If you want to get stronger and build muscle mass, weightlifting offers a powerful workout that can help you achieve your goals. Lifting weights builds lean muscle tissue, as well as speeds up your metabolism, helping you burn calories even while resting. Weightlifting also strengthens bones and can help prevent osteoporosis. If you want to build more muscles, you can follow a weightlifting routine that suits your fitness level and body type.
Step 1
Lift weights at least twice a week. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends doing eight to 10 strength-training exercises with eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week for good health. You can lift weights up to three times a week if you want to see results faster, but allow yourself at least one day of recovery between each weightlifting session, so your muscles can repair and rebuild.
Step 2
Perform a weightlifting routine that works all of your major muscles. Do exercises that use your legs, arms, shoulders, glutes, back and abs. Some popular exercises that you can do with free weights or weight machines include the bench press, shoulder press, squats, biceps curls and triceps extensions. Leg press and leg extensions are some additional exercises you can do using weight machines. With free weights, you can add lunges with dumbbells.
Step 3
Adjust your weight and rep amounts to suit your goals. Lift heavier weights with a lower number of repetitions if you want to build muscle mass more quickly. Free weights offer the most potential for heavy lifting, which is useful if you want to bulk up.
Step 4
Record your weight amounts and number of reps for each exercise. Keeping a record of your workouts will help you track your progress and see how you are becoming stronger as you are able to lift more weight. Writing down your workout details will also help you remember your exact weight amounts and how many reps to do of each exercise.
Tips and Warnings
- When you increase the weight amounts for your exercises, do it gradually so as not to get injured. If you are straining hard to complete a weight set, you are probably using too much weight.
- Consult your doctor before beginning a weightlifting program. If you experience any sharp or lasting pains while lifting weights, stop and call your doctor. If you do not know how to do a particular exercise, ask a professional for guidance. If you perform a weightlifting exercise incorrectly, you will increase your chance of injury. Always have someone spot you when you use free weights. According to Rice University, free weights include more potential for injury than weight machines as they are not as controlled.
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