Creating your own weight-training program can be as confusing as it is rewarding. There are a huge number of exercises you can do and many muscles in your body that you might like to work. Structuring your workout around different muscle groups is a way to get strong while staying balanced.
Shoulders: Deltoids
The most basic shoulder exercise is the shoulder press, which works the deltoid muscles in the shoulders. The deltoids make up the upper, rounder part of the shoulder and have several parts. To do the shoulder press, stand or sit on a bench. With a dumbbell in each hand, start with your elbows bent and your hands near your shoulders. Push the dumbbells straight up over your head until your arms are straight. Lower them back down.
Wrists: Flexors
There is a group of muscles in your forearms that allow you to flex your wrists. To work these muscles, you can do a barbell wrist curl. Sit on a bench with a barbell in your hands. Hold it with your palms facing up. Rest your forearms on your thighs with your wrists beyond your knees. Let the barbell roll off your palm into your fingers. Lift it back up by gripping it and flexing your wrist toward you as much as you can. Lower the barbell back down.
Wrists: Extensors
There are three wrist extensor muscles that let you extend your wrists. Work these muscles by doing reverse wrist curls, which are the opposite of the normal wrist curl. Sit on a bench with a barbell in your hands. Hold it with your palms facing down. Rest your forearms on your thighs with your wrists beyond your knees. Let your hands hang down holding the barbell. Lift the barbell up by pointing your knuckles upward as much as you can. Lower the barbell back down.
Upper Arms: Triceps
The triceps are on the back of your upper arms and allow you to straighten your arms. The dumbbell kickback is one of many exercises that targets your triceps. Position yourself with one hand and one knee on a bench and your other foot on the floor. Keep your back flat. Hold a dumbbell in your other hand with your upper arm parallel to your side and elbow bent at 90 degrees. Extend your arm until it is straight, then lower it back down. Repeat with your other arm.
Upper Arms: Biceps
The biceps are on the front of your upper arms, opposite the triceps. They allow you to bend your elbow. A common bicep exercise is the bicep curl. Start by standing with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing away from you, and your arms hanging down by your sides. Raise one dumbbell by bending your elbow until the dumbbell is at shoulder height. Keep your elbow by your side throughout. Lower the weight and repeat on the other side.
Back
There are many muscles in your back. An exercise for working many of them at once is the one-armed row. Place one arm and one knee on a bench with your back flat. Hold a dumbbell in the other hand and allow your arm to hang straight down toward the ground. Lift the dumbbell up, keeping your arm in by your side. Think about squeezing your shoulder blades together as you do this. When your upper arm is parallel to your back, lower the weight back down.
Chest
The chest press works many of the muscles in your chest and is one of the most well-known weight lifting exercises. Lie flat on your back on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Start with the dumbbells resting on your chest, your elbows pointed down toward the ground, and your palms facing your toes. Push the dumbbells straight up over your chest until your arms are straight. Lower the weights back down.
Legs: Quadriceps
The quadriceps are a large muscle group on the front of your thighs. A common exercise for working your quads is the lunge. Stand with a dumbbell in each hand and your legs together. Step forward with one leg, landing heel first. Lower your back knee to the ground by bending from your front knee and hip. Keep your upper body upright. Once your knee touches the ground, push yourself back up and step back so your legs are together again. Repeat with the other leg.
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