The Basic Principles of Weight Training
Beginners Weight Training is no different from advanced weight training in principal, it is just that beginners should start with a basic workout to build core strength, then progress on to more advanced weight training techniques and isolation exercises once the core strength of the body is improved, and the weight lifter is comfortable with all the exercises. Correct form during weight training is essential to avoid injury and to experience maximum gains from training.
Weight training is also known as resistance training, or strength training. Weight training can serve several functions, such as to create a competitive advantage for athletes by training the muscles harder than possible by standard athletic drills. It also can aid in recovery after injury by speeding muscular growth, ensuring correct skeletal alignment and posture. It is also done simply to improve muscle tone and increase size for aesthetic purposes. Many people join the gym and weight train to get a fit body, and to lose weight. Weight training is possibly the most effective way to lose weight. When performed correctly, weight training can provide significant functional benefits and improvement in overall health and well-being. Weight training is also an excellent method in helping to lose belly fat as muscles requires a lot more energy to sustain themselves than fat does, so it can help to reduce fat by having more muscle.
Weight training is an anaerobic activity, as generally weights are lifted in a slow and controlled manner, ensuring that muscles are worked in isolation, and macimum effort can be applied to the lifting of the weights. Often beginners weight training routines are more aerobic than advanced routines, as lighter weights are used for more repetitions to help train correct form. Poor form is far less likely to lead to injury when lifting light weights.
Weight training routines are generally broken down into repetitions (often shortened to reps) and sets. A set describes one exercise done repeatedly for a specific number of repetitions (or until muscular failure) and repetitions are simply the number of times the weight is lifted through its full movement.
Weight trainers usually aim to progressively lift increasing amounts of weight, both during one training session, and as a long term goal. For many athletes, martial artists and sportspersons, weight training provides an objective approach to training that is not always possible in other types of exercise, in that it is very easy to compare current maximum weight lifted against past experience, and it is very easy to set goals to lift a specific weight after X months training.
Weight training differs from bodybuilding, weightlifting, and powerlifting, which are sports rather than forms of exercise. Weight training, however, is often part of their training regimen.
For some a practicle introduction to weight training routines, both beginners weight training and more advanced weight training, these simple weight training routines will hopefully help you get started with weight training. Refer to Exercises for specific muscle groups to learn about the different weight training techniques and exercises.
- Weight Training Intro and History
- Basic principles
- Progressive overload
- Recovery
- Benefits
- Common concerns
- Is weight training the same as bodybuilding?
- Is nutrition relevant for weight trainers?
- Do women who train with weights look "bulky"?
- Are light, high-repetition exercises effective for "toning" muscles?
- Is weight training safe for children?
- Can weight training help me slim?
- Safety
- Types
of
exercises
- Isotonic, isometric and plyometric exercises
- Isolation exercises vs. compound exercises
- Free weights vs. exercise machines
- Aerobic exercise vs. anaerobic exercise
- Weight Training Exercises
- Exercises for specific muscle groups
- Advanced
techniques
- Set structure
- Combined sets
- Beyond failure
- Other techniques
Some History
Hippocrates explained the principle behind weight training when he wrote "that which is used develops, and that which is not used wastes away." Progressive resistance training dates back at least to Ancient Greece, when legend has it that wrestler Milo of Croton trained by carrying a newborn calf on his back every day until it was fully grown. Another Greek, the physician Galen, described strength training exercises using the halteres (an early form of dumbbell) in the 2nd century.The dumbbell was joined by the barbell in the latter half of the 19th century. Early barbells had hollow globes that could be filled with sand or lead shot, but by the end of the century these were replaced by the plate-loading barbell commonly used today.[1]
Strength training using isometric exercises was popularised by Charles Atlas from the 1930s onwards. The 1960s saw the gradual introduction of exercise machines into the still-rare strength training gyms of the time. Weight training became increasingly popular in the 1980s, following the release of the bodybuilding movie Pumping Iron and the subsequent popularity of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since the late 1990s increasing numbers of women have taken up weight training, influenced by programs like Body for Life.
A repetition (or "rep") is the act of lifting and lowering a weight once in a controlled manner. A "set" consists of several repetitions performed one after another with no break between them. The number of repetitions per set depends upon the aims of the individual performing the exercise. Sets with fewer reps are performed using more weight. Repetition tempo is also an important factor.
