User:Thrushy/Weight training

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Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength, size of skeletal muscles and maintenance of muscle.[2] It uses the force of gravity in the form of weighted bars, dumbbells or weight stacks in order to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction. Weight training uses a variety of specialized equipment to target specific muscle groups and types of movement. Weight training isn't just about getting bigger and stronger it also a key component to maintain strength and size. To maintain size, the level of intensity of workouts will go down and number of calories will decrease due to less activity. Time spent in the gym can decrease to give the body more time to rest.

Sports in which weight training is used include bodybuilding, weightlifting, powerlifting, strongman, highland games, hammer throw, shot put, discus throw, and javelin throw. Many other sports use strength training as part of their training regimen, notably: American football, baseball, basketball, canoeing, cricket, football, hockey, lacrosse, mixed martial arts, rowing, rugby league, rugby union, track and field, boxing, wrestling and judo.

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An isolation exercise is one where the movement is restricted to one joint only. The goal of the exercise is to target a certain muscle group. For example, the leg extension is an isolation exercise for the quadriceps and dumbbell curls would just target the bicep. Specialized types of equipment are used to ensure that other muscle groups are only minimally involved—they just help the individual maintain a stable posture—and movement for the quads this would occur only around the knee joint. Isolation exercises involve machines, dumbbells, barbells (free weights), and pulley machines. Pulley machines and free weights can be used when combined with special/proper positions and joint bracing. Isolation exercises are important to help overall improve muscles that could be lacking from compound movements.

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Weight training is usually isotonic in nature. This means that there is a specific muscle being used and contracting due to a weight, leading to muscle contractions in that area of the body. Isotonic exercises sometimes get confused with isometric exercises. The best way to describe the difference is that isotonic exercises are meant mostly for overall fitness. This can be contrasted with isometric exercise where the joint angles remain constant i.e. the exercise is static in nature and involves holding a posture. A weight training exercise may involve both isotonic and isometric elements i.e. squatting with weight usually involves bending and straightening the legs (an isotonic action) while holding the weight steady (an isometric action). Isotonic exercise as of lately have been used to help assist in weight loss.

Safety

Weight training is a safe form of exercise when the movements are controlled and carefully defined. However, as with any form of exercise, improper execution and the failure to take appropriate precautions can result in injury. Most injuries are seen from improper form and "ego lifting" that is someone lifting heavier than they should just to improve their ego. What happens is someone is sacrificing form which increases risk of injury. Injuries are inevitable overtime due to many different factors including intensity, form and underling medical problems. Whether it is a major or minor injury, full recovery is suggested before starting to weight train again or it will result in a bigger injury.

Proper form

Maintaining proper form is one of the many steps in order to perfectly perform a certain technique. Correct form in weight training improves strength, muscle tone, and maintaining a healthy weight. Proper form will prevent any strains or fractures.[10] When the exercise becomes difficult towards the end of a set, there is a temptation to cheat, i.e., to use poor form to recruit other muscle groups to assist the effort. Avoid heavy weight and keep the number of repetitions to a minimum. This may shift the effort to weaker muscles that cannot handle the weight. For example, the squat and the deadlift are used to exercise the largest muscles in the body—the leg and buttock muscles—so they require substantial weight. Beginners are tempted to round their back while performing these exercises. The relaxation of the spinal erectors which allows the lower back to round can cause shearing in the vertebrae of the lumbar spine, potentially damaging the spinal discs. An element of form that is overlooked is breathing techniques, taking a deep breath in to braise for the weight will improve overall strength and safety for your workout.

Breathing

In weight training, as with most forms of exercise, there is a tendency for the breathing pattern to deepen. This helps to meet increased oxygen requirements. Holding the breath or breathing shallowly is avoided because it may lead to a lack of oxygen, passing out, or an increase in blood pressure. Generally, the recommended breathing technique is to inhale when lowering the weight (the eccentric portion) and exhale when lifting the weight (the concentric portion). However, the reverse, inhaling when lifting and exhaling when lowering, may also be recommended. Some researchers state that there is little difference between the two techniques in terms of their influence on heart rate and blood pressure.[14] It may also be recommended that a weightlifter simply breathes in a manner which feels appropriate.

With heavy weight taking a deep breath will help braise for the weight with activating your core to help stabilize to help improve the lift.

