Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
Working the lower body through free weights requires the use of several powerlifting exercises that can be tough to master. Among these are the squat and the deadlift. Although the forms of each exercise vary drastically, each one essentially targets the same primary muscle groups in the lower body. However, the differences in form of each lift incorporate different secondary muscles. Understanding how each exercise impacts your body is crucial to achieving your fitness goals.
Barbell hip thrusts aren't commonplace in most training routines as they're a tricky move to perform. To perform the hip thrust, you sit on the floor with your upper-back resting against a weight bench and a barbell across your lap. You then bend your knees to 90 degrees, push your feet forcefully into the floor and push the barbell up by lifting your hips. While it may be unconventional, the barbell hip thrust has many benefits for body shaping and boosting performance.
Not all exercises are equal, even when they are the same exercise targeting the same muscle, using slightly different variations. For many upper-body free-weight exercises, you have the choice of using either dumbbells or a barbell while executing the same form. Either piece of equipment offers a different set of advantages when performing military presses. While each method works the deltoids, you engage different stabilizers between the two.
Incline dumbbell presses are a demanding chest exercise. Using dumbbells forces you to recruit more stabilizing muscles than pressing a barbell or a fixed weight machine. While they mainly hit your pecs, your shoulders and triceps are also involved as secondary muscles. If you can't perform incline dumbbell presses due to injuries or a lack of equipment, there are plenty of other exercises you can substitute into your routine instead.
Weight training exercises to make a woman's shoulders broader include the lat pull-down, among others. Learn about weight training exercises to make a woman's shoulders broader with help from a mixed martial artist in this free video clip.
It seems that every time you open a newspaper or turn on the news, there's another study reporting the incredible benefits of regular exercise. Although people may work out for different reasons, many beginners incorporate fitness into their lifestyles because they wish to lose weight. The good news is that the reasons exercise reduces body weight are easy to understand.
For many weight trainers, working the shoulders directly is a tough proposition. The risk of injury is high, and any overtraining will significantly diminish the effectiveness of your other upper-body workouts. The exercises you choose to develop your deltoids are crucial to the success of your training regimen. Behind-the-neck presses and dumbbell shoulder presses in particular offer the chance for great gains along with certain risks for novice lifters.
The pectorals are a large, versatile group of muscles. A number of exercises will work out your pectorals, but two of the most common are the flat chest press and the incline chest press. Each exercise works a slightly different portion of the pectorals and requires different equipment and form. Both incline and flat presses are ideal for progressively overloading the pectorals during your chest workouts.
You may be tempted to try the latest machine-based strength-training equipment, but you can get a workout that is as good, if not better, by using tried-and-true barbells and dumbbells. These classic tools of strength training provide advantages you just can't get from a machine that puts you in a fixed plane of motion. People of almost any fitness level can benefit from including free weights in a regular routine.
Sticking to just one type of training equipment is a surefire way to get bored in your routine. By combining different forms of training, you obtain a variety of benefits and keep your sessions fun, challenging and interesting. Barbells, kettlebells and sandbags are all forms of free weights. Each device has its own advantages, and together they can be used to build functional strength and muscle mass, and to improve your fitness levels and conditioning.
An overhead chest press with dumbbells is great for engaging your shoulders. Do an overhead chest press with dumbbells with help from an Army Combat Medic in the 1st Calvary Division in Iraq and personal trainer in this free video clip.
One of the great things about the cable chest press is the level of resistance present. Find out about the cable chest press versus the dumbbell press with help from a fitness expert in this free video clip.
If you are currently leading a sedentary lifestyle, it's time to include cardio and strength training into your weekly schedule. It can be hard to make time for exercise, but just three hours a week of cardio and strength training exercises can make a significant difference in your overall health. Plus, you'll feel great as you experience the mood-lifting, stress-releasing benefits of regular exercise.
Dumbbells are widely available, relatively easy to use and let you perform a variety of exercises. But unless you understand the benefits of each exercise, you may have trouble reaching your workout goals. So before you incorporate an exercise into -- or remove an activity from -- your routine, be sure you know what that exercise offers. Dumbbell front raises provide benefits for a variety of goals, so you may wish to give it a closer look.
