USE OF EQUIPMENTS IN WEIGHT TRAINING;
Various equipment has been used in weight training. The most popular are dumbbells. I recommend weight-training exercises with a pair of light dumbbells. With proper technique most of the muscles in the body can be strengthened with the use of dumbbells. Advantage of dumbbells is that cheap convenient and can be used in a small area.

Pulley Machines:
Pulley Machines have revolutionarised weight training. Though they are bulky and one has to visit a gymnasium for a wide variety of pulley exercises. The advantages are fabulous. The pulley system is the least injurious of the weight training methods. There are very few compressive stresses on the joints and the machines work on distraction principles.
Use of springs was very popular in the past. The variety of chest expanders, grip strengtheners and popular brands like Bullworker, provided isometric exercises. Isometrics were very popular in the past. Studies have shown that isometric exercises though very good for strength buildup can raise the blood pressure and prove to be hazardous.
Hydraulic Machines for Weight Training are used in sophisticated gymnasiums. Here the injury levels are very minimum, even when one is overtraining certain groups of muscles or using these for power building. Hydraulic machines are very useful because antagonistic muscles can be exercised on the same apparatus for example; the machine, which exercises the biceps muscles also, exercises the triceps. Disadvantage is that it is very expensive.
Weight training can also be performed with sandbags, weight cuffs and elastic bands, which are very portable and convenient outdoors.
Strength training using one’s own body weight is termed as Free Hand Muscle Toning. The popular exercises using this principle are squats, sit ups, pull-ups, push ups, etc. The advantage is their convenience and simplicity. The problem with this type of training is that over weight people can cause injuries to their muscles and joints due to over loading by their own excess body weight. The persons using weights like dumbbells and pulleys avoid this by choosing weights, which are much lighter.

Weight training is recommended for ladies and gents, young and old.

Methods of Weight Training:

Isotonic Exercises:
This is the type of exercise, which includes dumbbells barbells, pulley systems. The most popular, form of strength training methods. The exact meaning of isotonic, iso means constant and tonic means weight. During an exercise the loading of the muscle remain constant. Even exercises like push ups, sit-ups and squats are included in this type of exercises.

Isometric Exercises:
With Isometrics, the muscle groups contracts against a fixed immovable resistance. Exercises like sitting at the table, the palms on the table and pressing the table down is an example of an Isometric exercise. The contraction is kept for 5 to 10 seconds for best results. The meaning of Isometric means, Iso that is constant and metric is the length of the muscle. When one performs Isometric exercises the length of the muscle does not vary. Chest expanders and other spring-loaded equipment provide isometric exercise.

Isokinetic Exercises:
Isokinetic means, Iso means constant and Kinetic means movement. The exercise is based on the principles, that resistance is applied during the entire range of movements of a joint. In Iso-Tonic exercise, the muscle may be aided by gravity and the resistance may not be constant during the entire range of movement. In Iso-Kinetic, the equipment is so designed that the muscle can apply maximum tension during the entire lift or entire range of movement. Popular brands like Cybex are examples of Iso-Kinetic Weight training equipment.

Exercises for Muscle Endurance:
The best exercises for muscle endurance are Isotonic exercises with light weights and many repetitions. The concept of muscle building endurance is that small resistance is lifted over the longer period of time without causing fatigue to the muscles and the exercises are performed by aerobic method. Weights are chosen which allows 10 to 20 repetitions without causing fatigue or muscle soreness.

Circuit Weight Training:
Circuit weight training is an example of aerobic weight training, where improvement in muscle endurance is sought. Here one begins with a lower extremity muscle group and alternates weight training with muscles with the upper extremity. For example, one could start with leg press, where 10 to 12 repetitions are performed and then with the 5 second gap one proceeds to the bench press station which is followed by Hamstring curls, before proceeding to the lat pull down apparatus.

Exercises for Muscle Strength and Power:
In this group of exercises, one has to use larger weights for smaller repetitions. Strength training is based on 3 basic principles.

Overload principle. This states that strength and size of the muscle will increase only when the muscle performs at its maximal strength that is against workloads that are above those normally encountered. The muscle will only improve when brought to the state of fatigue.

Progressive increase in resistance: The second principle is progressive resistance to build up muscle strength and bulk, the resistance against which the muscle works has to be progressively increased, as there is gain in strength periodically. This increase is continued until the desired strength is achieved.

Breakdown and Repair principle: For increasing muscle strength and size the excess resistance creates a micro injury in the muscle. This micro injury occurs within the minute muscle fibrils. After stopping the exercise and giving it rest, there is a phase of repair in which the muscle undergoes increase in size and strength with incorporation of protein substances in the muscle.
When one is performing strength training exercise, there must be a sequence of exercises where the larger muscle groups are exercised before the smaller muscle groups. The reasons for this is that smaller muscles tend to get fatigued more quickly and more easily limiting the proper overload of larger muscle groups. The order in which the muscle groups should be exercised is as follows:

• First upper legs and hips, second chest and upper arm, third back and the posterior aspect of legs, fourth shoulders and posterior arms, fifth lower legs and arms, sixth abdomen, seventh anterior aspect of arms.
• When one starts weight training, one must be familiar with certain terms. A work out is usually planned in repetitions and sets. Repetition is defined as one particular movement against resistance and a set is defined as a certain number of these repetitions.
• One repetition maximum (1-RM) is defined as the maximal load a muscle or a group of muscles can lift just once.
• (6-RM) or 6 repetitions maximum is the greatest amount of weight that can be lifted six times.
• 70% (1-RM) means 70% of the load, which can be lifted once.
• Three sets six repetitions of 70% (1-RM) is the example of instructions given to a weight trainer. Here the person has to perform three sets which each have six repetitions of a load which is 70% of one single maximal lift.

