SS 110 – Basic Weight Training (Part 1)

What is Weight Training?

Weight training is a common method of training primarily used to improve the strength and size of skeletal muscles
by providing a stress to the muscles which causes them to adapt and get stronger (similar to the way aerobic
conditioning strengthens your heart).

Weight training, more appropriately known as resistance training, is now a standard part of comprehensive personal
training programs. It is not just for athletes but for anyone since it offers a continuum of benefits such as increased
muscle strength, enhanced muscle tone, better flexibility, prevention of muscle and joint injury, minimized risk of
osteoporosis and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. All of these aspects are important to maintain good
health in both men and women from adolescents to senior citizens. Anyone can benefit from weight training. It has
also been proven to be effective in building endurance but not to the same extent as aerobic training like running,
swimming, and cycling.

The more appropriate term for this course is Resistance Training, which is an umbrella term referring to any exercise
activity that causes the muscles to contract against an external resistance with the expectation of increases in
muscle strength, tone, mass, and/or endurance.

Weight training differs from Bodybuilding, Powerlifting and Weightlifting as it is a form of exercise and not
competition or sport. To illustrate the differences:

Weight Training – A training or exercise method that refers to the lifting of weights to increase strength, muscle
endurance and muscle mass.

Bodybuilding – A sport wherein competitors perform poses on stage in front of judges and are primarily scored
based on muscle size, body symmetry and muscle definition.

Powerlifting – A sport wherein competitors attempt to lift the highest total weight in the (1) squat, (2) bench press
and (3) deadlift.

Weightlifting – An Olympic sport wherein competitors attempt to lift the highest total weight in the (1) snatch and
(2) clean and jerk.

The Development of Resistance Training

In the latter years of the Second World War, the number of American servicemen who had sustained orthopedic
injuries. In 1945, an army physician, Dr. Thomas L. DeLorme experimented with a new rehabilitation technique.
DeLorme's new protocol consisted of multiple sets of resistance exercises in which patients lifted their 10-repetition
maximum. DeLorme refined the system in 1948 to include 3 progressively heavier sets of 10 repetitions, and he
referred to the program as "Progressive Resistance Exercise."

The high-intensity program was markedly more successful than older protocols and was quickly adopted as the
standard in both military and civilian physical therapy programs. In 1951, DeLorme published the text Progressive
Resistance Exercise: Technic and Medical Application, which was widely read by other physicians and medical
professionals. The book, and DeLorme's academic publications on progressive resistance exercise, helped legitimize
strength training and played a key role in laying the foundation for the science of resistance exercise.

Early interest in weight training has mostly been among athletes, particularly among Weightlifters and Bodybuilders.
In the late 1980s, the focus of much of the research changed from enhancement of athletic performance to
improvement of health and fitness in the general population and among special populations

Weight Training Myths

Weight Training Stunts Growth – Children can start weight training as soon as they are mature enough to follow
instructions and exercise with proper form. It may actually stimulate growth by improving bone mass and density.

Weight Training Decreases Flexibility – Weight training promotes moving a joint through a full range of motion. This
in turn helps improve flexibility.
Weight Training Makes You Slow - Strong muscles contract faster and generate more power. That's why professional
athletes do weight training - it makes them faster. However, the exercises movements must be similar to the sport
and sport training should not be ignored.

Weight Training turns Fat into Muscle - Muscle is made up of individual cells--living, 'breathing' cells that undergo all
kinds of complex metabolic processes. Fat cells are simply storage packets of lipids. Weight training makes your
muscles grow bigger and the added activity causes you to burn fat.

Muscle Turns to Fat If You Stop Weight Training - Muscle never turns to fat. They're different tissues. If you stop
weight training, you also have to eat less than before otherwise you'll gain fat.

Fancy Equipment produce the Best Results - Futuristic-looking, complex machinery designed to give your muscles the
'ultimate workout' is typically less effective than good-old barbells and dumbbells. Using simple free weights
(barbells and dumbbells) on basic multi-joint exercises is still the most effective means of resistance training in the
long-term.

Doing Hundreds of Sit Ups Everyday will develop Six-Pack Abs - There is no such thing as spot-reduction. Doing
thousands and thousands of sit-ups will give you tight abdominal muscles, but they will do nothing to rid your
midsection of fat. Nothing will rid the body of fat but a carefully-orchestrated reduction in your daily energy intake
or an increase in activity (level or both).