Chest-press exercises are effective for building strength, mass and endurance in your upper body. But beyond the barbell bench press, not many know about the other press exercises for the chest. You can use barbell, dumbbell or cable presses to develop the chest. The benefits of using the barbell are well documented, but your choice for increased secondary muscle work comes down to dumbbell or cable presses. Each has its drawbacks and advantages depending on your fitness goals.
Squats and deadlifts are important for strengthening the lower body and parts of the core. Find out about the best squats and deadlifts to strengthen muscles with help from a qualified fitness professional in this free video clip.
Free weights are a highly effective method for building muscle mass and strength and can even burn calories in a fat-loss plan. Free weights are more functional, versatile and cheaper than machines and work more muscle groups, according to the American Council on Exercise. No exercise is absolutely essential -- the best approach is always to include a variety of exercises in your program. However, there are four categories of exercise you should perform to ensure a balanced, healthy physique.
Front raises are a really great way to work out your anterior delts and other areas of your body. Find out what front raises actually work out with help from an experienced fitness professional in this free video clip.
Kettlebell shoulder development is something that can help you tone your legs, arms and even lose weight. Find out about kettlebell shoulder development with help from a martial arts professional in this free video clip.
Getting strong with pull-ups requires you to focus on upper body strength. Get stronger with pull-ups with help from a martial arts professional in this free video clip.
Kettlebells may date back to 18th-century Russia, but that doesn't mean they aren't applicable in the modern age of sports and exercise. In fact, research has indicated that kettlebell training provides an intense blend of aerobic and anaerobic conditioning that traditional weights may be unable to match. Look into the pros and cons of kettlebell training versus dumbbells and exercises machines to determine which form of exercise can help you reach your personal fitness goals more efficiently.
Yes, your rear end is literally the butt of many jokes. But the health of your gluteus maximus muscle -- which makes up much of your backside -- is no laughing matter. The gluteus maximus is one of your largest muscles and helps your hip move in a variety of directions. Strengthening your gluteus maximus helps you run faster, jump higher and, as a nice bonus, helps you look better as well.
The Swiss dumbbell with a lying leg raise is a great way to strengthen your entire core. Do a Swiss dumbbell with a lying leg raise with help from a fitness and active lifestyle expert in this free video clip.
Also called a straight-leg or stiff-leg deadlift, the single-leg Russian deadlift targets the hamstrings, the same muscle group the leg curl exercise targets. Rather than replacing leg curls, Russian deadlifts complement them, as the deadlifts work the muscles through a different joint articulation than leg curls do. Incorporate both exercises into your leg routine to fully work your hamstring muscles.
Virtually any exercise you perform with dumbbells can be done with wrist weights. Wrist weights are especially useful if you have difficulty gripping, because you don't need to hold onto them as you work out. You can use ones that come in a fixed amount of weight or use ones that allow you to increase or decrease the weight by inserting or removing metal pegs from pockets. Tightly secure the wrist weights around your wrists so they don't slide up and down your arm, but do not make them so tight that they're uncomfortable.
The chest press is designed to help build and maintain your pectoral muscles. Find out about how the chest press works with help from a professional athlete, fitness expert, author, model, and actor in this free video clip.
If you're looking to add a little more challenge to your workouts, a set of ankle weights might be the thing you need. When you strap the weights to your body, you force yourself to work harder, which helps you increase the intensity of the workout without lengthening its duration. As with any type of exercise gear, however, be careful using ankle weights.
You burn calories every day, every second. You don't even have to move to burn calories. Breathing, your heart beating and metabolic activity at the cellular level all require energy, or calories. If you want to lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit, or burn more calories than you consume. You can create a calorie deficit by eating fewer calories and exercising more. Body-weight exercises will help you grow stronger as you drop the pounds.
