Weight Training

Weight training programs are designed to develop basic, functional strength. Weight training is the most effective way to turn your body into a fat burning machine and to stay in great shape. While cardio is burning calories within the gym, strength training is burning calories outside the gym, i.e 24 hours a day. It is one of the most productive forms of exercise which leads to increased strength and a toned body. Having a good physique also has psychological effects and go a long way in boosting the self confidence of an individual.
In order to be successful with strength training there are some basic principles that must be followed to reap the benefitds of strength training.

1. Progressive overload: Progressive overloading means doing away with static weights, i.e one must force muscles to work harder each time. Rather than being stuck on the same weights throughout your workout, the load/resistance needs to be increased in order to break muscle fibre and induce growth. Also, one should not use the same weight every workout, regardless of how many sets or reps you do. Sticking to a particular weight group can halt the growth of the body. The best way to avoid this is by attempting to increase the resistance / weight used and, or increase the number of repetitions performed at each workout.

2. Intensity: Intensity of your workout is also very important. You must force your body to increase its strength. For example, if you typically do 3 sets of 10 reps bench press at 100 pounds, and your chest is capable of doing more reps say 15, then the point of momenatary failure of muscles is not reached. and the body is not going to make any improvements. You might feel the pump at that particlar moment but to add serious muscle one must force the body to work at a higher level than it is used to. The most effective way to overload your muscles is to perform two or three sets per exercise, and continue each set to muscular failure. That means continuing each set until no more repetitions are possible. Go challenge yourself!

3. Recovery: Last but not the least, once you have overloaded the target muscle group you must then allow for proper recovery. You must rest long enough to allow for recovery of the targeted muscle group, the nervous system, refill glycogen stores (Energy stored within your muscles), and also allow enough time for the muscles to make improvements or increases. This process takes time. Generally, it takes between 2-7 days to recover from a strength workout! The harder you work the longer it takes your body to repair. Don't hamper your progress by training a muscle group too often.