Strength Training: Expert Guides and Resources

The standing calf raise exercise targets your calf muscles, particularly the larger, outermost muscle that is responsible for the shape and size of your calves. Performing the standing calf raise Follow these steps to perform this exercise: Stand on the edge of a step. Or, if you have a step-aerobics platform, place two sets of risers underneath the platform.

The dumbbell chest press closely mimics the bench press — the favorite exercise among serious weightlifters everywhere. This exercise works your chest muscles, shoulders, and triceps. If you have shoulder, elbow, or lower-back problems, limit the range of motion. You should lower and lift the dumbbells only a few inches to avoid overstraining these joints.

The dumbbell shoulder press exercise targets your shoulders, placing some emphasis on your triceps and upper back. Use caution if you have lower-back, neck, or elbow problems. Performing the dumbbell shoulder press Follow these steps to perform this exercise: Hold a dumbbell in each hand and sit on a bench with back support.

External and internal rotation exercises target your rotator-cuff muscles but strengthen your shoulder muscles as well. If these movements bother your neck, try resting your head on your outstretched arm. Performing rotation exercises Follow these steps to perform these exercises: Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and lie on the floor on your left side.

The dumbbell biceps curl exercise targets your biceps, the muscles you rely on to hold heavy objects and look buff in sleeveless shirts. Use caution if you have lower-back or elbow problems. Performing biceps curls Follow these steps to perform this exercise: Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet as wide apart as your hips.

If you want to get into weight training, start by sorting fact from fiction. Don’t let stories you’ve heard about weight lifting keep you from the gym. You'll reach your fitness goals sooner by getting some simple home equipment and finding a qualified personal trainer. Follow some basic etiquette when working with a trainer and using the gym, and learn some muscle terminology so you’re comfortable with weight training.

A weight bench can help you get a better strength-training workout. Some benches are flat, and some are upright, like narrow chairs with high, padded backs. Others are adjustable so you can slide them to an incline or decline position. Here are some tips for using weight benches: Experiment with the angle of the bench, especially for chest exercises.

You should learn proper form to lift weights in a strength-training program. The way some people lift weights, you’d think they were in labor or impersonating a mountain gorilla. Grunting, screaming, and rocking back and forth are not indications of proper weight-lifting.When you’re lifting weights in a strength-training program, the following rules always apply: Always warm up.

The CrossFit Games are a hugely popular and incredibly intense fitness competition that endeavors to crown “the fittest man and the fittest woman in the world.” The Games are so popular that over 200,000 athletes signed up for the Open competition (a five-week qualifying stage in which participants from all over the world submit their scores online), with over 1,500 men and women advancing to regional competitions.