Weight Lifting and Weight Training
A Comprehensive Guide to Increasing Your Health Through Scientifically Founded Weightlifting
by Noah Daniels
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including scanning, photocopying, or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder.
Copyright © 2013 by Noah Daniels
DISCLAIMER: This information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or heard.
Whether you call it weightlifting, pumping iron, or bodybuilding - lifting weights both light and heavy has long been a great way to get in shape and stay in shape. Weightlifting or weight training has many health benefits for both men and women. There are weightlifting and weight-training routines appropriate for men, woman, even children of any age, any size, and any body type. If you want to build muscle mass, increase stamina, improve cardiac function, even stave off the symptoms of osteoporosis - you can accomplish all of that and so much more by adding a good weight training routine to your regular workout.
To get the most health benefit out of lifting weights, you need to combine your weight training with other exercise. If you are not already doing some kind of aerobic or cardio workout everyday, you must do this in addition to weight lifting. It is not healthy to just begin to lift weights without a proper warm up. Of course before starting any workout routine, check with your doctor. Prior to starting you weight lifting workout you need to "get the blood moving" and your muscles primed for some heavy lifting. Just before hitting the weights do a good ten minutes on a bicycle, take a short jog, or jump rope. Do a few legs and arm stretches as well. The key to successful weight training involves what are called repetitions. In lifting it is not so important how much you lift, but how many times you can lift the weight. A proper weight lifting routine will be designed to work out all of the major muscle groups of the body, which include: The Shoulders, Neck and Back, Biceps, Triceps, Quadriceps Chest, Abs, Hamstrings, Calves, and of course the Gluteus.
The next question on your mind is likely to be "should I use free weights or machines?" and "how much weight should I work out with?" You can use free weights or machines or maybe a little of both. If you are working out in a gym, of course they will have both and will likely be able to recommend a "circuit" of weight lifting exercises for you. If you intend to lift weights in the home, it all depends on your budget and physical space to determine of you want to buy a "Home Gym" type resistance trainer such as Bowflex - or a good set of free weights and barbells - or both. Weight machines are great for beginners because they have been designed to work a specific muscle or muscle group, and will insure that you are seated or standing in the right position to target that group when you lift. Free weights are the traditional barbells and dumbbells that have been around for centuries, and they work great. In fact some would argue that once you learn how to use them properly you get a better workout than machines because it is only the force of your muscles and your ability to balance the weight that keeps the weight and your muscles moving properly. There is no aid from the machine, so you are effectively using more muscle with free weights.
Lifting weights improves your strength and stamina. Lifting weights builds muscle and confidence, improves cardiovascular health and can actually help prevent other sports injuries. And lifting weights can help you lose extra pounds and keep them off - so what are you "weighting" for come on get pumping!
We all know that lifting weights leads to bigger muscles, harder muscles, and more definition. But just how does weight lifting do that? What is the physiology of weight lifting?
Basically weight lifting is a method of strength training. Lifting weights uses the force of gravity to oppose muscle contraction. Overcoming that opposition increases strength and builds muscle. The concept was simply and elegantly summed up by Hippocrates centuries ago – “That which is used develops, and that which is unused wastes away”. He was correct – and his contemporaries while not sure of the anatomical science behind it, also understood the basic weight lifting and strength-training concept of progressive resistance. Its been said that ancient Greek wrestlers when training for the early Olympic Games carried a new born calf on their back everyday until it was grown. While that may not go over very well at your gym, the concept is sound. Weight lifting builds strength and muscle mass through progressive resistance. The reasons our muscles grow and become stronger when we workout with weights is due to the bodies response to injury. Muscle growth from weight lifting is basically a healing process. When we lift weights, we do (when done correctly) a small amount of microtrauma to our muscle tissue. The body’s response to the trauma is to rebuild the weakened or torn muscle fibers, and in doing so build them even bigger and stronger then they were prior to the microtrauma so as to prevent repeat of the injury. So that is how progressive resistance works in weight lifting and weight training. We add more weight do more reps, and teardown more muscle fiber - the body keeps responding by healing the muscle eventually pushing the muscle to its ultimate limit, which is genetically determined.
Professional power lifters, other athletes, and experienced weightlifters will use this concept when training or working with weights by adding weight to the point they cannot lift – and then backing off just a bit and then push the maximum weight possible. This is called progressive overload and it forces the muscles to grow stronger and larger to lift the heavier weight. However working out by lifting weights at the ultimate limit of your strength is not recommended for novice weight lifters. Professionals say beginners can achieve the same results a lot safer, by progressively adding repetitions to the workout, and not lifting heavier weights. This will still fatigue muscles, wear down fibers, and result in the progressive microtrauma required to build muscle, strength and stamina.
So what does all this mean? In order for weight lifting to result in building muscle and increasing strength, you must allow the body some down time to “heal”. Because it is this “healing” that is really the process of building renewed and strengthened muscle tissue. What that means is that you should not lift everyday – especially in the beginning of your weight lifting regimen. Muscle growth can take anywhere from 2 to 4 days. So beginners generally will workout out every other day. The more experienced you are the longer the recovery period actually can be. Professional or very experienced weight lifters require more strength to push the limit, and cause more damage when they do, and therefore require longer time to build and repair muscles to greater strength. The pros will use a weight lifting routine that works any given specific muscle group only every 4 days.
