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THE BASICS OF WEIGHT RESISTANCE TRAINING

Weight a Minute, Adding Oomph to Your Fitness Workout Using Resistance Training

The Basics

Want to get the most out of your exercise session? Add weights to your regime and see the difference sooner on your scales, and feel the results faster as your body tones.

Weight Training adds mobility and flexibility to your body while boosting self-esteem!

When one thinks of weights, they generally picture an Olympic weightlifter whose face is the color of last summer's crop of beets. However, this focus will be on the much smaller, but terrifically effective - one, two and five pound weights. Let's begin, shall we?

To begin pumping you'll need a couple of hand weights for your workout, or you can use two one-gallon plastic milk jugs with handles that have been filled with either sand or water. It's also a good idea to invest in a resistance band. One to two pound hand weights should suffice for women; five pounders are recommended for most men but use what you are comfortable with. (Guys, if you are only able to handle the one pounders, don't go beyond your limits by exercising that manly pride. Straining is not what we want to accomplish here.)

If everyone had the same areas of the body that they wanted to tone and shape, mapping out the weight session would be a piece of sponge cake. However, different individuals have different areas of concentration and there are more exercises than there are craters in the moon. So locate a book that outlines the moves that you feel will give you the best results. Your local library is a great source - and it's free!

Feel free to consult a fitness trainer who can guide you through an effective routine designed for your body. There's nothing quite like one-on-one.

A good workout will average three times a week for about thirty minutes for each session. You'll need to allow time to warm-up and cool down.

As a mind exercise, try carrying your weights around the house with you, or on a short walk. You'll not only burn extra calories amid the activity, once you set the weights down you'll feel just how much that 2, 4 or 10 pounds weighs!