Weight Training For Dummies

388 Pages·2014·7.12 MB·English

by  LaReine Chabut

Weight Training
4th Edition
by LaReine Chabut, Liz Neporent, and
Suzanne Schlosberg
Weight Training For Dummies®, 4th Edition
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2014913218
ISBN 978-1-118-94074-7 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-94076-1 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-94075-4 (ebk)
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents at a Glance
Introduction ................................................................ 1
Part I: Getting Started with Weight Training.................. 5
Chapter 1: Weight Training for Life .................................................................................7
Chapter 2: The Principles of Training: Concepts and Terminology ..........................13
Chapter 3: Testing Your Strength, Setting Goals, and Tracking Your Progress ......27
Chapter 4: Weight-Training Tools and Equipment ......................................................39
Chapter 5: Safety First: Protecting Yourself and Preventing Injury ..........................55
Part II: Gaining Weight-Training Wisdom .................... 69
Chapter 6: Set ting Up Your Own Gym at Home ...........................................................71
Chapter 7: Exercising Away from Home: Clubs, Trainers, and Classes ....................81
Chapter 8: Your Muscles and How to Use Them Properly .........................................97
Part III: Tackling the Exercises ................................. 105
Chapter 9: Working Your Back .....................................................................................107
Chapter 10: Working Your Chest .................................................................................129
Chapter 11: Working Your Shoulders ..........................................................................145
Chapter 12: Working Your Arms ..................................................................................161
Chapter 13: Working Your Abdominals ......................................................................175
Chapter 14: Working Your Butt and Legs ...................................................................187
Chapter 15: Weights for Core Strength .......................................................................209
Chapter 16: Stretching: The Truth ...............................................................................223
Part IV: Setting Up Your Workout Programs ............... 239
Chapter 17: Basic Workouts to Get Started ...............................................................241
Chapter 18: 20-Minute Workouts for the Time Challenged ......................................251
Chapter 19: Tackling More-Advanced Programs .......................................................261
Chapter 20: Workouts for the Family: New Moms, Moms-to-Be, Kids, and Teens ...275
Chapter 21: Workouts for Baby Boomers and Beyond .............................................297
Chapter 22: Adding Yoga and Pilates for Flexibility ..................................................309
Part V: The Part of Tens ........................................... 321
Chapter 23: Ten (Or So) Ways to Use Exercise Bands to Tone and Tighten .........323
Chapter 24: Ten (Or So) Ways to Have a Ball with Exercise Balls ...........................335
Index ...................................................................... 351
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................. 1
About This Book ..............................................................................................2
Foolish Assumptions .......................................................................................3
Icons Used in This Book .................................................................................3
Beyond the Book .............................................................................................4
Where to Go from Here ...................................................................................4
Part I: Getting Started with Weight Training .................. 5
Chapter 1: Weight Training for Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Weight Training for All Bodies .......................................................................7
Fitness Testing and Goal Setting for Success ...............................................8
Safety First to Enjoy Training .........................................................................9
Choosing Your Training Equipment ..............................................................9
Selecting the Right Exercises, Routines, and Training Settings ..............11
Living a Healthy Lifestyle .............................................................................11
Pumping up your heart and lungs .....................................................12
Improving your flexibility ...................................................................12
Balancing options and training your brain .......................................12
Chapter 2: The Principles of Training: Concepts and
Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Defining Weight-Training Jargon .................................................................13
Understanding Reps ......................................................................................15
Getting Acquainted with Sets .......................................................................16
Knowing Weight-Routine Essentials ............................................................17
Focusing on major muscle groups .....................................................17
Sequencing: Doing exercises in the right order ...............................18
Appreciating the Value of Rest and Recovery ...........................................19
Taking one day of rest for each muscle group .................................20
Avoiding overtraining ..........................................................................20
Getting enough sleep ...........................................................................21
Maintaining and detraining: When you’re too busy to 
work out ............................................................................................22
How Your Mind Helps Your Body ...............................................................22
Concentrating on the mind-body connection ..................................22
Visualizing yourself strong .................................................................23
Long-Term Training: Seeing the Big Picture ...............................................23
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Weight Training For Dummies, 4th Edition
Chapter 3: Testing Your Strength, Setting Goals, and
Tracking Your Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Identifying Your Fitness Level .....................................................................28
Measuring Your Progress .............................................................................29
Evaluating Your Strength and Endurance ..................................................30
Comparing your upper-body strength ..............................................31
Comparing your abdominal strength ................................................31
Goal Setting for Success ...............................................................................32
Identifying why your goals are important ........................................32
Using S.M.A.R.T. goals .........................................................................33
Logging and Tracking Your Progress ..........................................................34
Recording information in your log ....................................................36
Analyzing your workout log................................................................36
Chapter 4: Weight-Training Tools and Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Getting Comfortable with Free Weights .....................................................40
Knowing the value of free weights .....................................................40
Making the choice, knowing the difference: Dumbbells
versus barbells .................................................................................41
Using a Weight Bench ...................................................................................44
Don’t Be Afraid of Weight Machines ...........................................................46
Making weight machines work for you .............................................46
Examining specific weight machines .................................................47
Cable machines: A different breed ....................................................49
Buckling Down on Bands
and Tubing ..................................................................................................51
