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Rule of Thumb: Three workouts a week, 45-75 min. a session, with a rest day following each workout. You get best results when you apply stress in a hard day/easy day routine. This allows for cellular changes to occur on the rest days, for the muscles to recover from stress and automatically rebuild stronger. Thus workouts are Mon. Wed. Fri. or Tues. Thur. Sat.

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A set is a fixed number of repetitions (reps.), or repeated movement of an exercise. The best strength gains come from three to five sets per exercise, as shown in the following chart.

Notice that you get more rapid strength increases with one, two and three sets and then the curve starts leveling off. Four or fives sets give you gains, but you have to work harder for less results-the law of diminishing returns. After five sets the curve flattens out and you get less results for your efforts.
In our beginning program we will do three sets per exercise.

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In the beginning program stick to 10 reps per set (except for abdominals where you may do a great deal more as these shorter muscles recover much more quickly).

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There are two basic types of lifting which produce different results.
Low reps/with greater weights = strength
High reps/with less weight = endurance

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In each session you will work the seven most important muscle groups, the larger muscles groups before the smaller groups. Why? If you fatigue the smaller muscle groups first, you can’t work the larger ones adequately. For example, if you do barbell curls and triceps extensions, you fatigue your arms (small group). Then when you do a bench press to work the chest large (group), the limiting factor is the chest muscles, but the arms.

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Abdominals. Start here for a partial warm-up.
Thighs. Since the legs automatically bring the muscles of the lower back into play be sure you are thoroughly warmed up before working thighs. This is the largest muscle group in the body.
Chest.
Back. Again be sure to thoroughly warmed up before working this large muscle group.
Shoulders.
Triceps.
Biceps. Work triceps and biceps last, as they are small muscle groups.

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How to lift

Techniques of Stretching

Stretch before lifting:
To prepare the joints for motion
To extend the range of motion of the muscles
To help avoid injuries
Stretch after lifting:
To taper off the stress on muscles, to “wind down”
To relax
To reduce soreness
How to Stretch:
Stretch until you feel a slight tension. Hold for 10-20 seconds. Relax a moment and then extend the stretch slightly further for another 10-20 seconds. You may continue this routine for another set or two.
Relax -Don’t jerk or bounce-If the stretch is painful back off as the muscles will tighten rather than loosen.

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Stance:When lifting in a standing position (curls overhead press) your feet should be a little wider than shoulder width and you should be balanced fore and aft.
Head: Keep your head and neck straight during lifts. Many injuries are caused by twisting the head, neck or trunk. Leverage is reduced and muscle injuries can occur when the spine is twisted.

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Do not hold your breath throughout the entire exercise. It can stop the flow of oxygen to your brain and cause to pass out. This can be extremely dangerous if you have heavy weight overhead.
-Breathe both in and out through your nose and mouth. Breathing in through only your nose or your mouth, you may not get enough oxygen.
How to breathe: Inhale during the beginning of the lift, momentarily hold your breath during the most difficult part, then exhale as you finish the lift. When doing a bench press, for example, inhale as you lower the weight to your chest, momentarily hold your breath as you begin to press the weight up and then exhale during the latter part of the movement.

Flexibility and range of motion :If you exercise through the whole range of motion of the joints, you will maintain and probably increase your flexibility. Testing has shown th the top body builders and weight lifters are among the most flexible athletes.

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Try not to train alone. Even at home, try to have someone there to help if it is needed. Most serious weight training injuries occur when lifters train alone.
Always have a spotter for bench press and squats or overhead lifts.
Use collars on free weights.
Use proper position for all exercises.
Do not jerk or twist when lifting. These movements increase stress and can lead to injury.
Be especially careful when doing squats, back hyper extensions, and dead lifts. Squats put a great stress on the lower back and the ligaments and tendons of the knee. Back hyper extensions may cause back spasms, so begin with light weights and gradually increase the weight. When performing the dead lift keep your back straight, lift with your legs, keep your head up and look at the ceiling, squeeze th buttocks and tighten the abdominals.

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Strength is the ability of a muscle to produce force. It is measured by the amount of weight you can lift in one repetition: for example, the most amount of weight you can bench press.
Pure strength is often the most important ingredient in many sports, however power which the ability to do strength activities quickly is often the determining factor in many sports. Strength is important in sports where you have to meet an opponent with a great deal of force, such as football or wrestling. Strength is important in shot-putting and rebounding in basketball but strength alone is not enough to perform these activities effectively. A person may have a lot of strength in the bench but not be able to put the shot well or jump effectively. A participant must be able to perform these skills quickly, making power a key factor of their success.

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Muscular Endurance Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle to produce force repeatedly over a period of time. It is measured by the number of repetitions of the movement or skill. If you can do only one or two push-ups, then for you it’s a strength movement. If you can do 35 push-ups, then for you it’s a muscular endurance exercise . Sports requiring muscular endurance are wrestling, rowing, sprinting and sprint swimming. These sports differ from strength sports in that you have to apply force for a longer period of time.
An athlete can continue to produce muscular force for only a limited period of time before the energy stores in the muscle are depleted. In movements that apply maximum force (strength), such as lifting a heavy weight, the energy stores are quickly depleted. If less than maximum force is required, and the athlete must ration strength (as ;in a wrestling match or sprint), energy stores are depleted more gradually and th movement can continue for a longer period (muscular endurance).

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Cardiovascular endurance is th capacity of the respiratory system (lungs and blood vessels) and the circulatory system :(heart, arteries, capillaries and veins) to supply oxygen and nutrients to the muscle cells so an activity can continue for a long period time

Flexibility Flexibility, the fourth element of fitness, refer, to the range of motion possible in the joints. This is controlled by muscles, tendons and ligaments.
It is well known that flexibility can be increased by stretching. However, there are two important factors to keep in mind:
Every individual differs in flexibility. Some are loose-jointed, some tight jointed. A loose-jointed person is obviously well-suited for gymnastics, but is liable to get injured in contact sports. A tight-jointed person can better withstand the impact stresses of contact sports, but tends to have great difficulty performing gymnastics. Most people are somewhere in between and can modify their flexibility to coincide with the demands of the sport and their body type.
Each sport has different flexibility requirements. You don’t always want maximum flexibility in every direction. Example: football players are susceptible to blows from the side of the knee, and skiers often fall and twist their knees. These athletes should do quadriceps exercises to provide stability for the knee, and make themselves less flexible in side-to-side knee motion. On the other hand, gymnastics need full body flexibility, since good performance involves going to the extreme range of motion for the joint.