Top Ten Exercises for New Weight Trainers
These ten exercises: squat, chest press, deadlift, leg press, overhead press, cable row, bicep arm curl, triceps pushdown, lat pulldown and crunch provide a full-body training session for anyone new to weight training -- or for more experienced exercisers wanting a simple yet thorough set of exercises on which to build further.
The pulldown or lat pulldown is an exercise mainly for the back although the shoulders and arms get some workout as well. The latissimus dorsi on either side of the middle to upper back is the muscle group from which the exercise gets its name.
The seated cable row develops the muscles of the back and the forearms. Good form for the cable row includes pulling the shoulder blades together with each stroke.
The triceps pushdown exercise uses a cable and pulley machine with loaded weights to provide an excellent exercise for the triceps muscles at the rear of the upper arm.
The arm curl or bicep curl utilizes dumbbells and barbells and even kettlebells to work the biceps muscles of the upper arm and the lower brachialis and brachioradialis.
The crunch has replaced the situp as the exercise of choice for training the abdominals muscles. The crunch requires lifting the shoulders and upper chest off the ground for a few seconds forcing the muscles of the stomach to contract. Crunches are usually done in multiple sets.
The overhead press, sometimes called the military press, is performed by lifting a barbell or dumbbells straight from the chest to the overhead position with arms almost extended.
The leg press is performed by pushing against a movable platform under weighted pressure. The exercise develops the legs, back and gluteal muscles.
The deadlift is often called 'the king of lifts' because it is an exceptional strength and bulk building exercise. You can do it with barbell, dumbbells and bar and plates.
The squat weight and strength training exercise takes many forms including with dumbbells, barbells, bar and plates, a Smith machine, or even without equipment at all using your own body weight. Here are the basic movements required for safety and proficiency and some pointers to mistakes to avoid.
The chest press weight and strength training exercise takes many forms including with dumbbells, barbells, bar and plates, a Smith machine, or even with exercise bands. Here are the basic movements required for safety and proficiency and some pointers to mistakes to avoid.
