How to weight train

There are a lot of different weight training exercises and equipment to use. It can be daunting to know what to do, but here are some basic guidelines to keep it safe and effective. For exercise selection and demonstrations by personal trainers, www.physicalfitnet.com is an excellent resource.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Warm up
   
   You should warm up before strength training to prevent injury. A warm up typically includes 5 to 10 minutes of light to moderate cardio such as jogging, cycling or rowing.
2. Work Larger Muscle Groups First
   
   You don’t want to fatigue your smaller muscles by working them out first and then they are needed to assist for larger muscle exercises. If, for example, first you work your triceps, then you do a chest press – your triceps will tire before you’ve adequately worked out your chest muscles. The weakest link theory.
3. Maintain a Neutral Spine
   
   A neutral spine is when you maintain your own normal curvature of your spine. This is your strongest position for your back and neck and should be maintained to protect them from injury when exercising. Common postural mistakes are arching and rounding the back in order to lift a weight and bringing the head forward.
4. Keep the Body Aligned
   
   The 5 points of alignment (from a side view) are the ear lobe, mid shoulder, hips, knees and ankles. These points should be in a straight line down the side of your body when standing so that there is less stress on the joints, which prevents injury.
5. Keep breathing
   
   Holding your breath can cause a sudden increase in blood pressure. You should exhale on the positive phase or when you are lifting the weight (concentric) and inhale on the negative phase or when you are lowering the weight (eccentric).
6. Exercise through the Full Range of Motion
   
   You only get stronger for the range of motion that you train in, which is significant in your day to day activities that require a full range of motion.
7. Cool down
   
   The end of your workout is the optimal time for light movement and stretching, which reduces muscle stiffness, enhances strength gains and prevents injury.