One of the most common questions when it comes to weight training is “how much should I lift?” While that is an excellent and necessary question, there is no easy, uniform answer. There is no set starting weight for any concentric weight-training exercise, and the key to finding out how much weight to lift during any exercise, stiff-leg deadlifts for example, is to determine your one-rep max through careful trial and error. Determining your one-rep max is crucial, because it’s not only your starting point, it becomes your baseline for tracking your progress. Your one-rep max will rise as you…
Body-weight exercises are handy because you can perform many of them at home using few tools, or none at all. But you can also add tools or props to make your body-weight exercises more challenging. If you’ve taken body-weight pushups, crunches, leg raises or pullups as far as you can, add some weight or use gravity to make the activities even harder.
A strong, well-defined set of shoulders can improve your posture, reduce your chance of rotator cuff injuries and enhance the appearance of your upper body so your waist looks smaller. Standing side laterals can be part of your shoulder-strengthening routine. This isolation exercise works the muscles at the side of your shoulders, also known as your side delts. These muscles help raise your arm out to your side, up in front of you, and backward when you're bent forward. For optimal results and injury prevention, do this exercise with perfect form.
Performing a dead lift properly requires multiple major muscle groups to work together in coordination. This functional compound exercise is one of the most effective muscle-building lifts you can do, as explained by David Robson on BodyBuilding.com. Deadlifting improves your body's ability to lift and move heavy objects in the real world. Deadlifting regularly with proper form will reduce your risk of lower-back injuries both inside and outside the gym.
Your body responds to the challenge of doing pullups by building stronger back, shoulder and arm muscles. If you train long and hard enough, you'll find yourself in the enviable position of needing to make pullups more difficult to keep from hitting a plateau. Wearing a weight vest is the simplest way to do this, but if you don't have a weight vest, holding a weight between your ankles is the next best solution.
Weight lifting is a form of isotonic training, which involves moving a constant load through an exercise’s range of motion. No matter what type of movement you make or the speed with which you execute the movement, the weight remains the same. As a versatile physical activity, lifting weights can be used to accomplish various goals, ranging from boosting endurance for a sport to shaping the body. Customize a weight lifting regimen to address your needs. By changing the intensity, such as the number or reps or sets as well as the amount of weight, you can control the development…
During athletic pursuits, your leg, butt and core muscles act as shock absorbers and joint stabilizers. Strengthening these muscle groups is essential to sport performance, but without proper alignment, balance, spatial awareness and sport-specific coordination, even Herculean strength will not prevent injuries. The most effective lower-body injury prevention programs blend traditional strength exercises with workouts that simulate the movements of the sport.
You'll often feel tired, worn out and a little sore after a hard weightlifting session. While a little soreness is part and parcel of intense training and there is some truth in the "no pain, no gain" philosophy, it's important to differentiate between muscular soreness caused by working hard and pain from an injury. You may experience more soreness in larger muscle groups, such the hamstrings located on the back of the thigh.
To build a big chest you need to repeatedly stress your muscles; repair them by eating enough food and getting plenty of rest; and use a variety of exercises and training methods in the gym. Both dumbbells and barbells have a place in your chest routine, but they each have distinct advantages and disadvantages.
Whether you're male or female, hard-core trainer or general weekend gym goer, bigger, more defined pecs can improve your physique. Your pecs are actually two muscles -- the pec major and pec minor, that between them cover your whole chest. You need to hit your chest from a variety of angles with different exercises for optimal size and shape.
Sitting at a desk all day, driving long distances or slouching can damage your posture. Rounded shoulders and a forward slump are usually the the result of overly tight chest muscles and weak middle back muscles. This hunched posture, commonly called hyperkyphosis, not only looks bad but it also can feel bad. A rounded upper back and forward head position places an inordinate amount of stress on your neck and can result in a buildup of tension in the supporting muscles, resulting in headaches. Fix your posture by stretching your chest muscles, strengthening your middle back and trying to sit…
Be it a toned, flat stomach or a full-fledged six-pack, most exercisers care about their midsections. You can do specific exercises for this area, or you can work your stomach indirectly; in many cases, combining both approaches works best. Remember, your stomach is just another muscle group and should be treated as such. Don't fall for the myth of high reps and light weights for spot reduction; rather, use moderately heavy weights to strengthen and tone your abs. Combined with a sound diet, this is the best way to tighten your stomach.
