Weight training is a mix of bodybuilding and weight lifting, a technique for developing muscle strength by progressively adding amount of weights in your weight training routine. However unlike bodybuilding and weight lifting, weight training is not a sport. It is more a like a type of fitness program, i.e. (cardio workout).

Weight training is based on some basic principles;

• Overload Principle


• Progressive Resistance and


• Principle of Specificity

Overload principle – this principle states that size, strength and endurance of the muscle will only improve if it should be putted under stress (the actual exercise activity) is greater than that normally encountered.

Progressive principle – states that as strength and endurance of the muscle increase the resistance (heavier weights) must be periodically increased if further gains are desired.

Effective weight training requires you to lift a little more load/resistance each time you go on workout. That will eventually enable you to lift a lot more weights than what you originally started with.

Principle of specificity – last but not the least this principal states that the development of muscular fitness is specific to the muscles trained. This means that if you were doing weight training for a sport, then weight training will be most beneficial if the exercise resembles the action of the sport.

Why do weight training?

For a beginner, entering a gym full of hard bodies for the first time can make you feel you inferior. There are so many different muscles to learn about and so many different exercises to concentrate different muscles group. The idea is to get to target your every body part.

Weight training is done by different individuals for achieving different objective; these objectives may include the following:

• Increase strength


• Improve your physique


• Fighting obesity


• Strengthen bones


• Boost your energy, fitness, endurance levels

Increase strength – although not all individuals do weight training to win an Olympic medal or some champion ship, doing weight training can help you with your daily activity. This is advantageous to have for both men and women.

Strengthen bones – Weight training putts your bone under stress and when bones are under stress they tend to become stronger naturally. Hence more weight training much stronger bones and helps you to fight osteoporosis.

Fighting obesity – Weight training can help you in fighting against weight. Following weight training in your weight loss regime will help increase your body metabolic rate because of the increase in your overall muscle mass. This will allow you to burn more calories throughout the day even when while you are sleeping. You will feel younger; look leaner, and muscular and your clothes will fit better!

Here is a great weight loss guide that gives you some useful suggestions

• Forget about dieting. In the long term, dieting does not work. It has been seen that 90 to 95% of dieters regain their weight back as they stop dieting.


• Make changes in your life style and try to leave a healthier life. A healthier lifestyle includes not only food but exercise also.


• Try to reduce the fat intake. It is not as difficult as it sounds. Some simple things include topping pancakes with fresh fruit, applesauce, or nonfat yogurt instead of butter and syrup. Take egg whites instead of whole eggs. Take all fruit jam instead of butter in the bread. Take thin-crust, vegetarian, single-cheese pizza; order fat free chips. Use lemon juice on the vegetables instead of butter.


• It is not a great idea to skip meals. As when you get hungry you take a lot of food, which mostly includes high fat things.


• Keep a report of what, when and where you eat. Analyze this report at the end of each week. Keep on working for alternative food choices or activities.


• Keep patience. Do not try to lose five pounds in a week. The more fast you try to lose weight the more disappointed as you will end up gaining weight again. It is a great idea to lose weight slowly. If you lose weight slowly, you are most likely to keep it off. If you lose half to one pound in a week that is really a great achievement.


• Don't deprive yourself. Eating one high-fat food at one meal isn't going to make or break your weight. What you eat regularly is what counts.


• Do not eat your food while you are watching TV, reading, or doing some activity. If you eat food with some other activities, you are not going to have the real taste of food. So give some time to your food at least.

I think this weight loss guide is going to help you to great extent in your weight loss program.