ladies the best way to lose fat is by cardiovascular exercise.
Once you have started lifting weights and start adding muscle, you may start looking into enhancing your workouts with supplements.
Click Here to Sign Up for Your Free Weight Training Magazine Subscription
Weight Training | Supplements | Diet | Exercises | Programs| Products | Tips | Articles | Links