Women Need to Train Differently than Men - On a microscopic level, there is virtually no difference between the
muscle tissue of men and the muscle tissue of women. Men and women have different levels of the same hormones,
and that's what is responsible for the difference in the amount of muscle a man can typically put on and the amount
of muscle a woman can typically gain.

Someone With a Well-built Body Must be Knowledgeable About Fitness - The unfortunate fact is, many well-built
athletes have no idea how they got where they are. With few exceptions, elite bodybuilders are the last people in
the world you want to turn to for advice if you're genetically average like 98% of the world.

Weight Training Equipment and Sources of Resistance

Free weights - Free weights include dumbbells, barbells, bars, and weight plates. These come in a variety of shapes,
sizes, materials, and weights.

Machines - Weight machines generally include a seat, a cable or pulley, a variety of weight plates for adjustable
resistance, and movable bars. Similar to free weights, machines vary widely in design. Newer machines come
equipped with computerized programming and may use hydraulics or compressed air. The two most common types
of weight training machines are (1) cam machines and (2) pulley machines.

 A cam machine is a variable-resistance machine that features an elliptically shaped wheel, referred to as a
cam. They usually restrict movement to one direction or one plane of motion. Example; vertical chest press,
leg curl, knee extension.

 A pulley machine has one or more round pulleys of varying sizes (much smaller than a cam) looped around,
over, or under by a narrow belt or plastic-encased steel cable. An advantage over cam machines is that
pulley machines can move through multiple directions of resistance. Example: Lat. pulldown, high pulley, low
pulley.

Resistance bands and tubing - Rubber bands and tubes provide opportunities for strength training any time and any
place. Bands are flat and wide. Cheap, lightweight, and portable bands and tubes are the training tool of choice for
frequent travelers.

Body weight –You can use your own body weight to provide effective resistance in a number of exercises such as the
sit ups, squats, lunges, and push-ups.
Weight Machines and Free Weights

Weight machines
Advantages:
 Safe - Machines are safer because they provide support, which is great for people who need help when
learning new exercises. It can also be good for older people, people rehabilitating injuries, or for lifting heavy
weights without the need of a spotter.

 Easy to use - Because most machines work on a fixed path, it's easier to use and ensures good form. With
machines, you know exactly what muscles you're working and how to do the exercise correctly.

 Time Saver - It’s much easier and faster to change the load/weight in machines.

Disadvantages:
 Too much support - Because you have so much support, you use fewer muscle groups at the same time. This
means you burn less calories and work the body in a less overloading way.

 Very Limited - Most machines offer one exercise for one part of the body, which means having to use
multiple machines for a total body workout.

 Expensive – Machines are much more expensive than dumbbells and barbells and offer less versatility.

Free Weights
Advantages:
 Versatile- Free weights can be used for a variety of exercises for the entire body so you don't have to move
from machine to machine to work different muscle groups.

 Builds Whole Body Strength - Because you're supporting your own body, you can work on specific muscles
while involving smaller stabilizer muscles that can get neglected with machine training.

 Develops Balance and Coordination – Because free weights aren’t supported by a steel frame like most
machines, the muscles are forced maintain stability and move in a coordinated manner while lifting the
weight.

 Cheap and Practical – Free weights are much cheaper than machines and their versatility makes them a
more practical weight training equipment.

Disadvantages:
 Hard to learn - Using free weights requires skill and coordination, so you may need some instruction when
using them for the first time. Good form is harder to achieve without the added support from machines, so
there's a higher learning curve with free weights.

 Risk of Injury - Because there isn't a fixed path when using free weights, it's easier to put your body in the
wrong position, which could lead to injury. There's also the risk of dropping the weights when lifting heavy.

 Time Efficiency – Working out with free weights is usually longer since loading and unloading the weights to
adjust the load takes much longer than compared to machines. This all adds up to longer workout times.

When choosing, consider the following:

If you're a beginner - stick with machines until you feel more comfortable with the movements.

If you're in a hurry - go with machines. Workouts are generally more time-efficient when machines are used. If you
have to wait in line, however, choose free weights.
If you're working out at home - stick with free weights. Machines are expensive, take up a lot of room and offer
limited exercises. Free weights are cheaper, versatile and take up less room.

If you're rehabbing an injury - stick with machines since they offer the most support, but always follow your
doctor/physical therapist's advice.

