Body Building Guru

A beginner’s guide to Home Strength Training

Strength training is an essential part of a balanced exercise routine and must be combined with other forms of exercise such as flexibility training, aerobics, and resistance training etc. in order to avail maximum benefits. It is used to develop strength, musculoskeletal system and endurance. You can start your strength training regime by joining a commercial gym or perform exercises at home. Considering today’s busy lifestyles and tight schedules, beginning a home strength training program is a great way of enhancing your health.

Basics of beginning a home strength training program:
Consult a doctor: Before going ahead with any of the hardcore weight exercises involved in strength training, it is necessary for you to consult a registered medical practitioner in order to determine if your body is capable of meeting the pressure involved. You must also make a note of any of the ailments you might be suffering from such as cancer, asthma, diabetes, heart disease etc. before beginning your exercise routine. It is recommended that you go in for a complete medical check up prior to training.
Trainer: The next step is to get a professional home instructor who can guide you about the various exercises involved in strength training and how to perform them. You must also consult the trainer on the various types of equipment you will need to install a home gym and its uses. You must decide upon a suitable time for training with the instructor and fix the days. It is necessary to perform strength exercises in the presence of a trainer in order to avoid any injuries. Most exercises require the application of proper techniques in the absence of which you might end up hurting yourself or damage any muscle group.
Equipment: Before buying any equipment for training, you must analyze the amount of space you have and where you would like to set up the machines. You can get appropriate home strength training equipment from any sports goods store but it is advisable for you to look around, compare the prices and settle for the best. You could start with a few inexpensive pieces of equipment such as a selection of dumbbells weighing 3 to 5 pounds, barbells, hand weights etc.
Time: For any exercise program to be successful, it is essential for you to set timelines and targets. You must set realistic goals for yourself in order to achieve maximum benefits. Strength training is one of the fastest work outs and is less time consuming. Three 20 minutes sessions a week are sufficient for starters.

Home strength training exercise tips:
Warm up: Before beginning any form of exercise, it is essential for you to warm up. This increases blood circulation and enables your body to use oxygen more efficiently. Warm up exercises include 5 to 7 minutes of jogging, walking, treadmill exercises, aerobics etc. This should be followed by a mild stretching routine. Warming up decreases the body’s susceptibility to injuries and increases the pulse rate.
Overload:  This is one of the best techniques by means of which you can augment your performance over a period of time. It revolves around gradually increasing the weights and number of workouts per week. Overload can be achieved by increasing the intensity, frequency and duration of your workouts.
Variety: You must include a variety of exercises in your training program to work different muscle groups for maximum gains. Isolating certain muscle groups only boosts their performance but a good exercise program is one that is aimed at the development of the entire body.
Over exercising: Once you have set up your home gym, you might end up exercising way too much. Remember, the key to developing a good body and strength lies in exercising for limited periods of time. Over exercising tires your muscles leading to soreness and aches. Exercising tired muscles may result in a muscle pull or cause irreversible damage to the particular muscle group.
Rest: It is necessary to take proper rest along with exercise to relax the tired muscles and obtain optimal gains; otherwise you may lose weight and interest in the activity.

Strength exercises can be performed by both men and women. They tend to enhance metabolism, increase bone density, develop strength and increase resistance to injury. Working out at home is a great way to utilize your time and maintain good health which is likely to help you in every sphere of life.

Weight Benches for lifting iron

Equipment is the backbone of any exercise program. It helps enhance the overall output of workout sessions and increases the intensity of exercises. Exercise is an essential part of any fitness regime and helps fight a number of ailments such as stress, depression, obesity, cancer, heart disease etc. It is essential for individuals to include exercise as part of there daily routine in order to remain absolutely fit. There are various types of exercises such as running, swimming, free weights, cycling, tennis etc. that enable you to maintain the general fitness of the body. However, certain sports such as weight lifting, power lifting, bodybuilding, athletics, football, golf etc. require enthusiasts to undergo specific training. You can join a commercial gym or work out at home depending upon the availability of equipments and time.

There are two types of equipments you will find in the gym: Free weights and machines.
Free weights are the most basic form of weight training equipment and are not attached to any sort of pulleys, cables, pins or weight stacks. They comprise of barbells, dumb bells, weight plates etc. Weight benches are the most common piece of equipment available in any commercial gym. There are four types of benches:

    Adjustable weight benches: These can be adjusted to various positions such as flat, inclined or declined position, depending upon your requirements. Some benches have racks on one end for holding bar bells whereas other benches do not have any racks and are generally used for dumbbell exercises.
    Hyper extension weight benches: These are used for working the lower back, hamstring and glute muscles. Some commercial gyms also have hyper extension benches that can be used for sit ups to work the abdominals.
    Preacher weight benches: These benches are specifically designed for working the biceps. They have angled pads to support your upper arms while working out. This prevents you from swinging the weight and enables you to isolate the biceps muscles.
    Abdominal weight benches: These are declined benches that are used for doing abdominal exercises. They are attached to rollers that are hooked to your feet in order to avoid sliding.

Tips for working out on benches:
    It is essential for you to warm up before starting any weight lifting exercises as it prevents injury and gets the blood flowing to all the parts of your body.
    Lift and lower the weights slowly. Do not use momentum.
    Bouncy or jerky movements can result in an injury.
    Make sure that you use full range of motion of the joints while exercising.
    Do not hold your breath at any point of time during the exercise.
    Pay attention to your posture balance and coordination.
    Set up a target and try to achieve it by exercising.

The principle of over load:
Weight benches are specifically designed to enable you to lift weight with ease. In order to lift weights you need to use more resistance than usual. To avoid plateaus you must increase the work load gradually. You must lift enough weights to complete the desired number of reps and then increase the weights gradually to achieve the principle of overload.

It is essential for you to use the right technique while lifting weights in the absence of which you can get hurt or injured leading to several health problems such as muscle pulls, damage of muscle tissues, joint injuries, spinal injuries, fractures etc. The emphasis in weight lifting is on the use of the correct form. Therefore, it is essential for you to appoint a certified trainer capable of guiding you throughout your workout session. You must perform an exercise only under the watchful eyes of your trainer in order to avoid any risk of injury.