How to Use Weider Gym Equipment

Weight training equipment helps build lean muscle mass.

Exercise has many benefits. It encourages the addition of lean muscle mass while helping reduce body fat. If done consistently it has been shown to reduce resting heart rate, reduce blood pressure, strengthen bone density, and reduce stress. It has also been shown to help improve self-esteem and boost the immune system. Exercise has also been shown to help prevent injuries and, if a person becomes injured, it helps speed along the recovery process. Weider Gym Equipment can play an integral part in your exercise routine. This article concerns use of the Weider Club Bench Home Gym. Workouts should be performed starting with large muscle groups and proceeding to smaller muscle groups. This means starting with your legs, the largest overall muscle group, then moving on to the largest muscle groups in the upper torso, followed by exercising your arms and abdominals. For maximum benefit, the full workout should be done two to three times a week, with one to two days of rest between.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

How to Use Weider gym Equipment

1. An exercise bike is a good warmup for weight training. Young man on exercise bike image by Elzbieta Sekowska from Fotolia.com

   Begin your workout with a warmup of at least five minutes. You can use a stationary bike, an elliptical machine, a rower, or a variety of other cardio exercises. The purpose is to increase your heart rate and give your muscles a chance to loosen up.

2. The first exercise should be the leg press. Place your feet about shoulder-width apart on the foot plate and push the machine out so that your legs are extended but don't lock your knees. Not locking your joints is a recurring theme. It takes stress off the muscles, which is not advised. Push the machine out while exhaling and counting to two. As you bring the leg press back toward you, inhale while counting to four. Keep the breathing and the two-count, four-count speed of movement consistent throughout your workout. Perform 12 repetitions. The amount of weight to use should be heavy enough that doing 12 repetitions is moderately difficult.

3. Move to the next leg station, the seated quadriceps extension. Lock your feet behind the pads. Your legs will be bent. Move your legs upward to straighten them while exhaling to your two-count. Lower them while inhaling to the four-count. Do not rest long between exercises. A short rest period allows your heart rate to remain elevated, which is beneficial. By doing so, you are not only strengthening your muscles but also receiving the additional benefit of a cardiovascular workout. Continue moving from exercise station to exercise station at a steady pace. Do the exercises in the order mentioned, from larger muscles to smaller muscles. Do each exercise for 12 repetitions. Experiment with the machine a day or two before your first workout to determine the amount of weight that allows you to do 12 repetitions of each exercise with moderate difficulty.

4. Move to the standing hamstring station. It uses the same equipment as the quadriceps station but in a different manner. Facing the machine, put your inside leg against the top portion of padding and your lower leg against the back of your ankle. Pull the equipment up with your ankle until you reach a 90-degree angle. Lower it back to the starting position. Remember your two-count, four-count pace. Do 12 repetitions on each leg. You will need to change sides of the machine for the other leg.

5. The leg press machine also is used to work your calves. Assume your normal foot position on the leg press and push it to full extension. Slowly move your feet downward on the leg press plate until your heels are no longer on the plate. Let the weight of the machine move the top of your feet closer to you than your heels. Exhale as you push the plate out as far as you can with the balls of your feet. Let the plate return to the "feet close" position and finish 12 repetitions.

6. At this point move to upper body exercises. Sit on the seat for the chest press station. Grip the two handles and push them out as far as you can without moving your shoulders forward. Return to the starting position and repeat; do 12 repetitions. Move to the other seat for the pectoral (chest) fly exercise. Place your arms behind the pads, with your upper arms parallel to the ground and your hands high on the pads. Bring the pads together, using your chest muscles, until the pads almost touch. Then return to the start position and repeat for each repetition. Next, move back to the chest press station seat and grasp the shoulder press station. The handles will be about neck level and will pivot out so they are slightly in front of your face. Push them up as far as you can, then slowly return to the start position for each repetition. Remember to use the two-count, four-count breathing mechanics.

7. Stay in the chest press seat. The lat (latissimus dorsi, the muscle on the outside of your back) pulldown will be directly overhead. Grasp it with a grip slightly wider than shoulder width with your hands facing out. While seated, pull the bar down to chin level. Return the bar to the start position for each repetition. Next, move to the seat used for chest flys. In front of you will be a "preacher curl" stand used for biceps exercises. It is padded and has a 45-degree downward angle. Grasp the handle with both hands, palms up. Your elbows should be on the preacher curl stand and the inside of your elbows should face up. While bending your elbows, bring the bar up as far as possible, and slowly return to the start position for each repetition.

8. The final exercise is the triceps pushdown. The preacher curl worked the front of your arms. This exercise works the back of the arm. Grasp the bar used for lat pulldowns. Place hands about 12 inches apart with palms down. The start position is with your elbows locked at your sides and the bar level with your elbows. Push the bar down as far as possible while maintaining the elbow position and erect posture. Slowly let the bar rise to the start position for each repetition.

Tips & Warnings

• Start your workouts at an easy pace to allow your body to adjust to the new workload. This will help reduce soreness and also decrease the possibility of injury. Expect to be sore for the first week or two when starting a new exercise routine. As your body gets accustomed to the routine, the soreness will go away.

• It is advisable to consult a doctor before starting an exercise program.

References

• Information on Weider Products

Resources

• Body for Life weight training plan
• Muscle & Strength workout programs