In particular situations, a coach may advise performing the Valsalva maneuver during exercises which place a load on the spine. The Valsalva maneuver consists of closing the windpipe and clenching the abdominal muscles as if exhaling and is performed naturally and unconsciously by most people when applying great force. It serves to stiffen the abdomen and torso and assist the back muscles and spine in supporting the heavy weight. Although it briefly increases blood pressure, it is still recommended by weightlifting experts such as Rippetoe since the risk of a stroke by aneurysm is far lower than the risk of an orthopedic injury caused by inadequate rigidity of the torso.[16] Some medical experts warn that the mechanism of building "high levels of intra-abdominal pressure (IAP)...produced by breath holding using the Valsalva maneuver", to "ensure spine stiffness and stability during these extraordinary demands", "should be considered only for extreme weight-lifting challenges — not for rehabilitation exercise".[17]

Hydration

s with other sports, weight trainers should avoid dehydration throughout the workout by drinking sufficient water. This is particularly true in hot environments, or for those older than 65.[18][19][20][21][22]

Some athletic trainers advise athletes to drink about 7 imperial fluid ounces (200 ml) every 15 minutes while exercising, and about 80 imperial fluid ounces (2.3 l) throughout the day.[23]

However, a much more accurate determination of how much fluid is necessary can be made by performing appropriate weight measurements before and after a typical exercise session, to determine how much fluid is lost during the workout. The greatest source of fluid loss during exercise is through perspiration, but as long as fluid intake is roughly equivalent to the rate of perspiration, hydration levels will be maintained.[20]

Under most circumstances, sports drinks do not offer a physiological benefit over water during weight training.[24] However, high-intensity exercise for a continuous duration of at least one hour may require the replenishment of electrolytes which a sports drink may provide.[25][26]

Insufficient hydration may cause lethargy, soreness or muscle cramps and muscle tears.[27] Dehydration will have the muscles rubbing with friction which will give a higher chance at a muscle tear. A good way to avoid dehydration is to get plenty of water and electrolytes in before a workout. The urine of well-hydrated persons should be nearly colorless, while an intense yellow color is normally a sign of insufficient hydration.

Types of workout (Tonylorenzo14)

Push-pull workout

A push–pull workout is a method of arranging a weight training routine so that exercises alternate between push motions and pull motions. A push–pull superset is two complementary segments (one pull/one push) done back-to-back. An example is bench press (push) / bent-over row (pull). Another push–pull technique is to arrange workout routines so that one day involves only push (usually chest, shoulders and triceps) exercises, and an alternate day only pull (usually back and biceps) exercises so the body can get adequate rest.

Variable resistance workout

Variable resistance training involves varying the resistance for different phases of a range of movement. This may be achieved by adding heavy chains or thick elastic bands to an exercise. For example, chains may be attached to the ends of a barbell during a bench press exercise. When the bar is lowered more of the chain rests on the floor resulting in less weight being lifted, and vice versa when the bar is raised. The elastic nature of bands can serve a similar function of increasing resistance. Another form of variable resistance training involves combining partial repetitions with a heavier weight with full repetitions with a lighter weight. The advantage of variable resistance training is that it more effectively strengthens the different phases of a persons strength curve for that movement. Strength curve is a graphical term which refers to the phases of strength which a person moves through when performing an exercise. For example, when a person is performing a back squat they are strongest at the top of the movement and weakest at the bottom. If they do a full squat at 1RM then this 1RM is based upon the lower weaker phase of the movement. As they have to move through this phase to complete a full rep, they cannot ordinarily lift a weight heavier than they can manage here. This is even though the weight they are lifting is only about 66% of their 1RM for the stronger phase. Variable resistance training provides a solution to this problem. By adding resistance during a repetition, or by combining heavier partial reps with lighter full reps, the same percentage of 1RM for both the stronger and weaker phase respectively can be lifted. A person following this training method may become stronger and more explosive as a result.

Full body workouts

It is important to find out what kind of workout will work best on your goals and lifestyle. A full body workout is beneficial to those who find themselves unable to hit the gym as often as they like or maybe don’t have access to the kinda equipment one might need. Instead of splitting your workouts into the course of several days, you hit every muscle group during one lift. During these workouts you will have to step up and work harder than you normally would to make up for the time you miss throughout the rest of the week. This meaning you will have to be focused and dedicated to your workout once you step into that gym. This kinda workout will take longer than when you split the muscles up, this is because you have to hit every muscle in one session compared to splitting it up.

Health benefits

Benefits of weight training include increased strength, muscle mass, endurance, bone and bone mineral density, insulin sensitivity, GLUT 4 density, HDL cholesterol, improved cardiovascular health and appearance, and decreased body fat, blood pressure, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

The body's basal metabolic rate increases with increases in muscle mass, which promotes long-term fat loss and helps dieters avoid yo-yo dieting. Moreover, intense workouts elevate metabolism for several hours following the workout, which also promotes fat loss.

