7 Must Know Facts to Build Your Strength Training Routine

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Title: 7 Must Know Facts to Build Your Strength Training Routine

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Author: Lynn VanDyke

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7 Must Know Facts to Build Your Strength Training Routine

Copyright 2005 strength-training-woman.com

Building a strength training routine can be one of the

trickiest parts of a fitness program. Ask 10 personal

trainers what the best strength training routine is and you

will get 10 different answers. Below are 7 must-know

guidelines to use when building a strength training

program. Each guideline provides the basic foundation that

all strength training programs abide by. Learning the

proper way to use free weights will greatly improve your

strength, fitness, and health levels.

1) We cannot strength train a muscle today and tomorrow. We

have to allow at least 24-36 hours of rest. Lifting on

consecutive days leads to overtraining, muscle fatigue, and

possible injury. All of our strength gains are made during

the rest time!

2) We cannot spot reduce. This means if we want to lose

weight in our stomach, doing 100 crunches a day will not

make our stomach flab disappear. To reduce stomach fat, we

need an overall reduction in body fat. Reducing overall

body fat results from eating well, regular exercise, and

proper rest.

3) We can spot tone. If we want bigger biceps, we can

strength train for hypertrophy (fancy word for muscle

growth). It is possible for us to focus on one specific

muscle group. This is sometimes called targeted training.

Studies have shown that machines isolate a muscle better

than free weights.

4) Our strength training routines must be regular and

consistent for results to take place. It took us years to

put on the weight. We shouldn't expect it to all fall off

in three weeks. The best outcome from your fitness and

strength training program should be a lifestyle change.

Replace bad habits with healthy ones and reap the rewards.

5) Realize that our strength training routine must be

changed every 4-6 weeks. This will prevent our body from

hitting a plateau and it will keep things interesting. We

can change our method, our exercise or our intensity level.

Not changing our routine on a regular basis will

eventually stop producing results. We will continually

grow stronger as we progress with our fitness program. Be

sure your body is challenged on every workout.

6) Our strength training routines must be built according

to our specific goals. Specific goals may be: fat loss,

hypertrophy, maintaining weight or adding bulk. Each goal

will have a different method that is best suited for

optimal results. Someone who is interested in losing body

fat will strength train differently than someone looking to

increase muscle bulk. Knowing what your specific goals are

will aid in creating the best strength training program

possible.

7) Our strength training routines must work all of the

major muscle groups in our body 1-3 times per week. This

includes our biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest, back, abs,

quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves. Leaving out muscle

groups will create an imbalance.

By using these 7 guidelines, anyone should be able to build

a decent and effective program. The idea is to develop a

safe strength training routine that provides us with major

health and fitness benefits. Strength training has

certainly increased in popularity over the past few years.

Knowing how to build a strength training routine for our

specific goals will move us one step closer to a fit body.

About the Author:

Lynn VanDyke is the proud owner of

http://strength-training-woman.com

You may receive your free strength training log and

routines by visiting her site. Her newest ebook has been

voted the #1 fitness ebook on the net. Learn more about it

by visiting

http://strength-training-woman.com/31-no-holds-barred-answer

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