Weight Training Routines For Men

Most men are looking to improve their physique. Whether this be simple adding some tone and definition to muscles that are starting to hide beneath layers of fatty tissue, or packing in enough muscle to bulk up comparative to professional body builders. No matter what level of muscle mass a man is looking for, the most popular and effective exercises to strengthen, tone and build are the same.

These exercises are known as the “big four” and they are the cornerstone of any weight training program. The first of the “big four” is the squat. Squats are vital for lower body training. When beginning a squat you should push your hips back as far as possible. Keep your back arched. At This point you should be feeling a bit of stretch in your hamstrings. Then it is time to bend the knees and squat as low as possible while keeping good form. Making sure squats are executed in this manner allow squatting of maximal weights. You should always be careful not to descend too rapidly, or to overextend the torso.

The second of the four exercises is the dead lift. This exercise works many upper and lower body muscles. When doing dead lifts the legs should be narrowly separated. The back and hips should always be kept straight, especially when reaching down for your weights. Keep your shoulders aligned over your knees.

The third, and most widely recognized exercise of the “big four” is the bench press. This exercise works upper body muscles, but focuses on the pectoralis major muscle. Proper technique with this exercise require keeping your lower back very arched, and your shoulder blades squeezed together. Your range of motion should be shorter for heavier pressing.

The last exercise of the group is the shoulder press. As the name implies this exercise develops the shoulder muscles, however, it also helps develop and strengthen core muscles of the back and abdominal area by moving your center of gravity, causing these core muscles to work to stabilize the spine.

There has always been much debate over if it is better to use free weights or exercise machines. The answer on which to use depends on what you are wanting to achieve with your training. Weight training machines offer controlled resistance and muscle group isolation. This can be good for rehabilitating injured muscles, or if you are looking to maintain your current muscles without “bulking up” so to speak.

Machines are also handy if one is working out alone, to reduce any danger of accidents that may happen when lifting free weights without a spotter, or someone present. For the person who wants to continue building their strength and muscle mass, however, free weights are the better choice hands down. Free weights not only work the targeted muscle groups, but they work the core stabilizing muscles as well, helping with better balance and stability.

Avoiding injury and over exertion are key factors of a successful weight training program. Making sure to warm up before your work out is imperative to prepare your body. Although the ego may say push harder, lift more, the body can be in sharp contrast to the idea. Slowly working up the amount of weight that is being lifted will help to keep your muscles in a steady state of growth. Working with overly heavy weights for too long can not only injure the muscles, but cause you to plateau and stop gaining strength. When adding weight start by just adding 10 pounds at a time.

A good rule of thumb is if you can do more than 6 reps, your current weight is too light. If you can’t do four reps, your weight is too heavy. The optimal amount of reps for muscle building is 5 per set. The usual number of sets for heavy lifting is between 1 and 3. Over doing this number leads to improper techniques being used as you become more fatigued. This in turn leads to not only poor results for your hard work, but can be seriously damaging to your body. You always want to push the body to grow, but not to the point of damage.