Free weights are one of the oldest and most effective tools for weight training. Proper training with free weights is also one of the safest methods, with competitive lifting considered one of the safest sports, according to the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research." You can build explosive strength and power, gain lean muscle, burn fat and improve your bone density. Consult your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program.
Compound Lifts
The basics of a solid weight training routine should revolve around the compound lifts, which span more than one joint and recruit multiple muscles. The squat works your legs but also your abdominals and hips, and the deadlift works your lower back, abdominals, upper back and legs. Between the chin-up, bench press, row and military press, you can work practically every muscle in your upper body. When beginning a free weight routine, work on just these six exercises, because your program is not just about adding weight to the bar, it is about learning to perform the lifts correctly.
Training Program
Train your entire body on nonconsecutive days three times a week. This will give you plenty of volume but also plenty of rest. There is no need for dozens of sets per exercise -- three to five sets is adequate -- and aim for five to eight repetitions per set. You do not need hundreds of repetitions as resistance training is not a marathon. Gradually add weight to the bar until you are training with at least 75 percent of your one repetition maximum on each set. This will increase your ability to produce testosterone, a hormone that directly contributes to your ability to build muscle.
Workout Guidelines
Start with the hardest exercise first. You do not want to squat while you are fatigued, so do this exercise before all of the rest. Make sure you use a full range-of-motion on every exercise, lift the weights smoothly, and never allow your back to round on any exercise. Keep your rest periods as short as you can, but allow enough time to perform your next set safely. Only deadlift one day a week, as squatting three times a week is very taxing on your ability to recover, so you should save your lower back for squatting. Deadlift on the last day of your training week which should allow you two days to recover before the next session.
Isolation Exercises
Isolation exercises work muscles around a single joint. They can be done in addition to compound exercises, but can never effectively replace them. After you have developed your technique and have the basics of a solid routine down, you may wish to add in an exercise or two to work a weak point on your body. This is not necessary at first, because if you are new to lifting, everything needs work. Additional work for the triceps can help with strength on the bench press and military press, and additional work for the back of the shoulder can help with stability of the joint during exercise as well as daily activities.
References
- "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research;" Relative Safety of Weightlifting and Weight Training; Brian Hamill, 1994
- "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research"; Changes in Bone Mineral Density in Response to 24 Weeks of Resistance Training in College-age Men and Women; Harold C.Almstedt et al., July 2010.
- "Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise"; Biomechanics of the Knee During Closed Kinetic Chain and Open Kinetic Chain Exercises; Rafael F. Escamilla et al.; April 1998
- "Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise"; A Three-dimensional Biomechanical Analysis of Sumo and Conventional Style Deadlifts; Rafael F. Escamilla et al.; July 2000
- "European Journal of Applied Physiology"; Acute Hormonal and Neuromuscular Responses to Hypertrophy, Strength and Power Type Resistance Exercise; George O. McCaulley et al., March 2009.
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