Do You Want To Know The Benefits And Basics Of Weight Training Programs?

More and more studies are showing that sensible weight training programs produce many health and fitness benefits, especially for mature adults. Here are partial results from some of the studies:

The Benefits

Avoid Muscle Loss - Adults who do not strength train lose between 5-7 pounds of muscle every decade.

Increased Metabolic Rate - Adults who replace muscle through sensible strength exercise use more calories all day long, thereby reducing the likelihood of fat accumulation. This also reduces body fat.

Increase Bone Mineral Density - The effects of weight training programs are similar for muscle tissue and bone tissue. The same training stimulus that increases muscle also increases bone and mineral content.

Improve Glucose Metabolism - Increase in glucose uptake can take place after several months of strength training. Because poor glucose metabolism is associated with adult onset diabetes, improved glucose metabolism is an important benefit of weight training programs.

Reduce Resting Blood Pressure - Strength training alone has been shown to significantly reduce resting blood pressure.

Improved Blood Lipid Levels - Studies have revealed improved blood lipid profiles after several weeks of following weight training programs . This means lower cholesterol readings.

Reduce Low Back Pain - It has been shown that strong lower back muscles are less likely to be injured. Because 80 percent of all Americans experience low back problems, it is advisable for all adults to properly strengthen their lower back muscles

Reduce Arthritic Pain - Sensible weight training programs ease the pain of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

And . . .

Weight training programs are an effective means for:

  • increasing our physical capacity

  • improving our athletic performance

  • reducing our injury risk

  • enhancing our personal appearance

  • improving our self-confidence

    Everyone can benefit from a sensible program of strength exercise. So let’s take a look at what sensible weight training programs should include.



    The Basics Of Weight Training Programs


    There is an endless array of weight training programs and theories out there, much of it geared toward bodybuilders and advanced exercisers. If you’re just getting started or you’re a mature person who hasn’t exercised in quite a while, it’s easy to become totally confused by all of the terms and jargon. I’d like to start you out with the basics of all safe and effective weight training programs. I’m going to:

  • tell you the names of the major muscle groups

  • explain the difference between sets and reps

  • tell you about sequence and speed

  • describe the importance of proper form, and

  • talk about the basics of frequency and progression

    The Major Muscle Groups

    When selecting exercises for weight training programs, it’s important to choose at least one exercise for each major muscle group. This prevents muscle imbalances that can lead to injury. Here are the major muscle groups:

    Gluteals – This group of muscles (often referred to as ‘glutes’) includes the gluteus maximus, which is the big muscle covering your butt.

    Quadriceps – This group of muscles (the quads) makes up the front of the thigh.

    Hamstrings – These muscles make up the back of the thigh.

    Hip abductors and adductors – These are the muscles of the inner and outer thigh. The abductors are on the outside and move the leg away from the body. The adductors are on the inside and pull the leg across the centerline of the body.

    Calf – The calf muscles are on the back or the lower leg.

    Low back – The erector spinae muscles extend the back and aid in good posture.

    Abdominals – These muscles (the abs) include the rectus abdominus, a large flat muscle running the length of the abdomen, and the external obliques, which run down the sides and front of the abdomen.

    Pectoralis major – Large fan shaped muscle (pecs) that covers the front of the upper chest.

    Rhomboids – Muscles in the middle of the upper back between the shoulder blades.

    Trapezius – Upper portion of the back, sometimes referred to as ‘traps’.

    Latisimus dorsi – Large muscles of the mid-back (lats).

    Deltoids – The cap of the shoulder (delts).

    Biceps – The front of the upper arm.

    Triceps – The back of the upper arm.

     

    Sequence and Speed

    When doing a series of exercises, you’ll generally want to start with the larger muscle groups and work toward the smaller muscle groups. The speed of the movement is also an important element of each exercise. A reasonable training pace is one to two seconds for the lifting (concentric) portion of the exercise and three to four seconds for the lowering (eccentric) portion of the move. Fast, jerky movements should be avoided.

    Sets and Reps

    A set is a group of successive repetitions performed without resting. A rep or repetition is the number of times you repeat the move in each set.

    Resistance and Range

    The number of repetitions chosen for each exercise depends on the amount of resistance (weight) you’re using. 1 rep maximum (1RM) resistance is the most weight you can lift with proper form one time. For most people, the weight with which you can do 10 reps correctly will equal 75% of your 1RM. Training with more than 85% of your 1RM resistance increases the risk of injury, and training with less than 65 percent of 1RM resistance decreases strength gains. So, a safe and productive training recommendation would be 8-12 repetitions using 70% to 80% of 1RM resistance.

    Full range of motion is an important component of proper form. Each exercise should be taken through the complete range of joint movement in a slow controlled manner. This contributes to both muscle strength and joint flexibility.

    Progression and Frequency

    Progressive resistance is the key to all well designed weight training program. This means that as your muscles adapt to a given exercise, you need to gradually increase the resistance or the repetitions to promote further gains. You should start out with a weight that allows you to do at least 8 repetitions of a particular exercise. Once you can complete 12 repetitions with that weight, you increase the weight by about 5 percent. Now, you’re doing 8 repetitions with the slightly heavier weight. Once you’ve worked up to 12 repetitions with the heavier weight, you increase it by another 5 percent and go back to doing 8 repetitions. The idea is to keep alternately increasing repetitions and resistance, so that you continue to see results.

    Increases in strength don’t occur while you’re training, they occur during the rest period between workouts. This is when your muscles recover and rebuild, gradually becoming bigger and stronger. The recovery process takes at least 48 hours. For this reason, sessions for weight training programs should be scheduled no more frequently than every other day.

    Frequency And Sets For Mature Adults

    Here’s some really good news. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) suggests that mature adults will see very good results training twice a week (Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Friday). And, for the first 4 months, you only need to do one set of each exercise. For mature adults who haven’t been exercising regularly, it appears that the additional increases in strength from more sets and more frequency are not really sufficient to encourage us to do any more.

    What To Do

    If all of this still seems a little overwhelming it's ok. That's why people like me are around. I can help guide and coach you. Check things out at Online Coaching


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