Exploring Sandbags for Shifting Weight .....................................................52
Keying in on Kettlebells for Weight Training .............................................52
Chapter 5: Safety First: Protecting Yourself and
Preventing Injury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Weight Lifting Safety Rules ...........................................................................55
Properly warming up before you lift .................................................56
Warming up with light weights ..........................................................56
Using your breath ................................................................................57
Using proper form................................................................................57
Cooling down ........................................................................................59
Resting your muscles ..........................................................................59
Weight-Lifting Safety Tips .............................................................................59
Free-weight safety tips ........................................................................60
Weight-machine safety tips ................................................................61
Spotting with a Friend ...................................................................................62
Briefing your spotter ...........................................................................63
Being the spotter .................................................................................64
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Table of Contents
Common Weight-Training Injuries ..............................................................65
Overcoming Injuries ......................................................................................67
Part II: Gaining Weight-Training Wisdom ..................... 69
Chapter 6: Set ting Up Your Own Gym at Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Weight Training at Home ..............................................................................71
Setting Up a Home Gym ................................................................................72
Picking Free Weights .....................................................................................73
Buying dumbbells ................................................................................74
Buying barbells ....................................................................................77
Buying a bench .....................................................................................77
Investing in Weight Machines ......................................................................78
Purchasing Bands or Tubing ........................................................................80
Chapter 7: Exercising Away from Home: Clubs, Trainers,
and Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Joining a Health Club ....................................................................................81
Choosing a Health Club ................................................................................82
Researching Trainers ....................................................................................84
Finding fitness help: What a trainer can do for you ........................85
Finding a qualified trainer ...................................................................86
Being on your best behavior ..............................................................88
Working in a Group: An Introduction to Weight-Training Classes ..........89
Conditioning your muscles .................................................................89
Getting quality group instruction ......................................................89
Knowing Weight-Training Etiquette ............................................................92
Sharing equipment ...............................................................................92
Unloading your weight bar .................................................................92
Putting weights back where you found them ...................................93
Wiping down the machines ................................................................93
Keeping up with the flow of traffic ....................................................93
Moving along at the drinking fountain ..............................................94
Lugging around your gym bag............................................................94
Treating the locker room like your own bathroom .........................94
Chapter 8: Your Muscles and How to Use Them Properly . . . . . . . . . . 97
Understanding the Basic Info .......................................................................97
Grasping Our Favorite Phrases ..................................................................100
The Art of Breathing through an Exercise ................................................103
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Weight Training For Dummies, 4th Edition
Part III: Tackling the Exercises .................................. 105
Chapter 9: Working Your Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Understanding Upper-Back Muscle Basics ...............................................107
Getting an Upper-Back Workout ................................................................109
Avoiding Mistakes When Working Your Upper Back ..............................110
Getting Skilled at Upper-Back Exercises ...................................................111
One-arm dumbbell row .....................................................................111
Dumbbell pullover .............................................................................113
Dumbbell shrug ..................................................................................114
Machine row .......................................................................................116
Lat pull-down ......................................................................................117
Cable row ............................................................................................119
Assisted pull-up ..................................................................................121
Understanding Lower-Back Muscle Basics ..............................................122
Getting a Strong Lower Back ......................................................................123
Getting a Lower-Back Workout ..................................................................124
Avoiding Mistakes When Working Your Lower Back ..............................124
Trying Floor Exercises for the Lower Back ..............................................125
Pelvic tilt .............................................................................................125
Back extension ...................................................................................126
Chapter 10: Working Your Chest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Grasping Chest-Muscle Basics ...................................................................129
Benefitting from Strong Pecs .....................................................................130
Getting a Chest Workout ............................................................................130
Mistakes to Avoid When Pumping Your Pecs ..........................................132
Becoming Skilled at Chest Exercises .........................................................133
Modified push-up ...............................................................................133
Push-up ...............................................................................................135
Bench press ........................................................................................136
Dumbbell chest press ........................................................................138
Vertical chest press ...........................................................................139
Cable crossover .................................................................................141
Assisted dip ........................................................................................142
Chapter 11: Working Your Shoulders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Understanding the Basics of Shoulder Muscles ......................................145
Benefiting from Strong Shoulders .............................................................146
Getting a Great Shoulder Workout ............................................................147
Knowing Mistakes to Avoid When Training Your Shoulders .................148
Exaggerating the movement .............................................................148
Arching your back .............................................................................149