![]() |
![]() |
|
|
|
|
Weight Training Terminology For Beginners
Weight training is one of the best ways to shape up and lose weight. The benefits of weight training are too numerous to mention here. The purpose of this article is to help you understand the terminology of weight training so that you can better understand your trainer or salesperson. Perhaps you have thought about joining a gym. Perhaps you have called and inquired about cost, operating hours, whether or not someone would be available to help you or any other number of things. Perhaps you had your eye on a piece of exercise equipment and went and talked to a "salesman" at a department store. Either way you were probably hammered with some terms you did not understand. The gym tends to have a language of its own and this article is intended to help you with weight lifting terminology. Here are some of the basics: Routine - The series of exercises that you complete make up your routine. A whole body routine can be done in one day and repeated several times per week, but more than likely a routine will be broken up for Monday, Wednesday, Friday or any other combinations of days. Sometimes a routine will be 2 on 2 off or some other combinations of days. (Workout Monday and Tuesday and then be off Wednesday and Thursday, workout Friday and Saturday, and then off Sunday and Monday, etc. etc.) Remember when you are designing a routine or a personal trainer is designing you a routine; keep in mind that your body needs time to recuperate between workouts. Repetitions - Remember in gym class when the teacher said "Do 25 jumping jacks"? Each jumping jack was a repetition. When a personal trainer is designing you an exercise routine more than likely they will base the number of repetitions they prescribe to you upon your particular goals. Sets - If you do 25 jumping jacks and then rest a minute and do 25 more - you have completed two sets of 25 repetitions. A set is performing the prescribed number of repetitions and then resting. Sometimes a personal trainer will recommend one set per exercise and sometimes they will recommend numerous sets. Again, this depends on your particular goals. Plate - If your personal trainer tells you to slap another plate on the bar what they are referring to is another weight. Plates come in 2.5, 5, 10, 25, 35, and 45 pound and higher increments. Spot - Anyone ever ask you if you need a spot? A spot is simply assistance or someone watching out for you while you complete a set. Your personal trainer will be your full time spot or you can simply ask someone in the gym. Partner - A partner is simply someone that you work out with. Free Weights - Whuh? Free weights are weights that are not attached to a machine. You physically load the weights unto a bar. Machines - Weight lifting machines are usually "pin selected" meaning you put a pin in to select the poundage you want to lift. Machines are different from free weights in that you usually don't have to balance the weight. The weight moves along a path that the machine's mechanics determine. Machine lifting is generally safer than free weights but in lifting free weights you tend to develop your "stabilizer" muscles because not only do you have to lift the weight but you also must control it. Rack - Sometimes referred to as the "rack" the power rack can be used for many exercises. It is the big metal contraption you see over in the corner with holes drilled up both sides so that you can slide a safety bar in. Power racks can be used for squats and chin ups and many other exercises. Circuit routine - A circuit routine combines cardiovascular exercise with weight training. A circuit routine is a routine where you would perform numerous exercises back to back without resting. A sample routine could be 25 jumping jacks followed by 25 push-ups followed by 25 squat thrusts all without resting. When you have finished the squat thrusts you would have completed one circuit. Your personal trainer may put you on a circuit routine to help you burn more calories while you tone up. Negative - Sometimes you here someone in the gym say something like "Do two negatives!" What they are talking about is most easily described as the "lowering of the weight". If I press a weight overhead - The process of pressing it is considered the "positive" portion of the rep. When I lower the weight - that is the negative part of the rep. The negative part of the repetition is very important when it comes to resistance training. A partner will help you with the positive part of the rep and you control the negative. These are usually completed after some exhaustion has occurred in an effort to create more muscle breakdown. Some of the body parts that may not be self explanatory:
Now for your homework: Call your local gymnasium or personal trainer and tell them you want a 3 on 1 off routine with moderate sets and reps focusing on free weights with special emphasis for your glutes and abs?.Just kidding. I do hope that you have learned something from this article. Get to moving and enjoying the many benefits of weight training. Be stronger, leaner, and more confident starting tomorrow! I wish for you the best of health! Bill Herren Bill Herren is the webmaster for weightloss-articles.com Everything weight loss related! Weight loss success stories, product reviews, exercise articles, weight loss recipes, and diet articles. All Free and all designed to help you lose weight! http://www.weightloss-articles.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
RELATED ARTICLES
