Weight Training

While heavier weights and fewer reps will build muscle, the muscle definition itself can get lost underneath your skin if you don't follow up with some toning exercises designed to tighten your...

Warm up sets should get the muscles warm and loose. Selecting the proper weight to use in a warm up set depends on the type of workout you are performing. It is important that the warm up weight...

Muscular strength and muscular endurance are not the same, although they are often mentioned together. Strength refers to maximum power and does not require oxygen, while endurance is strength...

Weightlifting helps to both shape and enlarge muscles. Performing many repetitions at a lighter weight tends to improve muscle tone, while lifting heavier weights for fewer repetitions tends to...

Conventional weight training wisdom dictates that a person should choose a weight they can lift eight to 12 times in a set. While this range is a useful rule of thumb, the question of how many...

The calves, hips and thighs are usual trouble zones for both men and women who want to tone their bodies. These areas are especially exposed during the warmer months, when shorts, skirts and...

The legs are often overlooked in weight training. To achieve muscle mass, the legs need to be targeted specifically in a workout and trained more than once a week. Two exercises you should do...

Gaining weight in your calves is a matter of building more muscle. The calf is the back portion of the lower leg, also known as the crus. Building the calf muscle takes a lot of effort, as it is...

Workout enthusiasts are often motivated to build huge muscles for both athletic and cosmetic purposes. They are ideal to excel at any competition that requires strength, or even arouse the...

The use of gym machines during a workout is effective for shaping and strengthening specific muscles with minimal worry of using improper form. Machines provide users the ability to do some...

Pull-ups are an ideal measure of relative strength and fitness. The calisthenics of lifting your own body weight against gravity is a true test of strength, irrespective of size. For example, a...

Some say you can't gain strength working with light hand weights. While it's true you won't gain a lot of bulk or extreme strength, you can become more powerful and toned by getting regular...

Exercising with circuit machines offers the advantage of targeting muscle groups in one exercise and allowing you to quickly move on to another machine. With a good circuit training routine, you...

Squat racks consist of a bar, a rack and weights that are usually used to work the lower body, but they can be used to improve the upper body, too. The amount of repetitions that you do of each...

Curvaceous body types have come to be embraced---paralleling the rise in stardom of Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé Knowles and Kim Kardashian. Larger thighs are recognized as part of the equation to...

There's a difference between having a good body and building extreme muscles. If you look like da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, you have all the tone and definition you could want. But nobody would call...

Aspiring bodybuilders would love to look like Arnold, Vin or even Bruce Lee. Genetics and day-to-day responsibility mean few will actually get there. Practical bodybuilding means adopting a...

Weight training is a great way to build strength, overall fitness and to develop and shape your muscles. Many exercises that target specific muscles are well known, but when someone wants to...

Weight training boosts metabolism, reduces injury risk, increases bone density, elevates mood and reduces the risk of many diseases. Building bulky muscles takes commitment (and sometimes...

Most guys aspire to have big muscles, it's built into our DNA. For some it comes easy, for others, it's work. Educating yourself on muscle growth and what it takes to develop more muscle mass...

Weight lifting is good for the mind and soul. Not only does weightlifting promote good tone, breathing and health, but it also sharpens the mind. Learning good technique is important to getting...

The work of bodybuilding has its challenges and rewards. The purpose of the following routines will help to get over some of those challenges and provide you with the ultimate rewards. These are...

Stretch marks are created by the muscles or body growing too quickly, and stretch marks can be reduced by reducing the amount of resistance being used in weight training. Use high repetitions and...

Lifting weights is a valuable health regimen for men and women of all ages. Weight lifting creates a higher density of muscle fiber, which in turn utilizes fat cells for energy. Proper weight...

Physical activity is beneficial at all stages of life, but especially during and after menopause. During the childbearing years, estrogen helps protect women from problems such as heart disease...

People often have their weigh-lifting workout plans derailed by the same pitfalls. Quick progress turns into slow progress. Slow progress turns into a plateau--and potentially even regression. To...

One fact for sure is that it seems everyone wants to lose weight. The things we do to achieve our goal can be different for each of us. Some choose diet others exercise and some a combination. If...

One of the most important exercises for weightlifters and bodybuilders is the bench press. It is performed with a barbell on a flat bench. The bench press is a power exercise designed to build...

Strong shoulders and arms are not only aesthetically appealing, but when these muscle groups are properly exercised it prevents shoulder and joint injuries. The shoulders and arms work together to...

Conventional exercise wisdom suggests you can't use weights for aerobic fitness. Sound familiar? However, exciting scientific research suggests this wisdom might be wrong! Briefly, these findings...

Gaining muscle mass is no great secret. All it takes is some time, dedication, patience and mostly, a set of weights or a gym membership. And just like any exercise routine, your diet is of utmost...

Most people rely only on sit-ups or crunches for ab workouts, but dumbbell exercises can increase the intensity of your workout. When your body gets used to a particular training technique,...

Exercise science teaches us that to build muscle, we need to work out a certain number of repetitions, sets and days a week, and at a specific intensity. But rest days are as important as workout...

The EZ Curl Bar is a popular alternative to using the standard Olympic bar for workouts. While the EZ Curl Bar is used mostly for curls, there are many other uses for it. In fact, it is so...

The weight ball, which is also known as the medicine ball, can be used for a variety of exercises. Weight balls can be used to improve strength, agility, dynamic balance and athleticism. Your...

Individuals who start bodybuilding in their teenage years have a plethora of advantages--their bodies are more resilient to stress, they have a higher potential for growth thanks to the hormonal...

Weightlifting develops your body's muscles while helping you lose fat. Learning the basics, from how often you should work out to doing the exercises in your program properly, will make a...

Many people have difficulty fitting a daily workout into their hectic schedule. However, finding time for a workout need not take as much of your day as you might think. Many time-saving methods...

Men and women usually have different goals for working out at the gym. Women often want to lose weight and slim up, while men often want to gain muscle and strength, with less of an emphasis on...

"Pyramid" workouts come in a variety of flavors, but they all share one feature--they will help you to put on muscle size and strength faster than you thought possible. Bodybuilders, athletes and...

Most people today are in the gym to "tone up," "lose a few pounds" or "get ripped." It takes a rare individual to come into the weight room with the goal of old-time strongmen and...

Tired of dealing with the cost of a gym membership and the inconvenience of waiting for equipment to free up? These three at-home exercises were chosen not only for their efficacy, but for their...

Aging presents some real problems physically, in the degeneration of many functions you previously took for granted, such as sleeping through the night without having to use the restroom, bad...

Exercise science has figured out ways to train the body for specific results, be it maximal strength, hypertrophy (bulky muscles), power, endurance or lean muscle toning. By following certain...

Whether you are trying to get back your beach body before summer or training for a sport, gaining upper body mass is important. There are two critical necessities to gain upper body mass: proper...

Chest exercises are staples in just about any gym. The pectoral muscles are one of the core muscle groups in your body and play a major role in arm movement. They are made up of the pectoralis...

Whether you are a man or a woman, you are most likely looking for a way to work-out your biceps and get those attractive, toned arms. While this task requires a bit of time and some dedication,...

Fitness is critical for all ages, but it's especially important for women over 45. After age 40, women begin to slowly lose lean muscle mass if they're not engaging in regular resistance training....

Weight training prevents diseases in women, such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis; by utilizing slow movements with three repetitions, you can maximize a weight-training workout. Find out how to...

Triceps extension exercises with a dumbbell require a neutral grip on weights heavy enough to cause fatigue after 10 to 15 repetitions. Learn more about triceps extension dumbbell exercises with...