According to popular theory:
- Sets of one to five repetitions primarily develop strength, with less impact on muscle size and none on endurance.
- Sets of six to twelve repetitions develop a balance of strength, muscle size and endurance.
- Sets of thirteen to twenty repetitions develop endurance, with some increases to muscle size and limited impact on strength.
- Sets of more than twenty repetitions are considered to be an aerobic exercise.
It has been shown that for beginners multiple-set training offers minimal benefits over single set training with respect to either strength gain or muscle mass increase, but for the experienced athlete multiple-set systems are required for optimal progress.
Training to achieve different performance goals (from "Supertraining" by Dr. M. C. Siff)
| Variable | Strength | Power | Hypertrophy | Endurance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Load (% of 1RM) | 80-100 | 70-100 | 60-80 | 40-60 |
| Reps per set | 1-5 | 1-5 | 8-15 | 25-60 |
| Sets per exercise | 4-7 | 3-5 | 4-8 | 2-4 |
| Rest between sets (mins) | 2-6 | 2-6 | 2-5 | 1-2 |
| Duration (seconds per set) | 5-10 | 4-8 | 20-60 | 80-150 |
| Speed per rep (% of max) | 60-100 | 90-100 | 60-90 | 60-80 |
| Training sessions per week | 3-6 | 3-6 | 5-7 | 8-14 |
Weights for each exercise should be chosen so that the desired number of repetitions can just be achieved. Each exercise should be performed according to its description; otherwise injury may result. This is known as "good form."
Progressive overload
In one common method, weight training uses the principle of progressive overload, in which the muscles are overloaded by attempting to lift at least as much weight as they are capable of. They respond by growing larger and stronger.[5] This procedure is repeated with progressively heavier weights as the practitioner gains strength and endurance.However, performing exercises at the absolute limit of one's strength (so-called "one rep max" lifts) is considered too risky for all but the most experienced practitioners, or novices under expert supervision. Moreover, most individuals wish to develop a combination of strength, endurance and muscle size. One repetition sets are not well suited to these aims. Practitioners therefore lift somewhat smaller (sub-maximal) weights, with more repetitions, to fatigue the muscle—and all fibres within that muscle—as required by the progressive overload principle.
Commonly, each exercise is continued to the point of momentary muscular failure. Contrary to widespread belief, this is not the point at which the individual thinks they cannot complete any more repetitions, but rather the first repetition that fails due to inadequate muscular strength. Training to failure is, however, a controversial topic. The proponents of High Intensity Training—Mike Mentzer, Arthur Jones and Ellington Darden—advise training to failure on every set . But other experts believe that this will lead to overtraining, and suggest training to failure only on the last set of an exercise. Some practitioners recommend finishing a set of repetitions just before the point of failure; e.g. if you can do a maximum of 12 reps with a given weight, only perform 11.
Weight training can be a very effective form of strength training because exercises can be chosen, and weights precisely adjusted to safely exhaust each individual muscle group after the specific numbers of sets and repetitions that have been found to be the most effective for the individual. Other strength training exercises lack the flexibility and precision that weights offer, and often cannot be safely taken to the point of momentary muscular failure.
Recovery
There are many theories as to why weight training creates muscle growth. One such theory is that this training causes microtrauma to the muscles. Muscles grow during the rest period following a workout by repairs to these areas of muscle, making them stronger than before. Weight training programs should therefore allow the muscles time to repair and grow, otherwise overtraining can occur. Therefore the individual should exercise caution in increasing the level of exertion. Muscle growth is normally completed within 36 to 96 hours, depending upon the intensity of the workout. Novices commonly work out every other day, often scheduling workouts on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. As weight trainers grow fitter and stronger, it takes more intense workouts to fully challenge their muscles. More advanced practitioners may exercise specific muscle groups only every three or four days.One solution to scheduling workouts around these needs is to split one's routine between several workouts, by exercising certain muscle groups on one day and the remainder on another. One common two-day split is the upper body — lower body split. Another is the front — back split, in which the pectorals, triceps and quadriceps are exercised on one day, and the lats, biceps and hamstrings on another. There are also three-day and four-day splits. By targeting different muscle groups, workouts can be scheduled more frequently than would otherwise be possible.
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