Different types of Weight Lifting Exercises

The benefits of weight lifting and weight training can not be underestimated for both the professional athlete and the weekend enthusiast. Proper weight training can improve your body’s performance as well be a source for general body and mental wellness. One of the things to note when choosing a good weight lifting program is to know what you are training for. Weight training can be used for specific body muscles which include

1. Chest weight training
2. Back weight training
3. Leg weight training
4. Shoulder weight training
5. Arm weight training
6. Mid section weight training

You can decide to choose one muscle group or a combination of any or all of the above in your weight lifting session.

For all of the body muscle groups you have a choice as to the type of weight lifting exercise that you use

1. Isolation exercises

Isolation weight lifting is where movement is restricted to only one muscle group or joint. Most isolation weight lifting involves the use of specialised machines to get the right muscle group. It is possible to use free weights but special positions are required while the specialised machines isolate only one muscle group with other muscles being minimally involved.

Isolation exercises are normally used to directly exercise muscles that can not be fully exercised in other exercise types.

2. Compound Weight Lifting

This involves weight training on several muscle groups at once. It includes the movement of one or more joints. Compound weight lifting does involve free weight and are normally used to build strength that is needed in every day pushing, pulling and lifting activity.

3. Isotonic Exercises

In isotonic weight lifting, the force produced by the muscle to push or pull a weighted object should not change as the length of the muscle decreases or increases.

.Most weight training is isotonic in nature but it is hard to get a purely isotonic exercise unless using specialised equipment like nautilus. This is mainly because the force on the muscles varies as the joint moves through its range of motion.

4. Plyometric Weight Training

This exploit’s the stretch-shortening cycle of muscles to enhance the stretch effect. Plyometric exercises are used to develop explosive speed by the rapid alteration of lengthening and shortening of muscle fibres against resistance.

Plyometric weight training focuses on maximal power instead of maximal strength and can be used to improve a boxer’s punch or the vertical jumping ability of a volleyball player.

5. Free Weights

This mainly involves the use of dumbbells and barbells. Free weights do not constrain a weight lifter to specific fixed movement thus requiring more effort from the user. Most athletes prefer free weights to gain functional strength but are not recommended to novice trainers so as to avoid injury.

6. Machine Weight Training

Most novices are advised to start their weight lifting on machine weights. This is because they can prevent injury and also help the weight lifter get the proper form. The one advantage of machine weights is that they can be used specifically for isolation weight training to get to muscles that would have escaped the weight lifter in other exercises.

A good weight lifting program involves the use of all types of weight lifting exercises in order to gain full body strength. Getting the right mix of weight training with the proper dietary habits and muscle targeting will enable the weight trainer get the most from his training program.

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