Your lifestyle

Ask yourself (and answer honestly): “How many times can I work out each week? How many hours can I spend at the gym, including time in the shower and the locker room?” If you’re a busy parent who also works full time, chances are you have less time to work out than a college student or retired person. Be realistic. Don’t vow to do six sets per muscle group if the only time you’re able to lift weights is during your 30-minute lunch break on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Otherwise, you fall into that why-bother? trap. You’re better off doing a 20-minute routine than skipping that 2-hour workout you planned but somehow never got around to.

Your exercise preferences

When you first take up weight training, you may be overwhelmed by the challenge of knowing the basics of each exercise — how to stand, where to grab the weight, how to adjust the machines, when to inhale and exhale. But you soon develop strong preferences for certain exercises and equipment. Before you know it, you’ll be saying things like, “I love the incline chest fly, but I’d much rather do the dumbbell chest press on a flat bench.” Pay attention to which exercises feel good to you and which equipment you enjoy using, and design your workout accordingly. Keep in mind, however, that it’s natural to prefer the exercises that you’re better at doing. Sometimes, you may need to push yourself to do exercises that you don’t love to balance out your conditioning. Keep an open mind. You may even surprise yourself when you grow to love the push-ups that you used to hate.

Reality check: Plastic or perfect?

By the way, take a big reality check: Don’t expect to look like the sculpted, fat-free people who sell weight training products on TV infomercials or magazine ads. Many of these models have unusual genetics, have taken drugs, and/or have undergone liposuction and added implants to achieve their looks (in addition to being digitally enhanced by professional film producers). In fact, among men, chest or pec and calf implants are popular, while more and more women are getting butt implants. Mentioning this phenomenon is not to advocate plastic surgery. This is simply to let you know that most people who have bodies that look a little too perfect are likely to have achieved that look through unnatural means. So don’t set yourself up for failure before you begin by trying to look like a TV or magazine model by using natural methods. It’s impossible. Simply aim to be your best you.

Weight training equipment

Naturally, the exercises you choose are limited to the equipment that’s available to you. If you belong to a health club the size of Wal-Mart, you may be able to try every exercise in this book — and probably a few thousand more. One four-story club in New York City devotes an entire floor to leg machines. If you work out at a smaller club or at home, your choices are more limited, but even with rudimentary equipment, you can get your body into great shape. If you’re short on equipment, you may want to consult a trainer to find out how to make the most of the gizmos you have access to or to help you decide which key pieces of equipment you should own to achieve your particular goals.

Identifying why you want to train

Too many people blindly go through the motions of a weight training program without stopping to ask themselves, “What the heck am I trying to accomplish?” So give this question some serious thought. Are you planning to scale the Grand Tetons, or do you just want to strengthen your back to add oomph to your golf swing? Remember the principle of specificity. Here’s a rundown of some common goals and how you can reach each of them. You may want to consult a trainer or medical doctor for advice that’s even more specific to your needs.

_ Improve your health. If you aspire to increase your strength, keep your bones strong, and avoid common injuries, you need not spend half of your waking hours with hunks of steel in your hands. You can get by with one exercise for every major muscle group in your body. Simply perform one set of 8 to 15 repetitions for each of the following muscle groups:
• Butt (glutes)
• Front thighs (quadriceps)
• Rear thighs (hamstrings)
• Calves
• Chest (pecs)
• Back
• Abdominals (abs)
• Shoulders (delts)
• Front of upper arm (biceps)
• Rear of upper arm (triceps)
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends doing two or three workouts a week.

_ Alter your looks. Weight training can be a powerful tool for changing your appearance by toning up your muscles, adding definition to your body’s shape, and adding size if desired and your genetics permit. If you’re large boned and muscular, however, weight training can’t make you lean and flexible — and vice versa. You need to work within your body’s parameters.
Significantly overhauling your body’s appearance requires more of a time commitment than simply improving your health. (And keep in mind that your diet, lifestyle, and cardiovascular workouts play a large role, too.) Instead of training your entire body in 25 minutes, you may need to spend 20 minutes simply on your upper body. To develop a noticeably firmer body, we suggest performing at least three sets per muscle group.

_ Train for an athletic event. Preparing for an athletic challenge at any level takes time and dedication (and weight training, of course, is just one aspect of your training). For best results, you need to tailor your weight routine precisely to the event. For example, if you’re working toward a hilly 10K walk or run, you need to give extra attention to your leg and butt muscles. And your workout will be completely different if you want to simply complete a 10K run rather than win it. Serious competitors should expect to spend a lot of serious time in the weight room at certain times of the year (primarily the off-season). And, you should consult a trainer or coach who specializes in working with athletes for a comprehensive, periodized program.

Your short-term goals should focus on the behaviors, in other words the things that you need to do or not do, to achieve your longterm objective. Your training program design should reflect your specific training objectives.

The slide exercise

The slide is the perfect abdominal exercise for people prone to lower back or neck pain. Performing the slide is a good way to get your abs in shape for more challenging abdominal exercises.

Getting set
Remove your shoes. Lie on your back with your knees bent comfortably, feet hip-width apart, toes up, and heels digging into the floor. Rest your arms at your sides. Pull your abdominals in and gently push — but don’t force —your back into the floor so, to some extent, you flatten out the natural curve of the small of your back. See photo A.

The exercise
Slowly slide your heels forward as you gradually straighten your legs; don’t allow your abs to push upward or your back to pop up off the floor, even a little. Continue straightening your legs until you can’t keep your abs tight or your back on the floor or until your legs fully extend. Then slowly slide your heels back to the starting position, again taking care not to relax your middle muscles. See photo B.

Do’s and don’ts

• DO slide your legs out only as far as you can while keeping your back in contact with the floor. As you get stronger, you’ll be able to straighten your legs all the way while keeping your abs pulled in and your back flat.
• DO keep your head, neck, and shoulders relaxed.
• DO move slowly and take the time to feel your abs working.

Other options

• Single-leg slide (easier): Slide out one heel at a time. Do an equal number of reps with each leg.
• Slide with paper plates (harder): Place your heels on two paper plates or in plastic bags. You have to work even harder to slide slowly and with control.
• Short slide (harder): Slide your heels out to the point where you need to work the hardest to maintain your back placement on the floor. Slide your heels a few inches back and forth several times so you’re constantly working.

Reverse plank

The reverse tabletop plank is an all-around excellent core stabilizer, working abs, back, glutes, and shoulder stabilizer muscles. This exercise excels because it works so many muscles simultaneously, which is the way that we challenge our bodies in real life.

Getting set
Lie on your back with your knees bent and palms under your shoulders, and then lift yourself into a tabletop position. Point your fingers in whatever direction is most comfortable for your shoulders. Slide your shoulders down. Pull your abdominals inward.

The exercise
As you exhale, squeeze your buttocks and push up onto your heels. Avoid arching your upper or lower back. Hold your head in the most comfortable position for your neck — either upright and looking down your torso or lowered gently toward the back. Work up to a 30-second hold.

Do’s and don’ts

• DO keep your abdominals pulled in so you don’t arch your lower back or pop out your ribs.
• DO keep your shoulders down. Avoid hunching or collapsing into your shoulders.
• DON’T let your bottom sag down.

Other options
Reverse plank (easier): Lie on your back with your legs straight and palms under your shoulders, and then lift yourself onto your hands. Lift your hips, keeping your knees over your ankles, your abs and gluts tight and your spine lengthened. Supporting a shorter length is easier for your core stabilizers.
Reverse plank with leg lift (harder): Keep your torso parallel to the ground. Alternate lifting and lowering one leg at a time as high as you can without lowering your hips.