When it comes to exercise equipment, with the possible exception of the jump rope you really cant get much more basic then the gear you need for weight lifting. The first body builders probably just used very big rocks! But seriously, one of the nice thing about weight lifting is not only is it a great way to get in shape, and build strength and self confidence – it does not really require any real fancy or expensive equipment.
Now you can join a gym and have access to all the weight lifting gear you can imagine, both free weights and machines. But you can also accomplish many of the benefits of weight lifting with a basic set of barbells, dumbbells, and a good home work out regimen. Dumbbells usually are the familiar one-piece bone-shaped hand weights. Barbells are usually used for the more advanced workouts and longer muscle groups. This is the long bar with adjustable weight by adding or subtracting weighted plates. Although you can purchase a dumbbell-sized bar, and effectively use plates to make a dumbbell, generally speaking Dumbbells are fixed weights.
For basic weight lifting most pros recommend a 5-50lb Hex Dumbbell set. The hex refers to the shape of the weights – they are hexagonal rather then round, so they will not roll when you put them down. You walls and your toes will thank you. 5– 50lbHex sets can be purchased for under 500.00 complete with racks. As far as a Barbell set goes it depends on how much weight you want to have available to you in terms of the plates. And the nice thing about barbells is of course you can always purchase additional weight plates as you lift and increase you abilities. But a decent starter set of Barbells and plates is definitely under 200.00. Garage sales are a great place to find barbells and plates – unfortunately people do not always stick with their commitment to lift weights. A curling bar is also a good idea. Basically a curved barbell (you can use the same plates as on your straight bar) that makes the action of doing curls easier. You also may want to pick up a weight bench. This too can often be found used. A weight bench is essential for doing many weight lifting exercises for the back and chest – and it also can be used for ab crunches, and triceps dips with your dumbbells.
Other accessories you may want to consider are a good pair of weight lifting gloves to protect your hands while lifting. Unless you have a back problem you already are aware of weight belts for additional support are usually not necessary for basic weight lifting workouts. In fact some trainers so they do more harm then good because they allow a lifter to lift more then they really are physically capable of, and cause certain muscles in the forearms and lower back to receive less of a work out and less of a benefit from your weight lift routine. Don’t forget that the basic physics of weight lifting is to apply force against muscle contraction to overcome the force of gravity – that same feat can be accomplished by lifting your body weight – and if you are really on a tight budget or pressed for space a simple chin-up bar can be installed in any doorway to get in some lifting and strength training.
Can I lose weight by lifting weights? It is a good question. And the answer is if that is the intention of your weight lifting regimen - yes. Now of course in the classic story of the “98 pound weakling” who got sand kicked in his face on the beach and then went on to become Charles Atlas – weight lifting lead to increased muscle mass and weight gain - and of course even today many people lift weights to “bulk up”. But a properly designed weight lifting workout can be used to burn fat, increase metabolism and lose weight.
Doctors and fitness experts agree the key to effective weight loss is to raise what is called Resting Metabolism. Resting Metabolism Rate (RMR) is the rate at which your body consumes fuel when at rest. That fuel is better known as calories. Do you know where the bulk of calories are burned or used in the body – in lean muscle mass. Muscle is active tissue, muscles even at rest burn calories – fat does not. The more lean muscle mass you have the more calories you burn. What is the best way to build lean muscle mass – lifting weights of course! This is why diet alone never leads to permanent weight loss; diet without exercise does nothing to increase RMR. And even the exercises usually associated with sliming down, like aerobics and other cardio workouts, also do little to raise RMR – that is why fitness gurus all suggest adding weight lifting to any exercise program designed for effective and permanent weight loss. This is true for men as well as women. Many women fear weight lifting because they are afraid they will get “too bulky” or “too manly”. This is simply not so, Mother Nature has seen to that. Most women just do not have enough testosterone (which speeds and enhances muscle growth, actually making it easier for men to raise their RMR, sorry gals) – to develop a “manly physique”. Remember we are not talking about a heavy 2 hour a day pumping iron session. As part of a regimen to raise RMR, moderate weight lifting 2 – 3 times a week is all it should take.
Start out with a weight that is comfortable for you and that you can lift in any given exercise 8-12 times or repetitions. If the muscles do not become noticeably fatigued by the 12th time, the weight is too light, gradually increase until the first signs of fatigue come in at around that 12th rep. To build the most lean mass, gradually increase the weight by about 10% each time you can do the 12 reps. Remember weight lifting is designed to raise RMR and build lean muscle mass as and adjunct to cardio, not as a replacement. They work arm and arm, cardio to burn fat – weight lifting to build muscle mass and increase RMR.
The bottomline is dieting slows metabolism – weight lifting increases it. Dieting plus weight lifting leads to a slimmer healthier you.