How to Build Muscle With Free Weights

Many experts consider training with free weights to be the most effective means of achieving a muscular and toned physique. Building muscles effectively includes sticking to a regular workout routine, consuming adequate protein for muscle building and recovery and designing a personalized routine geared for maximizing muscular gains and minimizing risk of injury. Build muscle most effectively by taking care not to overdo the cardio!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Doctor's approval
• Free weights
• Nutritional plan

Visualize the Body You Want to Have

1. Be specific about creating the physique you want. Just because you want to build muscle mass in your calves or pecs doesn't mean you necessarily want to bulk up all over.
2. Visualize your body and imagine altering it into its perfect form. Determine where you would like to bulk up with muscle mass and where you would prefer to simply sculpt the existing muscle. Your approach to getting big will differ from your approach to getting cut.

Use Free Weights to Build Upper-Body Muscle Mass

3. Bulk up your pecs, which are the pectoral muscles of your chest. Use free weights to perform bench presses (inclined or flat) and vary these exercises with "flies."
4. Perform fly exercises safely. Lay back on a bench, holding an equal weight in each hand. Raise the weights above you until the weights nearly touch, keeping the weights in line with your nipples.
5. Complete the fly exercise safely by lowering the weights, smoothly and steadily, to their initial position. Don't let your elbows dip lower than your shoulders! Doing so can lead to injuries of the shoulder.
6. Use heavier weights but perform fewer repetitions, or reps, to build muscle. User lighter weights but perform more reps to sculpt and tone.
7. Find a number of other simple, effective upper-body exercises for the biceps and triceps at the Netfit website (see Resources below). You'll find some exercises for free weights and some for machines.

Use Free Weights to Build Muscle in Your Lower Body

8. Build up your calves, quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes by working out with free weights.
9. Perform calf raise exercises, squats and lunges to build lower-body muscle mass.
10. Consider working with a trainer or more experienced workout partner the first few times you use free weights to work out your legs and lower body. When performed incorrectly, lunges and squats can put tremendous strain on your back, making you vulnerable for injury.
11. Visit the Fairview Web site for step-by-step guides on using correct form while performing these exercises (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings

• Begin your routine slowly, as delayed-onset muscle soreness can put more than a small cramp in your free weights routine.
• Pay attention to pain, which is usually an indication to stop for any number of underlying reasons. Pain may be triggered by fatigue, strain, sprain, overwork or improper form.

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