Men's Health > Workouts > Weight Lifting

Lifting Weights

Weight training has numerous benefits which include reducing stress, improving your energy levels, improving your overall health, increase strength, helps to prevent injuries and helps to control your weight.

While we may know a lot about what weight training does, there are some misconceptions. One is that weight training can reduce fat in a specific area. This misconception is referred to as spot reducing. In reality, weight training can not reduce fat in one particular area. When you work specific muscle groups you are simply toning the muscles under the fat. Aerobic exercise should supplement your weight training to help reduce fat.

Another misconception is that stretching is the proper way to warm up before weight training. To warm up before weight training you should perform at least five minutes of cardio exercise to slowly increase your heart rate. You can stretch after your warm up or at the end of your workout.

The last misconception I want to talk about is that one weight training routine will work for everyone. This simply is not true. A weight training program that works for one person will most likely not meet your needs. Each program should be tailored to your needs and goals. After developing your routine, you can modify it to meet your changing needs and schedule.

Once you’ve decided to start a weight training program, you need to decide which areas you want to training. There are literally hundreds of different exercises which can be performed using free weights and weight machines. While free weights and machines are both effective for developing strengths, each has its own advantages. Machines are usually better for beginners, while free weights work well for intermediate to advanced users. Free weights require coordination and balance while machines are easy to use and help guide and control your movements.

Workout routines vary by individuals. Some like to work out using a “push/pull” method. This means that on Mondays and Thursdays they will use all the muscles that “pull” or move the bones away from their body. This includes deadlifts, lat rows, bicep curls, standing tricep kick-backs, and dumbbell pull-overs. On Tuesdays and Fridays they will work all the muscles that “push” or move the bones into their body. These include squats, lunges, chest press, overhead press, bent-over tricep kick-backs.

Another routine could work the chest, abs, triceps and hamstrings on Mondays and Thursday and working the back, abs, biceps, calves, and shoulders on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Everyone, at some point, has to start at the beginning. It’s better to start slow with low weights and build up than to start heavy weights and take a chance on pulling a muscle. The important thing to remember is find an exercise which your muscles will respond to.

Another important factor in working out with weights is wearing appropriate clothing. Make sure you wear clothing that is comfortable yet flexible. Avoid using perfumes and colognes just before exercising and remember to drink plenty of water.

Drew Voight