Weight Training Guidelines

Weight lifting can be one of the most rewarding things you do–you’ll be in better health, look great and feel great.  It’s important to train the right way for maximum benefit and to decrease the risk of injury.

If you haven’t ever lifted or it’s been a while, read Weight Training for Beginners to ensure you will be in good form for more advanced techniques.  Below is the general outline of a workout:

1. Aerobic warm-up: 3-5 minutes of activity to warm your muscles and get your heart pumping

2. Stretching: Stretch all the major muscle groups (2 sets) and hold for 10-20 seconds. Don’t bounce.

3. Lifting: You may choose an appropriate workout below.

4. Post-exercise stretching: Take a few minutes to stretch each muscle group. (This is very important; this will relieve some lactic acid build-up.)

Finding the Right Weight. Different weight training programs will produce different results, so decide your program according to your fitness goals.  To gain the desired results from your program you need to find the maximum weight you can lift in one repetition for each exercise.  Multiply the maximum weight by a certain percentage, (depending on the program you choose) to find the weight you should be lifting.  This weight should tire you in the last few reps of the last set.

Range of Motion. To see the best results, you need to perform your movements through the full range of motion for a joint.  For example, touching the bar down to the chest on the bench press is considerably harder than holding it a few inches out, but your muscle will develop much more if you do so.

Technique. With technique there are two terms in which you need to be familiar:  positive and negative contraction.  A positive contraction is the “working” part of a contraction which shortens the muscle.  For example, on bench press it is the motion of raising the bar from the pectorals.  The negative contraction is the part of the contraction where the muscle fibers are lengthened–the easier motion.  With that explained, the negative contraction should be a slow, steady movement (4-5 seconds); the positive contraction should take you half the time (2-3 seconds) and be more forceful, yet smooth.

Frequency. You should not work the same muscle group two days in a row.  It is best for your muscles to have 48 to 72 hours of rest.  There are two approaches to working out:  3 full body workouts a week or alternating days where you work the upper body and lower body, five to six days a week.

Balancing Muscle Groups. It is important for good posture and balance to work opposing muscle groups.  The basic opposing muscle groups are biceps/triceps, hamstrings/quadriceps, abdominals/lower back muscles, adductors/abductors, calves/shins, and pectorals/trapezius and rhomboids.  Some men get so into working their pectoral muscles, they forget to work their rhomboids and trapezius muscles.  In consequence, they have forward rolled shoulders.  (Some heavy-chested women have the same problem because of the weight they carry in front.)

Pain. Soreness caused by lactic acid buildup after a workout is normal.  However, if you are overly sore, stiff or in downright pain, you may have injured yourself.  This is most likely caused by using too much weight or bad form while performing the exercise.  If this happens, give your body more rest before your next workout, get a massage for that muscle, if possible, and exert yourself less in the next workout.  Also, have a trainer or someone familiar with the exercise watch your form to make certain you are doing the movement correctly.

Increasing Resistance. When you are comfortable performing an exercise with smooth, steady movements and little or no muscle fatigue with the last few reps in your last set you should increase your resistance.  You should find the maximum weight you can lift with each exercise and then increase your resistance accordingly.  Don’t increase the amount of weight you lift in any one exercise by more than 5% per week.

When to Change your Workouts. About every 8 to 12 weeks you will need to change your routine.  As your muscles adjust to doing the same exercises repeatedly, your body gets to the point where it is comfortable doing an exercise with little exertion.  When this happens, the rate at which your muscles grow decreases drastically and your progress plateaus.  If you feel like your workout is leveling off, switch the exercises you perform.  Always have at least one exercise for each muscle group.

Cardio. Remember that as weight lifting builds skeletal muscle, cardio exerts and strengthens the heart muscle.  You need both in a well-rounded fitness program.  Cardio after a lifting session will burn more calories from fat, whereas if you do cardio first the first twenty minutes are devoted to burning carbohydrate from your blood sugar.

Results. Almost everyone wants to know the answer to the golden question:  how long will it be before I see results?  In one respect, you will notice results immediately.  Your energy levels will go up, your moods will be more level and your sleep will be more restful.  Even if you don’t gain noticeable strength, you will gain more tone and your saggy abs and butt will look tighter.  For you to be able to see muscle tone this depends on your initial condition and how much fat is hiding your muscle, although you should be able to tell a difference by about 8 weeks.

Programs. There are five basic weight programs:  endurance, general fitness, strength, size and power.  For the purposes of this article, we will focus on the first two.  Those wishing to train for sports or body building follow the latter three programs.  The general fitness program is the standard weight lifting plan for everyone and the endurance program gives a longer, leaner look to the muscles.

Sample Program

Upper Body

Pectorals/Deltoids:  Bench Press, Push Up

Rhomboids/Trapezius:  Superman on Incline Bench, Trapezius Squeeze on Swiss Ball

Lats:  Lat Pulldown

Biceps:  Bicep Curls, Hammer Curls

Triceps:  Tricep Cable Pulldown, Overhead Tricep Press