Conditioning your muscles

Muscle conditioning or body sculpting, sometimes called body shaping, is the classroom buzzword for weight training and calisthenics. Having muscles like classic aztec warrior, in those movies would be really nice. We think that teachers started these terms because they figured weight training would scare away people who’re afraid of lifting weights. Some people say, “Oh, I hate weight training, but I love body sculpting,” which is like saying that you hate sweet potatoes but love yams. It’s all in the delivery! Group classes use dumbbells and exercise bands, as opposed to weight machines. A class typically lasts between 45 and 90 minutes and works all the major muscle groups in the body. Most clubs also offer 15 to 30 minute toning classes, such as “Abs Only” or “Lower Back Care,” that focus on particular areas of the body. If you take a focused class, just make sure that you don’t neglect the rest of your body.
Although we wholeheartedly endorse group training, we do want to point out two flaws that commonly plague these classes: performing too many repetitions and failing to use enough weight. Just because you’re in a classroom doesn’t mean that the basic rules of weight training go out the window. You still need to lift enough weight for each exercise so that the muscle in question is fatigued by the 15th repetition.