Training with Free Weights

Beginning Your Free Weight Training Program

~ Standing Warm-up Exercises ~

Two-arm snatch
This exercise is to warm up and loosen your muscles, and can be done to prepare for the bench press exercise described in next section. Be sure to do some simple stretching exercise prior to lifting. With the barbell in front of you and with your feet twelve inches apart, grasp the barbell with an over grip (knuckles facing up) about a shoulder's width apart. Keep your back straight and bend at the knees as if you were about to sit down. Without swinging the bar, straighten at the knees, raising the bar straight up over your head. At the final position, your legs should be straight.

Two-arm press from chest to overhead
In this exercise start in the same position as you did in the warm-up exercise above. Instead of lifting the barbell overhead, stop at your chest. From this position, push the barbell over your head while your feet are in line approximately a foot apart. It is extremely important in this routine to keep your back straight and erect as well as facing forward. Do one set of ten repetitions until lifting becomes easy and then increase your weight five pounds at a time. After increasing the weight, begin at eight repetitions.

Two-arm bicep curl
With your feet shoulder width apart and palms facing up, grasp the barbell. You should be using fifteen pounds less here than the two-arm snatch, since you must keep your barbell to the shoulders. To develop the bicep muscles properly you must curl only with your arms, releasing the weight in a slow, steady pattern back to the waist. Try to do one set of eight, increasing by five-pound increments as you work up. Add more weight and fewer repetitions to build bulk muscles, or increase repetitions to build stamina.

~ Free Weight Workout Program ~
The weight bench program described here consists
of bench press exercises, leg developer exercises,
and butterfly exercises.

Flat bench press
Always have a spotter when you are doing maximum poundage in the bench press. Place your bench pad completely flat, lie back on the bench and set your feet solidly on either side of the bench, your legs bent at 90-degree angles. When you are oriented correctly on the bench, your head should be almost directly beneath the racked barbell. Reach up and take an over-grip on the bar (knuckles facing up) with your hands set four to six inches wider than your shoulders on each side. Keeping your elbows almost directly out to the sides throughout the movement, slowly lower the weight down to touch the middle of your chest. Then, simply reverse direction with the bar and push it strongly to the starting point.

Incline bench press
Adjust the bench pad to an incline position and lock your bench support bar into the high position desired. Repeat the same motion as mentioned above for the flat bench press. The incline bench press will shift the body development to the upper section and pectoral muscles.

Lying leg curl
Lie face down on the flat padded surface of the bench with your legs straight, and slide toward the foot end of the bench until you can comfortably hook your heels beneath the roller pads. Grasp the side of the bench and begin raising your legs in an upward motion, and then lowering your legs in a slow manner.

Seated leg extension
Position yourself in a seated position towards the end of the bench, where the leg developer is attached. Hook your legs over the highest roller pads and hook your ankles underneath the lowest roller pads. Grasp the side of the bench with your hands and begin raising your legs in an upward position, and then lowering your legs in a slow manner.