Weight training also provides functional benefits. Stronger muscles improve posture, provide better support for joints, and reduce the risk of injury from everyday activities. Older people who take up weight training can prevent some of the loss of muscle tissue that normally accompanies aging—and even regain some functional strength—and by doing so, become less frail. They may be able to avoid some types of physical disability. Weight-bearing exercise also helps to increase bone density to prevent osteoporosis. The benefits of weight training for older people have been confirmed by studies of people who began engaging in it even in their eighties and nineties.

For many people in rehabilitation or with an acquired disability, such as following stroke or orthopedic surgery, strength training for weak muscles is a key factor to optimize recovery. For people with such a health condition, their strength training is likely to need to be designed by an appropriate health professional, such as a physiotherapist.

Stronger muscles improve performance in a variety of sports. Sport-specific training routines are used by many competitors. These often specify that the speed of muscle contraction during weight training should be the same as that of the particular sport. Sport-specific training routines also often include variations to both free weight and machine movements that may not be common for traditional weightlifting.

Though weight training can stimulate the cardiovascular system, many exercise physiologists, based on their observation of optimal oxygen uptake, argue that aerobics training is a better cardiovascular stimulus. Central catheter monitoring during resistance training reveals increased cardiac output, suggesting that strength training shows potential for cardiovascular exercise. However, a 2007 meta-analysis found that, though aerobic training is an effective therapy for heart failure patients, combined aerobic and strength training is ineffective; "the favorable antiremodeling role of aerobic exercise was not confirmed when this mode of exercise was combined with strength training".

One side-effect of any intense exercise is increased levels of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine, which can help to improve mood and counter feelings of depression.

Weight training has also been shown to benefit dieters as it inhibits lean body mass loss (as opposed to fat loss) when under a caloric deficit. Weight training also strengthens bones, helping to prevent bone loss and osteoporosis. By increasing muscular strength and improving balance, weight training can also reduce falls by elderly persons. Weight training is also attracting attention for the benefits it can have on the brain, and in older adults, a 2017 meta analysis found that it was effective in improving cognitive performance.

Studies also show that weight training has significant benefits for an individual's mental health. Strength training has shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

Weight training also can play a part in decreasing your risk of developing diabetes by increasing your bodies glucose and insulin tolerance.

Weight training has even been linked with decreased chance of developing cancer. Adults over the age of 30 were 34% less likely to develop cancer if they had practiced resistance training. To add to that, those who who did weight training showed decreasing side affects of things commonly associated with cancer treatment such as; chemotherapy, radiation and even androgen therapy.

Free weights

Free weights include dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls, sandbells, and kettlebells. Unlike weight machines, they do not constrain users to specific, fixed movements, and therefore require more effort from the individual's stabilizer muscles. Because you'll be in a fixed position and following a fixed movement route, you'll probably be more stable as you move through it, which might help you grow more accustomed to the movement pattern when you repeat it in other exercises. The controlled plane of motion that machines follow is helpful for isolating muscles and enhancing machine safety. However, as they encourage an abnormal movement pattern, isolation workouts can occasionally cause injury. The muscle you're targeting is isolated when you utilize a machine. It is often argued that free weight exercises are superior for precisely this reason. For example, they are recommended for golf players, since golf is a unilateral exercise that can break body balances, requiring exercises to keep the balance in muscles.

Some free weight exercises can be performed while sitting or lying on an exercise ball.

Weight machines

The weight stack from a cable machine.

There are a number of weight machines that are commonly found in neighborhood gyms. The Smith machine is a barbell that is constrained to vertical movement. The cable machine consists of two weight stacks separated by 2.5 metres, with cables running through adjustable pulleys (that can be fixed at any height so as to select different amounts of weight) to various types of handles. There are also exercise-specific weight machines such as the leg press. A multigym includes a variety of exercise-specific mechanisms in one apparatus. Weight machines keep you more stable because you'll be in a fixed position and following a fixed movement route, you'll probably be more stable as you move through it, which might help you grow more accustomed to the movement pattern when you repeat it in other exercises.

One limitation of many free weight exercises and exercise machines is that the muscle is working maximally against gravity during only a small portion of the lift. Some exercise-specific machines feature an oval cam (first introduced by Nautilus) which varies the resistance, so that the resistance, and the muscle force required, remains constant throughout the full range of motion of the exercise. They are also more time efficient. You won’t have to worry about taking the time to re rack your weights, or add and take off plates after each set you accomplish.