To get the most out of each workout - stick with free weights because you can incorporate more muscle groups at
the same time.
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Agonist-Antagonist Relationship
Agonist - A muscle that causes a specific movement or several movements to occur through the process of its own
contraction. Agonists are also referred to as "prime movers" since they are the muscles being considered that are
primarily responsible for generating a specific movement.

Synergist – A muscle that helps perform the same set of joint motion as the agonist and helps cancel out, or
neutralize, extra motion from the agonist to improve stability. Also referred to as “secondary movers”.

Antagonist - It is a muscle that acts opposite to the specific movement generated by the agonist. Most muscles work
in pairs, and when a muscle works it needs to have an agonist and an antagonist.

Muscle Contraction
Muscle Contractions can be divided into:
 Isotonic (same tension)
 Isometric (same length)
 Isokinetic (same speed)

Isotonic Contractions - Isotonic contractions are those which cause the muscle to change length as it contracts and
causes movement of a body part. There are two types of isotonic contraction:

1. Concentric - Concentric contractions are those which cause the muscle to shorten as it contracts.
Concentric contractions are the most common type of muscle contraction and occur frequently in
daily and sporting activities.

2. Eccentric - Eccentric contractions are the opposite of concentric and occur when the muscle
lengthens as it contracts.

Isometric Contractions - Isometric contractions occur when there is no change in the length of the contracting
muscle. An example is when you grip something such as a tennis racket. There is no movement in the joints of the
hand, but the muscles are contracting to provide a force sufficient enough to keep a steady hold on the racket.

Isokinetic Contractions - Isokinetic contractions are similar to isotonic in that the muscle changes length during the
contraction. Where they differ is that Isokinetic contractions produce movements of a constant speed. To measure
this, a special piece of equipment known as an Isokinetic Dynamometer is required.

Muscle Fiber Hypertrophy

Hypertrophy – the enlargement of muscle fibers which consequently leads to increased ability to exert force. This
does not occur uniformly across the 2 major fiber types – fast twitch fibers show greater increase in size

After 6-8 weeks of regular resistance training, muscle fiber hypertrophy starts to become obvious and contribute to
increased strength for most people.

Defining Weight Training Terms

Repetition – A single rendition of an exercise movement.

Set - A set is a group of consecutive reps that you perform without resting
 Routine - This term encompasses virtually every aspect of what you do in one weight training session, including the
type of equipment you use; the number of exercises, sets, repetitions, the order in which you do your
exercises, and how much rest you take between sets. Also known as a workout.

Range of Motion - Range of motion refers to the distance and direction a joint can move between the flexed
position and the extended position. It is ideal to always execute an exercise through it full range of motion

Failure -To achieve overload, you need to take your muscles to failure. That is the level of fatigue where you can’t
do one more repetition with good form. For instance, when you can’t complete the full range of motion
when performing biceps curls due to fatigue, you have achieved failure.

Rest Interval - When your muscles reach failure at the end of a set, you need to recover or rest before you can
challenge that muscle to work again. This break time between sets is called a rest interval.

Progressive Overload - Overloading your muscles by lifting a weight to muscular failure stimulates your muscles to
get stronger. This is the principle of overload in action. To continue to overload your muscles and keep
making progress, you need to find new ways to challenge your muscles.

Hand Grips
There are two common grips in resistance training:
1. Pronated – palms down and knuckles up; also called the overhand grip.
2. Supinated Grip – palms up and knuckles down; also known as the underhand grip.

There are also two less common grips:

1. Alternated Grip – one hand is pronated and the other is supinated
2. Hook Grip – similar to the pronated grip except the thumb is positioned under the index and middle
fingers on the same side of the bar. Typically used when performing exercises that require a stronger
grip (e.g. snatch).

Priorities when performing repetitions

1. Full Range of Motion – Exercises must be performed through the full ROM to gain the most benefits from the
weight or resistance. Moving with full ROM maximizes strength and size developments with less weight thus
making it safer and more effective.

2. Control – Lifters must maintain correct posture and have full control of the training equipment in both the
concentric and eccentric phase of every repetition. Doing cheats through unnecessary body movements
increases the risk for injury and simply means the weight is too heavy. Furthermore, cheating usually takes work
away from the agonist rendering the exercise less effective.

3. Load – When you can perform the exercise through the full ROM with complete control, you can then focus on
lifting heavy. For the exercise to be effective, you must lift relatively heavy within your repetition range
otherwise you are violating the concept of progressive overload.

END OF 1ST LONG EXAM TOPICS