Building Muscle - How to Work Out With Weights

Building muscle takes dedication, hard work and a practical approach to weight lifting exercises. While it is possible to build up some muscle without weights, anyone who wants a well-sculpted and cut body will eventually need to add weights to their workout routine. Understanding how to use weights in a workout for optimal effectiveness will help give you the results you want.

Schedule and methods:

The first part of any workout routine is deciding on your schedule and method. A workout schedule should determine which muscle groups to target on different days of the week. While an individual workout schedule might vary based on your fitness and muscle building goals, it should still alternate between different areas of the body. For example, the simplest weight lifting workout schedule might target the back and chest one day, arms and abs the second day and legs the third day. On the fourth day you start over again.

This schedule works out the muscles six days a week and provides one day of rest, which you might take after three days or after the full six days depending on your preferences. For those who want an even more focused muscle building schedule, it can also break down into five days. Take one day for the back, one for the check, one for arms, one for abs and one for the legs. This more focused approach might be best suited for those who are new to using weights and need more attention on proper form.

Selecting Exercises:

The best weight exercises vary by individual and personal abilities. As such, only an individual can determine what specific weight exercises are best for their needs. Though the specifics will vary on individuals, it is still important to select the exercises that you feel comfortable working out with. Start the selection process by determining your fitness level. Beginners should start with simple exercises and low to medium weight settings to start building up the muscle without over-straining or risking injuries.

Some simple exercises to consider for the arms include bicep curls, triceps extensions, shoulder presses, lateral rises and reverse flies. All of these exercises use free weights and are thus appropriate for most beginners.

For the chest and back, consider chest presses with a bench press or free weights, barbell bent over rows exercises or rowing exercises of any type. When working on the legs, the best weight exercises will vary dramatically. Building muscle on the legs can result from simply holding free weights while working on squats and lunges, running with ankle weights to increase the intensity or work on dead lifts.

In general, perform dead lifts with a trainer the first few times to ensure form is correct. Once you've determined the exercises and the schedule, you are then ready to implement the weight exercises and build muscle.

Repetitions and Rests:

During weight exercises, it is best to work in sets. A set refers to doing a set number of lifts, resting for a moment and then repeating. For most exercises, somewhere between eight and 12 repetitions is ideal. This means performing the exercises or lifting eight to 12 times and then taking a short rest. The number of sets performed depends on personal fitness level and ability.

For beginners, two or three sets of eight repetitions with a thirty second rest in the middle is ideal to start building up the muscle. Generally, you want to work the muscles until it feels like it worked, but does not feel fatigued. If you feel shaky, stop exercising because the muscles are too fatigued to continue. Muscle building with weights is a simple process, but it does require planning.

Once you've picked out exercises, always take the time to use the appropriate form during the routine. Otherwise, you risk injuries that can set back your muscle building goals.