PRECAUTIONS:
When one is performing any kind of weight training, one needs to warm up and stretch the muscles, which would be involved in the strength training. Always begin with light weights and work yourself towards higher weights. Cool down and stretch your muscles after the work out. If heavy weights are used, at least 48 hours rest is recommended between two workout sessions to give adequate rest to the building muscle.

Advantages of Weight Training:

1. With weight training exercises, one builds up muscles which increase your resting metabolic rate and provide you with the system which is involved in calorie burning 24 hours a day.
2. Circuit Weight training are exercises aimed at muscle endurance all types of aerobic exercises which burn calories and fat during a weight training work out.
3. Heavy Weight training is also indirectly responsible in fat burning. When a muscle is rebuilding after an overload work out, there are certain hormones, which are secreted like the growth hormone, which has functions like bringing the fat in the metabolism from the depot areas. Thus fat can be accessed by heavy weight training and burnt as fuel due to the raised resting metabolic rate even at rest.
4. Prevention of disease, stronger muscles prevent degeneration of joints and help in conditions like Osteoporosis. A person with stronger muscles is less likely to get disorders like tennis elbow and spondylosis. A person with better muscles can withstand an injury better with minimal damage to the tissues.
5. Strength training improves posture and personality in general.

WEIGHT TRAINING
Using dumbbells and weight cuffs.

HEEL RAISES: for calves:
Hold the dumb bells in both hands. Arms hanging loosely by your sides. Inhale. Now exhale as you raise your heels and stand on your toes.

HALF SQUATS for quadriceps
Hold the dumb bells in your hands by your sides. Inhale as you squat, bending your knees so that the thighs are parallel to the ground. Do not lift your heels off the ground. Now exhale as you rise up to the starting position.

LEG RAISES for quadriceps
Weight cuffs tied at your ankles, sit on a chair with your buttocks touching the backrest, knees bent at right angle. Raise your leg, one at a time. Get it up so that it is in line with your thigh.

LEG CURLS for hamstrings
Stand with support. Weight cuffs tied to your ankle bend your knee to right angle, lifting the weight behind you

BACK KICKS for gluteal extensors:
Stand with support, with weight cuff at your ankle raise your entire lower extremity backwards without bending your knee.

SIDE KICKS for gluteal abductors
Stand with support and abduct your leg with weight cuff sideways as high as you can.

GROIN for adductors
Stand with support and scissor your leg in front of the other leg. You will exercise the adductor muscles of the hip.

FREE HAND FOR ABDOMEN AND BACK
CRUNCHES
Lie on the ground with your knees flexed. Raise your upper torso so that your lower back goes flush with the ground.

SIT UPS
Lie on the ground with your knees flexed. Now lift up your torso so that you sit up. You could fix your feet for added support.

Advanced abdominal workouts.
BACK EXTENSORS
Lie down with your face down, hands by your sides. Now raise your torso and look towards the ceiling.
Back extension exercise.

BENCH PRESS with dumbbells for pectorals:
Lie on your back on a bench. Hold a pair of dumb bells in your hands above your chest. Inhale. Now exhale as you raise your hands away from your body.

SHOULDER SHRUGS for trapezius
Stand up with hands holding dumb bells by your sides. Now raise your shoulders with a shrugging movement.

SHOULDER PRESS for deltoids
Stand with dumb bells held at shoulder level. Now raise each hand up lifting the weight towards the ceiling.

ELBOW EXTENSIONS for triceps
Hold your hand behind your head with your elbow bent. Now straighten your elbow lifting the weight towards the ceiling.

ELBOW CURLS for biceps
Hold your hands by your sides. Lift the weight towards your shoulder, bending your elbows alternately. Exhale as you lift the weight.

WRIST CURLS for forearm flexors
Hold the dumb bell with your palm facing the ceiling. Flex your wrist to perform a curling movement.

WRIST EXTENSIONS for forearm extensors
Hold the dumb bell with your palm facing the ground. Now extend your wrist and lift the weight up.

Do I become flabby if I give up muscle toning exercises?
You would be flabby anyway. If you start weight training and stop you will only realise it better.

Ten Golden Rules of weight training:
Concentrate on the muscles while exercising. Focus your full mental awareness on the muscle group, which is being exercised.
Maintain a good rhythm during exercise. Lift slowly 2 sec for the lift (positive stroke) and 4 sec for getting back to start position.(negative stroke)
Knees and elbows should be soft during most exercises, which means that the knee and elbow joints are never fully extended to protect them from injury.
Exhale during the positive stroke or exertion and inhale during the negative stroke.
Start light and then work your way up. Always begin with smaller weights.
Start with larger muscles and then work the smaller ones. Bench press before curls.
Rest between sets for 30 to 60 seconds and then begin the new set.
Rest for 48 hours between workouts to help muscles recover.
Take professional help to chalk out your program and to teach you the correct technique.
Warm up and stretch before the work out and cool down after weight training.

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