Strength Training

Before you start strength training or any workout after a period of doing very little exercise, you need to make sure you are medically fit for the extra stress placed on the body.

The next thing you may wish to consider is where you wish to train. You can do this at home or at a facility like a gym or health club.

Good arguments exist for both, depending on your circumstances, but a gym may provide a better all-round experience in variety of workouts available and the motivation of social interaction. It is a good idea to employ a personal trainer for a few sessions, if only to familiarize yourself with fitness form and safety issues.

Make sure you get someone who is qualified or at least has a good reputation for knowledge and experience. The benefits of strength training are diverse.

Strength and muscle building are not just about body image, weightlifting, bodybuilding competition, and sports. There are an increasing variety of health conditions that can be either stabilized or improved with weight sessions as part of any fitness program.

Many experts now say that strength training is of equal importance to aerobic sessions for health and fitness, especially for the over-40 age groups, men and women. Many exercises are available in gyms with a complete inventory of free anchors and fitness machines and stations.

You don’t need to use all of them, although variety helps maintain interest and some equipment is preferable depending on what your goals are. The best results arise from using a structured training program tailored for your specific goals rather than a haphazard choice of workouts.

A “program” means that you will train according to a sequence of exercises and times that match your target results. It is best to write this down and take it with you to the gym so you work through each workout in sequence.

Physical activity in conjunction with calorie restriction is a proven method of weight reduction. Strength training is one component of a fitness program.

Extra muscle increases metabolism a little and provides the strength to complete harder workouts. If you want to delve into the finer detail of weight training terminology from sets and repetitions to periodized training programs and the subtleties of program variation for specific goals.

You can learn much about how to train for particular sports by reading these periodized programs. Each provides an explanation of elements of strength training to be emphasized in order to enhance strength and power skills and prevent injury in specialized sports.

Sports programs are best created for the individual. Warm up with ten minutes of aerobic exercise.

This can be with treadmill walking or jogging, stationary bicycle, cross-trainer, or stepper machines. Extend this to thirty minutes depending on requirements for fat loss.

Do at least 30 minutes of cardio fitness at moderate intensity three times each week for all strength trainers in order to promote aerobic fitness. It need not be done at the same time as the weights session.

Warm-ups are important to get blood flowing to heart, lung and muscles and lubricating fluid loosening the joints ready for action. Each anchors workout should include a warm-up with light anchors and practicing the same form as for the workout weight.

Sixty per cent of your workout weight is about right for warm-ups. Stretching is not so important before exercise and is better performed after workout.

Some light stretches will do no harm. If you have little experience in training and free anchors, you may wish to start with the machine leg press instead of the squat, especially if you’re not accompanied by a trainer, helper or spotter.

Even so, there is no reason to be intimidated by the squat exercise. It need not be done in a squat rack or power cage with the big bar and free anchor to begin with, although squatting with the bar alone is a good way to practice form.

Dumbbells or small-bar barbells can provide reassurance for the beginner. The same applies to the racked bench press with heavy bar, which can be substituted with dumbbells or lighter barbells.

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