The muscles around your hips are vital when it comes to increasing lower-body strength, improving sports performance and completing everyday tasks such as walking up stairs. The main muscles that surround your hip joints are your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. The hip joint is naturally unstable, according to Dr. K.D. Christensen of the American Chiropractic Association Rehab Council, so strengthening these muscles through weight lifting is key if you wish to avoid injury.
The deadlift is among the most beneficial exercises you can include in your workout routine, as it is effective for working muscles across your entire body. Because the deadlift engages so many muscles, it can efficiently help you develop strength, and it also burns many calories. If you choose not to perform the deadlift, many alternatives are available so you can beat boredom or emphasize a particular muscle group as you wish. Always ask your doctor before trying any new workouts or exercises.
The standard bench press is one of the most popular, enduring lifts in weight training. For many advanced trainers, it’s the first workout of a session, and the anchor for everything else done in the gym. But it does have its limitations. Most notably, flat bench presses work the middle and outer portions of the pectorals, along with the triceps and the trapezius. That’s about it. There are a couple of important variations on the bench press that give the exercise more utility. For example, incline and decline bench presses target important sections of the pectorals that most other exercises…
Dumbbell curls target your biceps, along with the forearms and stabilizer muscles in the shoulders and trapezius. Chances are that your workouts were moving along well until you hit what everyone hits – a plateau. Pushing through a plateau can be one of the more challenging hurdles in weight training, but there are a couple of tools you can use to minimize plateaus at the outset, and to push through them quickly when they arrive. Progressive overload training when used with a pyramid set/rep structure will help you curl more weight with a dumbbell on an ongoing basis.
The front arm raise is a shoulder exercise usually done with dumbbells. To do the move, stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Allow the dumbbells to hang in front of your thighs. Keeping your elbows straight or slightly bent, raise the dumbbells forward and up until the upper arms are horizontal or just slightly higher than horizontal. Lower to complete one repetition. Include this exercise as part of a total upper-body workout or on a day you plan to work just chest and shoulders.
The leg press is a machine for lower-body exercises that focuses on your quadriceps muscles but also works your glutes, adductors, calves and hamstrings. Most gyms carry some version of leg press, though it's always a good idea to have alternative exercises as a backup in case the leg press is busy or if you train at home and only have access to a pair of dumbbells.
Kettlebells can provide a full-body workout as a separate routine or be combined with your existing training program to add variety and muscle stimulation. You can employ the kettlebell as a strength-training tool during movements such as pushups, Turkish get-ups and military presses, or more as a strength and cardiovascular exercise with movements such as swings and snatches. Whether you choose to alternate days of kettlebell and free weight training or to combine your workouts into one day, you will feel and see the results.
Kettlebells may have recently emerged in your gym, but the truth is that this exercise equipment is far from new. Kettlebells began to be used in Russia in the 1700s. They effectively built strength then, and they continue to do so today. Kettlebells are very different from dumbbells in that the center of gravity is not in the hand, but rather, below the hand. This type of lifting is often used in a day-to-day basis, for carrying groceries or other objects. Carrying a kettlebell is a type of exercise that can build the strength in your arms and abs.
Experiencing muscle soreness after weightlifting is not uncommon, but arm swelling can be a sign of an underlying problem such as lymphedema that requires a doctor’s attention. Sometimes swelling can be caused by delayed-onset muscle soreness, which can last for three to 10 days. Understanding the signs and symptoms of injuries or underlying disorders will help you differentiate a normal result of exercise from a more serious matter.
Muscle soreness can develop if you begin a new workout program or increase the intensity of your normal fitness routine. Delayed-onset muscle soreness, which develops a day or two after a workout, results from actual muscle damage. Understanding different causes of muscle soreness can help you discern a more serious condition that requires doctor’s attention. A combination of home remedies can help alleviate pain. Drink plenty of fluids during and after weight-lifting to prevent dehydration.
