Weight Training for Beginners

My first exposure to "weight training" was the Olympic weight lifting that occasionally showed up on TV in the late 1970's. So when my father brought home "weights" for my older brother and myself - we were clueless on how to use them (and so was Dad).

Exercise science has came a long way since my first weight set, however the underlying concepts can easily be understood (whether you are an eager 10 year old or a clueless father). Understanding basic weight training concepts will allow you to train safely and effectively.

The key
What do you want to get out of weight training?

Most of the confusion about how to train comes from NOT answering this question. There are vast numbers of possible reasons for weight training: Do you want to improve how you look? Do you want to improve your athletic performance? Do you want to compete in powerlifting? Weight training is a tool that can be used for all of the above.

The key point to remember is that the equipment you use does not determine your results. Your body doesn't care if you are lifting bales of hay or using the latest chrome plated machines. "Weight" is "weight" - what matters is how much and how often you "weight train."

A "beginning" weight trainee can make progress doing almost anything. The key word in that last sentence was "can". You will see progress if you understand fulleffort.com's "first rule of weight training."

The first rule
The platinum plated, all important, first rule of life, the universe, and weight training is:

All living beings respond to stress.

I can hear all of the beginners saying "What? That's it?" (and hopefully the more experienced out there are saying "Yes, he has answered wisely.")

So what does your body consider "stress?" The short answer: stress is anything that disrupts the "normal" operation of your body.

When you exercise (whether that "exercise" is running/weight training/swimming/etc.) your body undergoes "stress." The good news is that when stressed your body has the capability to adapt.

For example:
You start weight training and can lift 50 pounds 8 times (which would be 1 set of 8 repetitions for the complete newbies). Your body responds to the stress of lifting 50 pound 8 times by getting stronger. Your next workout you find that you can lift 50 pounds 9 times! That 1 repetition difference is a measurable gain in strength brought about by your body's response to stress.

Of course weight training gets much more complicated.

If you don't continue to stress your body - you will stop making progress (e.g. if you keep lifting 50 pounds 8 times you won't suddenly be able to lift 500 pound 8 times).

Many weight training methods have been devised to stress the body. Take the classic "double progression" system - i.e. you continue to stress the body by either adding repetitions or weight to your workout.

The bad news is that if you do too much your body won't be able to adequately respond to the stress. When this happens you become "overtrained." Being overtrained is bad - at best you will stop making progress, most likely you lose strength and be worse off than before you started.

The first rule of weight training is therefore: Any routine will work as long as it provides proper stress and avoids overtraining. Too little stress = no progress. Too much stress = no progress.

The story of Milo ("mythical" Greek wrestling champion) illustrates the concept of progression: As a young man Milo had to take care of a small calf. Each day young Milo would pick up the calf and carry it on his back while he did his chores. The calf grew, and Milo became stronger as he continued his practice until the calf was a full grown bull. Naturally, Milo gained great fame as an undefeated wrestler.

Of course Milo is the stuff of legend (here may or may not have been an actual "Milo") but I can guarantee that if you try to replicate his training program you will quickly overtrain (at the least you will have a lot of cow manure to clean up).

What routine is best?
The short answer is "it depends."

It depends on how long you have been training, what your weight training goals are, and the level of weight training expertise available (e.g. if you are a high school football player and there is a CSCS on your coaching staff - do what they say).

There are many good books that go into great detail on program design - and I am not going to try to give you a one size fits all type of program. I will be writing more articles on specific weight training issues so check back here at http://fulleffort.com/

Some practical "beginners" advice
The ultimate "beginner" weight training routine:
Three days a week with a rest day between workout (e.g. Monday-Wednesday-Friday),
1 exercise for each body part,
1 set of 8 to 12 repetitions for each exercise.

Workout with a partner:
For safety reasons as well as social reasons having a workout partner is a good idea.

Keep a workout log:
To point out the painfully obvious: Most people have no idea if they are making progress or not because they don't keep accurate records.

The biggest mistake you can make (assuming you care about making progress) is not keeping some form of workout log. At the least you should keep track of the order of exercises, weight used, and sets/repetitions performed.

Buy a clipboard, or even one of those"daily task" type appointment books. Once again ANY system/plan is better than no system/plan.

I don't want to sound overly critical. If you are simply working out to "feel" better and your trip to the gym is equal parts social gathering and workout session then good for you - just don't complain how you aren't making any progress...

Good luck, and good lifting.