Free Exercising Programs these will work effectively for you
Here on our website we have exercising programs and tips for mild fitness training (cardio), and intense fitness training, and strength training.
If you have not yet seen those free workouts, routines, and programs, see the following sections of our website:
Strength Training for Everyone
Strength Training Orientation (Beginners)
Weightlifting for Everyone
Weightlifting Program: Beginners
Weightlifting Routines: Intermediates
Mild Fitness Training
Intense Fitness Training
Weight Loss Exercises
You will find the links to those pages listed awaiting you at the bottom of this page.
Here are three options for you when it comes to selecting a workout program that will work effectively for you.
I. Ideally, we encourage you to work up to doing the following program: 2 thirty to forty minute whole body strength training workouts weekly and 3 ten to twenty minute high intensity fitness training workouts weekly.
That's less than 2 total hours of exercise weekly. If you want more, add in 1 thirty to sixty minute mild intensity fitness session such as a brisk walk. That's it!
In terms of lasting weight loss, eating well is more important than exercising well. If you are willing to eat well and do at least some regular exercising, here are two other options that can work to enable you to achieve lasting weight loss:
II. If you hate exercising and want to do as little of it as possible, we suggest that you do mild fitness exercise 3 times weekly and no strength training. Just three brisk walks a week can really make a difference!
III. If you hate cardio and are nevertheless willing to do some exercise, we suggest that you do 2 strength training sessions weekly and no cardio. This will increase your lean muscle mass, which is your metabolic furnace.
Injuries undermine success.
You probably already understand how to walk and run. At the bottom of this page, you'll find a link to our tips about how to engage in fitness exercise safely.
You probably are less familiar with strength training. So, for the rest of this page, we'll provide you with guidelines about how not to injure yourself doing strength training.
If you decide to do strength training, we recommend reviewing these tips occasionally. Doing so may help you to avoid falling into some bad habits.
Following the guidelines set out on this page will greatly increase your odds of successfully using physical training to enhance your life. These guidelines, and the companion fitness training safety guidelines, should be followed by anyone initiating the corresponding free programs set out here on our website.
If you have been training without injury for twelve consecutive months, you may want to modify some of them; however, there is no reason you ever have to loosen up on them.
When done with your physician's blessing in advance and in accordance with the safety principles we provide, the physical training recommended on this website is very safe for nearly everyone.
General strength weight training guidelines
General Principles
Eat not less than thirty minutes before training and not more than three hours before beginning.
(Our personal preference is to eat about ninety minutes before strength training and about two hours before fitness training.)
Follow the recommended 6X eating plan, which includes recommendations for post-strength-training shakes:
Always plan to get at least seven or eight hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. It's best to sleep in a room that is completely dark and silent. It's not a good idea to use an alarm clock routinely.
Forget what other people do, and forget your own ego. Stick to a rational, progressive routine that is individualized for you.
Use the recommended psychological tools for motivation. See the psychology section of our website:
If you are lucky enough to have a good training partner, terrific! However, don't rely on anyone else. By themselves, good intentions are worthless. You won't make progress if you don't do the exercising.
Especially for the first three months, be very reluctant to skip a training session. On the other hand, don't train if you are ill, injured, over-trained, or just really "off." Learn to "listen" to your body.
Keep reading. This will nourish your mind and keep your enthusiasm high. Keep a training journal. This will help you to figure out what works best for you and what doesn't. Use only what works best, and forget the rest.
Stretch your whole body at least twice weekly, but don't stretch immediately prior to strength training or during strength training. An excellent time to stretch is after strength training.
Strength weight training reps
Perform reps perfectly
Use a rep speed that is smooth and controlled; never use momentum. For directions on how to perform reps perfectly, see this section of our website:
Always use correct exercise technique (form). Loosening one's form to cheat can be productive for advanced trainees, but it is counterproductive for beginners.
Keep breathing. Do not hold your breathe while performing an exercise. In general, inhale during the negative (down) part of the stroke and exhale during the positive (up) part of the stroke.
Never do more than three strength training sessions per week.
Distinguish onset muscular soreness (O.M.S.) from the pain of injury, and never train through the pain of injury.
Warming up
Warm up your muscles
Always do a general warm-up before strength training. This will warm up your muscles, lubricate your joints, and get your heart rate up. (We simply do about five minutes on a stationary bike at a moderate pace.)
Always do specific warm-ups for the major muscle groups you are training. This is particularly important if the gym or your muscles are cool or cold.
My personal rule is never to increase poundages more than ninety pounds per warm up set. On the Weight Lifting Tips, Part 1, section of our website we provide you with an excellent way to warm-up:
(For example, if I am to do a work set with 350 lbs. on stiff-legged deadlifts, in the summer I'll do a first warm-up set using about 210 lbs. and then a second warm-up set with fewer reps using about 280 lbs.
When my unheated basement gym is colder in the winter, I may add in at the beginning a set with just 135 lbs. to get started.)
In general, we suggest using about 60% of your work set weight on your first warm-up set and about 80% on your second warm-up set. The task is to get warm without tiring yourself. You'll develop a feel for it after a while.
If you are doing a full-body routine, wait at least twenty-four hours after all D.O.M.S. (delayed onset muscular soreness) has disappeared before training again. This promotes systemic as well as localized recovery and will help you to avoid over-training.
Safe strength weight training routines
Routines designed for your level
Use a training routine designed for your level (beginner, intermediate, advanced). Put most of your energy into basic, compound exercises and do isolation exercises, if any, late in a training session.
Never use inherently dangerous movements such as squats in a Smith machine, upright barbell rows, dips with weights hanging from a belt, behind-the-neck presses and pulldowns, and so on.
We do not recommended anything in our programs that is inherently dangerous. (If you don't know which movements are inherently dangerous, do not design your own routines; instead, only use routines designed by experts who understand what they are doing.)
Never use inherently dangerous movements such as bouncing at the bottom on squats or swinging weights. Never perform an exercise until you understand the right way to perform it.
We do not recommend any fast lifts like the Olympic lifts unless you receive individual coaching from an expert on how to perform them correctly; they are not easy to do correctly.
Never do more than 20 total work sets per training session.
Never use anabolic steroids.
If you are a beginner, avoid high intensity techniques.
Train progressively. Never increase work set poundages more than ten pounds from training session to training session.
You are never too old to enjoy strength training and its benefits.
You are never too old to begin--even if you are in your 90's! Of course, again, please don't begin without your physician's blessing.
Take it one small step at a time: use perfect technique and light weights. Increase intensity only gradually. Enjoy your strength training in good health!
As we said before, always do specific warm-ups for the major muscle groups you are training.
As part of a general warm-up before strength training, many lifters do some light ab or core exercises to reduce the chances of straining the lower back.
Web pages related to this page
See the first page link listed below to go to the section for safety during fitness training. Alternatively, for our free exercise programs, see the other pages listed below.
For our best reading suggestions, please see our best self-help books page, which is listed on the menu bar.
It's possible to do many strength training exercises using just your body. If that interests you, we recommend:
Lauren & Clark's You Are Your Own Gym
The best book on safe strength training and on perfect exercise technique is:
McRobert's Build Muscle Lose Fat Look Great
You should be able to borrow these books from your local library if you do not want to buy them.
If you are looking for something in particular in relation to this subject, here you can FAST SEARCH our website or the World Wide Web.
Here's a website we really like that provides plenty of information that can be used for warming up as well as for strengthening and trimming the midsection:
ab-core-and-stomach-exercises.com
