Weight Lifting For Beginners

Nope, not those heavy packages you are lifting from all your shopping this holiday season since you decided to have some style and stop with the overspending and making everyone else rich but yourself, and decide to add some weight to your life in the form of working out, exercising, whether you are male or female, it's time to start lifting, it will lift your spirits as well as that behind of yours that will go south if you don't step up your game.

Very basic stuff here, start with three and five pound weights. Work up to ten and twenty pound weights, maybe thirty at the outside; anything more is for the pros and serious workout artists. 

1) If you are at a loss, buy a tape or DVD. I still love "Fabio Fitness", it's awesome for beginners and intermediate. There are plenty of tapes to choose from so pick one and get going.  

2) Remember: Stretch first and learn the weight lifting exercises first using no weights. After you are warmed up, pick up the 3 lb weight, too light? Try the 5 lb weight but use nothing heavier for the first four - eight weeks.

3) Many experts say you must do the same exercises every other day, using a different set of muscle groups. So if you have the same set of exercises, you can only do them every other day. However, if you start light, and don't over work yourself, it is safe to exercise the same muscle groups every day as your body gets used to working with weights. If you are doing a very hard workout, then rotate the muscle groups every other day.

4) Try for at least 20 - 30 minutes each day.

5) Weights are for the whole body. When you do squats and lunges, hold a weight in each hand, holding the weight upward, not down alongside the body because you will have no resistance and not work your upper and lower body together.

There are literally dozens and dozens of different exercises you can do using weights. Even the traditional floor exercises and stomach curls, you can hold one weight in your hands as you do sit ups. As you get used to it, you will find your favorite exercises and have fun discovering new ones as you get stronger and stronger. Your posture and balance will improve as will your self esteem.

Get started today so when all those sad little losers around you ask what your New Year's resolution is, you can say you are already doing it, and doing it well.