Weight Training Basics

Weight training, at its simplest, is performing an exercise that provides fairly significant resistance in order to encourage muscle, tendons, ligaments, and bones to become bigger and/or stronger. Even if you don't want big muscles you MUST be doing some form of resistance training. Stronger muscles will give you the following benefits, to name just a few:

• A better body shape. (more muscle + less fat = shapely body)
• Additional muscle encourages your body to keep the fat off by increasing your metabolism.
• Weight training can help maintain or even slightly increase bone mass, which is especially important as you age.
• Reduced chance of injury doing physical daily tasks, even simple ones like walking up and down stairs.

Resistance can come in the form of weights, machines, rubber exercise bands, or even your own body weight!

So how do you start? With the following steps:

Step 1: Learn Some Real Basic Terminology

Don't be lost in a fog when this site or someone else uses some basic fitness terms. Take just a couple minutes to read up on basic weight training terminology, then cruise on to the next step.

Step 2 : Learn Some Basic Anatomy

Don't know your quadriceps from your uvula (the dangly thing in the back of your throat)? Take a peek at my anatomy map and learn about your body's major muscles. No need to memorize, you can refer back to when you're not sure.

Step 3: Learn some Exercises

Can't exercise if you don't know any exercises. Find them on my list of exercises. Not only that, but learn the right way to push that weight up and down and back and forth.

Step 4: Get a Workout Plan Together

If you fail to plan you plan to fail. Here's a tried and true (and free!) workout routine to get you started, so I've done some planning for you! I'll also be offering more advanced and customized plans in the very near future.

Step 5: Get Your Diet in Order

Nutrition and diet can be a complicated thing. But they don't have to be. Eat the right amounts of the right stuff and you're golden. Read up in my nutrition section on what qualifies and 'the right amount' and 'the right stuff'.

Step 6: There is no Step 6! 5 Steps are Plenty! Get to Work!