Monster Triceps They make up the biggest trio in bodybuilding.No, not Arnold, Franco, and Lou. How Proper Calorie Fragmentation Improves Body Composition? It is a well-established fact that calories control everyone's bodyweight. No matter how many meals a day you have, it is the calorie balance in the end of the day that matters. Questioning Proper Abdominal Training Q: I've heard you mention that you don't need tons of cardio to burn stubborn abdominal fat. Okay, I can live with that, but you've also said that it isn't absolutely necessary to perform direct ab work either. Why You Must Use The Right Dumbbells For Your Workout A dumbbell exercise program is effective with the right equipment These days, more so that in decades gone by, dumbbells are growing in popularity in fitness centers and health clubs across the United States.In addition, they are increasingly being purchased by people who want to include them in their personal gyms at home so they can conduct a dumbbell exercise program in the comfort of their own home when it suits them best. Fitness & Muscle Building Know How for Hard Gainers Hard gainers are individuals who train equally hard as other people but somehow fail to make any gains comparable to others. They need a lot more than hard training. A Very Simple Program Anybody Can Follow To Gain MASS Until I started following a routine to eat, my gains were minimal. Once I set my eating times to a specific time during the day along with a protein boost, I could see the gains immediately. Get On the Ball: Core Stability Have you heard the term, focus on the core? No, we're not talking about the inside of a golf ball; we're talking about the inner muscles that make up the abdominal region, hips and lower back. Most people focus their attention on the muscles that are more visible and easy to train, such as biceps, pecs and back, however, the most important muscles that act as our foundation are often over looked. Building Muscle Mass With A Power Cycle Building muscle mass with a power cycle. Desperate for pounds of new muscle? Forget the isolation exercises, for get the weight training routines that have you going for the pump, the burn, flushing the muscle with blood, or any of that other nonsense. Strength Training Strategies that Actually Work Over the years there has been a surge of different strength training techniques that have come onto the market and just faded away. Here we discuss the training strategies to gain the maximum amount of muscle in the shortest time possible that have stood up to the test of time. Secret Training Tip #242 - Be 10% Stronger in Leg Curls Instantly! This is a trick to be done on a leg curl machine. By simply changing where you grip your hands on the machine, you can increase your strength in the movement by as much as 10% instantly!Lie face down on the bench as you normally would when doing the exercise. Creating An Anabolic State That Supports Muscle Growth You can only build muscle if your body is in the correct anabolic balance to allow growth to take place. Intensive exercise is clearly an important part of the muscle building process but achieving the maximum muscle mass depends on putting the building blocks in place. Anabolic Hormones - A Two-Edged Sword When I was a young boy, emerging muscles were the coolest thing. If a vein popped out a little, that was even more awesome. New Bodybuilding Study on the Benefits of Deadlifts Deadlifts are a very potential muscle-building exercise, that will rejuvenate your entire physical condition, to a whole new level -- if executed astutely.Here are some facts, on how Deadlifts can dramatically improve your physical power, to singularly maximized levels:Deadlifts Will Quadruple your Natural Testosterone & Growth Hormone Levels each time your subject yourself into this exercise (performed once / or twice a month. Complete Pec Training Tips Put these pec techniques to use and develop that full, muscular chest today.For most people I see in the gym, the bench press has become more about building an ego than building a quality set of pecs. Choosing The Right Bodybuilding Supplement Before wasting your money on a pile of bodybuilding supplements you really need to work out what you are hoping to achieve. Don't lose sight of the fact that sound nutrition forms the basis of any muscle building program and no amount of supplementation with the latest and greatest products will make up for bad eating habits. Real Muscle Real Fast! Adding muscle seems to be a mystery to most, yet if you pick up a copy of any fitness or bodybuilding magazine and you'll almost always see a headline like this: "Gain 15 Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks."If it were so easy you'd have millions of muscle-heads running around. How to Gain Weight and Build More Muscle Mass In the health, fitness, and nutrition world, achieving optimal or desired body weight is dominated by a single theme: losing weight. The vast majority of products and services available on the market proclaim to achieve weight loss goals, and even the (often discordant) medical community is in general harmony when it comes to promoting weight loss options, including drugs and some surgeries. Successful Body Building Routine There are some major key parts to a successful body building routine. I will go over a routine that was created by a personal trainer for me, and it worked wonderfully. Weight Gain Myths The vast majority of myths about weight gain are mostly passed down from "gym talk" and so-called experts who know nothing about the body's workings.Myths that lead to wasted time, frustration and if are taken blindly as truth, can really set back your progress in the gym. What Causes Muscle Growth? In order for muscles to grow, three things are required: 1. Stimulus - exercise is needed to make the muscles work, use energy and cause microscopic damage to the fibers. |