Workout Programs With Weights

Reduce your risks of training plateaus and minimize boredom by including dumbbells, barbells, kettle bells, pulley machines and hammer-strength weight equipment in your workout programs. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, you must complete a strength-training program at least two days per week to reduce your risks of chronic disease. Each strength-training session should include two sets of eight to 10 exercises that work the major muscles of your body.

Dumbbell Workout

Dumbbells activate your stabilizing muscles to a greater degree compared to barbells and weight machines. Lie on your back on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, then raise and lower the dumbbell above your chest. The small muscles of each shoulder joint must work individually to stabilize the joint in order for your chest and triceps muscles to straighten each arm. When using a barbell, however, both shoulder joints work together to stabilize the bar.
Complete a full-body workout using dumbbells. Start with flat dumbbell presses, one arm dumbbell rows, walking lunges and one-leg dead lifts. Then do dumbbell lateral raises, incline bench dumbbell curls, one-arm dumbbell extensions and weighted crunches on a Swiss ball with the dumbbell across your chest. Perform one set of each exercise, then repeat the series three more times. Complete this workout on Monday, then do the full-body barbell workout on Thursday.

Barbell Workout

Barbells enable you to use heavier weights to challenge your muscles. It is easier to bench press 50 lbs. with a barbell compared to holding 25-lb. dumbbells in each hand. Use a straight barbell and a crooked barbell, or EZ-bar, to easily transition between exercises. Complete four rounds or sets per exercise pair, then move to the next pair of exercises. Start by doing flat barbell bench presses, then one bent-over barbell rows using an EZ-bar. Then move to a squat rack and do one barbell squats followed by bicycle crunches on the floor. Next, perform straight leg barbell dead lifts with lying oblique crunches. Finally, lie on a flat barbell bench press to do close-grip barbell triceps presses and then bicep curls using the EZ-bar.

Isolateral Machine Workout

Isolateral machines are designed so you can work one limb at a time or both limbs at the same time. Isolateral training on machines removes the instability of such exercises while decreasing your risks of dropping a weight on your body. Use a heavier weight to improve the strength or muscle size of a weaker and smaller limb. Complete one set per limb, alternating limbs for a total of three sets per machine, then move on to the next exercise. Perform isolateral chest presses, lateral pull downs, leg extensions, shoulder presses, leg curls, dumbbell curls, triceps extensions and sit-ups on a decline bench.