San Juan, Utah, high school coach, nationally ranked Highland Games and Strongman competitor Dan John asserts that free weights are the ideal training tool for gaining muscle, reducing injury risk from sports and even losing body fat. In his book "From the Ground Up," John explains that free-weight exercise requires the body to use stabilizer muscles to support the weight instead of just the prime movers. John advocates the use of multi-joint, compound-movement exercises as the ideal way to work with free weights. Stuart McRoberts, a bodybuilding coach and author of "Brawn," agrees that total-body barbell workouts are ideal.
Step 1
Perform free-weight strength-training three times per week. Allow at least 48 to 72 hours of rest interval between your training sessions. According to McRoberts, this is the best method for the average athlete interested in effective resistance training.
Step 2
Start your workouts with the barbell squat. Place a loaded barbell on the pins of a power rack weight-lifting cage. Step backwards under the bar so it rests across the upper portion of your back and shoulders. Grasp the bar with both hands. Lift the bar off the pins and take a step forward. Place your feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart, in a comfortable position. Sit back and down, keeping the point of your knees in line with your second toe on each foot. Keep your upper body as upright as possible. Sit down until your upper thighs are below parallel to the floor. Drive upward, pushing with your hip and leg muscles, until your knees are straight. Perform three or four sets of five repetitions of this exercise. Allow for a three to four minute rest interval between sets.
Step 3
Follow the squats with a pushing exercise for the upper body. Alternate each workout, between the bench press and the overhead press. Perform the bench press by lying on your back on a flat weightlifting bench, inside the power rack weightlifting cage, with the barbell on the pins just short of arm's reach above your chest. Take the bar in both hands, grabbing the bar so that your hands are approximately shoulder-width apart. Lower the bar to your sternum and press it immediately back up until your arms are straight.
Step 4
Stand with your feet together, heels touching, for the overhead press. Hold a loaded barbell on the front of your shoulders with both hands. Press the bar overhead until your arms are straight. Lower the bar back to its resting position on your shoulders. Perform three sets of five repetitions of the upper body pressing exercises for your workouts.
Step 5
Follow your upper-body pressing exercises with the deadlift. Stand upright, feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart, with a loaded barbell resting on the floor in front of you. Squat down until you can grasp the barbell with both hands. Place your hands slightly farther apart than your feet are on the ground. Hold the bar with your arms straight and stand up. Lower the bar back to the ground by squatting back down. Perform two sets of three repetitions of the deadlift each workout.
Tips and Warnings
- Add 5 lbs. per week to your upper body pressing exercises. Add 10 lbs. to the bar each week for your squats and deadlifts. This will ensure you are lifting as much weight as possible in a short time and thus creating strength and muscle gains.
- Consult your doctor before beginning any free-weight exercise program.
Things You'll Need
- Olympic barbell with plates
- Power rack weightlifting cage
References
- From the Ground Up; Dan John; eBook
- Brawn; Stuart McRoberts; 1991
- Starting Strength; Mark Rippetoe; 2008
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