Effective Weight Training Workouts

Jun 8, 2010 | By Nick Ng

According to Vern Gambetta, director of Gambetta Sports Training Systems in Sarasota, Fla., weight training without a strategy or an organized plan is like driving without a map in an unfamiliar city. Without a plan, you would have to guess what exercises to do and how much you should do. Learning a few strategies can help you achieve your goal rather than learning how to do certain exercises alone. You can do weight training with machines, free weights or your own body weight.

Supersets

Gray Cook, founder of Functional Movement Systems in Danville, Va., describes supersets as training two opposing movement patterns or muscle groups with no rest between exercises. This method builds muscular endurance and strength while saving you training time. An example would be to do a pushing exercise followed by a pulling exercise, such as push-up and a pull-up. Another superset would be to perform a lower-body exercise with an upper-body exercise, such as lunges and standing one-arm cable rows. When one muscle groups works, the opposing group rests.

Circuit Training

This is where you do a series of four to eight exercises that train different movement patterns with no rest between sets. Rather than using sets or reps, circuit training often uses time to gauge how long you should do each exercise before moving on to the next one. The time frame typically ranges from 15 to 30 seconds per exercise. Circuit training builds muscular endurance and functional strength, which improve your range of motion, movement patterns and stamina.
A sample circuit of six exercises would include pushing, squatting, pulling, jumping, rotating and throwing. When you complete all the exercises, you have completed one circuit. Rest for one or two minutes before repeating the circuit one to three more times.

Power Endurance Training

According to Gambetta, power is strength combined with speed, and it is a requirement for many sports such as football, baseball and gymnastics. Developing power and endurance increase your stamina and decrease your resting time so you can perform again. Like supersets, power endurance training is performing two exercises without rest between sets. Do one power exercise, such as a squat and shoulder press five to six reps, followed by 30 seconds of rope jumping or light kettlebell swings.