Why Weight Training?

Changing your body may seem like an impossible task. Most people diet and exercise to no avail, though there may be one type of exercise that can burn more fat than most. Proper weight training will actually help to decrease the amount of fat on your body, and it will also help to change the entire shape of your body.
You may not equate weight lifting with fat burning, but the two are eternally linked. Interestingly, many people are hesitant to begin a weight training program. If you are a bit apprehensive about weight lifting, think about the benefits of a great weight training routine.

Weight training will make your muscles stronger, it will help boost your metabolism, and it will even prevent injuries by creating a stronger body. These are just a few of the things that weight training can do for you, thought there are a lot more to add to this list.

If you are afraid of adding too much bulk, rest assured that you don’t have to look like a bodybuilder (unless you want to) in order to lift weights. In fact, learning the right way to lift weights can either decrease or increase your muscles. In the end, the type of muscles that you build is entirely up to you.
Of course, heading to the gym to begin a weight lifting routine can be confusing. How many reps? How often should you train? What weight should you be lifting? These are all valid questions, and most of them can be answered with the help of a professional.

If you don’t want to pay top dollar for a trainer, consider doing your own research online. Simply by reading informative articles, you can learn about the kind of body that you want to build. While there are hardly any reasons why you shouldn’t be lifting weights, there are tons of reasons why weight training is essential for your body.

Weight Training Fundamentals

A balanced nutrition program is not a guarantee for fat and weight loss. Dieting without weight training invariably leads to muscle loss. Muscle loss leads to a lower resting metabolic rate which means your body burns fewer calories and fats. Following are the fundamentals you have to be familiar with in performing your weight raining exercises.

-Find time and make time for your aerobics and weight training schedule. You don’t have to join a fitness or health club to do weight training. It’s probably better to train at home since it saves time and is very convenient. Basic free weights are all you need to get started. When you progress from the beginner level to intermediate to advanced, you can either then add the following equipments a bench and barbell set, a cable-pulley machine and an adjustable squat rack.

-Perform stretching exercises to loosen up your joints and muscles and maintain flexibility.

-Do not train for more than 60 minutes. The total optimal workout duration including aerobics should be between 45 = 60 minutes. Long workouts exhaust the body’s nervous and endocrine systems, decreases the body’s growth and testosterone levels and increases cortisol levels (a hormone that breaks down muscles).

If you have the time, you can split up your aerobics and weight training sessions if you do them on the same day. You could do 30-45 minutes of aerobics before breakfast and 30-45 minutes of weight training in the late morning or afternoon.

-Do not engage in weight training two days in a row. You will become prone to overtraining and injury. To maximize the benefits of weight training, the goal is to let the muscles rest after an intense workout. You have to give your muscles the time to rest, recover and get toned!

• Beginner Level: 3 full body workouts weekly on nonconsecutive days
• Intermediate Level: 4 2-day split routine workouts weekly (half the body one day, half the next)
• Advanced Level: 4 or 5 days weekly (3 or 4-day split routines)

-1 Set vs. 3 Sets of exercises. For beginners, 1 set of exercises weekly is the recommended starting point. After the initial 1 set week, it should be increased to 2 sets per week and then 3 sets on the third week. The 3 sets weekly full-body workout should be the baseline. The number of repetitions you use on your weight training depends on your goals, muscle development and fat loss. Use the following guidelines in establishing the number of reps/exercise you will use. The logic is to use a range of repetition instead of a fixed number of repetition. Doing a range of repetitions helps condition and prepare the muscles for progressive resistance.
• 1 – 5 reps for Strength and Power
• 6 – 12 reps for Bulk and Strength
• 12 – 20 reps for Endurance
• 10 – 25 reps for Abdominals and Calves

-At the Beginner’s Level, start with just one exercise. Go up to the Intermediate and Advanced levels only when the body and muscles have adjusted to progressive resistance.

• Beginner Level: 1 Exercise/Muscle Group (full body workout)
• Intermediate Level: 2 Exercises/Muscle Group (2-day split)
• Advanced Level: 3 Exercises/Muscle Group (3-day split)

-Normally, you should take approximately a 1-minute rest in between sets. However, since your goal is fat and weight loss, gradually reduce your rest intervals to as little as 30-45 seconds between sets to induce an aerobic effect to your weight workouts and increase growth hormone release.

-You should always perform your repetitions slowly and under control: 2-3 seconds to raise the weight and 3-4 to lower the weight. Avoid fast, bouncing or uncontrolled movements. Raising or lowering weights quickly uses up energy and takes the stress off the muscle group you are trying to develop and increases the possibility of injury.
• 2-3 second to lift weight
-pause at the top
• 3-4 second eccentric (lowering the weight)
- pause at the bottom

-Do not be impatient when doing your weight exercises. Add weights and increase the duration of exercises only when you are positive your system can handle it. Do not go up to intermediate and training levels unless your weekly progress record warrants it. When you increase the weights, make sure they are in small increments to avoid burnout. Achieving fitness and a healthy lifestyle can not be fast tracked!

-As a beginner, it is best to start training your entire body in one session. Performing full body workouts 3 days weekly should be your target. Only after 3 or 4 months  (minimum) should you consider going up to the next level. When you advance, it is better to split your routines in order to be able to add more exercises to your regimen and avoid overtraining.