An Introduction to Weight Training
Posted by Charlotte James on Nov 16, 2011 in Weight Training | 0 Comments
Weight training is fantastic for developing your muscle strength as well as offering your body increased definition and weight loss. Based on 3 simple principles - overload principle, progressive resistance and the principle of specify – weight training involves more than basic bodybuilding, but is designed to develop your body by increasing the amount of weight you lift.
What is the ‘Overload Principle’?
This principle is structured around the idea that muscle size, strength and endurance will only improve if your actual exercise activity is greater than normal.
What is the ‘Progressive Principle’?
Taking on board the overload principle, this principle is based on the idea that as your muscle, strength and endurance increases, the resistance i.e. the amount of weights you lift, should also be increased to help you achieve further gains.
What is the ‘Principle of Specificity’?
This is based around the theory that the development of your muscle fitness is specific to the muscles you train.
What are the benefits of weight training?
As mentioned before, weight training can offer you more than the promise of bigger muscles. It can also help to strength your bones, control your weight loss and boost your energy and endurance levels.
Now if you are new to weight training, the last thing you want to do is start lifting weights that you are beyond your range. Instead, you first need to establish what your body is able to cope with and continue from there.
Below we have outlined 3 popular 40 minute weight training routines to help get you started.
These should be done over 3 non consecutive days i.e. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with a break in-between to let your muscles recover. Similarly for the first week, you should only use a bar until you are confident of what each exercise entails. Once you know what to do, you can begin introducing weights, which you can increase by 5% per session..
Routine One:
- Barbell squat – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
- Leg curl – 3 sets of 10 reps(progress to 5 sets with practice)
- Bent over row – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
- Barbell bench press – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
- Barbell shoulder press – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
- Barbell curl – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
- Triceps press down – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
Routine Two:
- Leg press – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
- Chins – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
- Incline bench press – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
- Lateral raise – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
- Incline dumbbell curls – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
- Dips – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
Routine Three:
- Leg extension – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
- Straight leg deadlift – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
- Pull downs – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
- Incline flys – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
- Bent over lateral raise – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
- Reverse curls – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
- Triceps press – 3 sets of 10 reps (progress to 5 sets with practice)
NOTE: remember to take a 30 second break between each set so you have got the strength to continue.
Now we are pretty confident that after 3 months, you will be ready to move on to a more intense workout. And if that is the case, then you may be interested in trying an intermediate workout…
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