Getting the Best Results from Free Weight Exercises

Doing free weight exercises can give you the firm and toned body you want, but where do you begin? What exercises would be most effective? And what equipment do you need?

Below you can find information about the different types of resistance exercise you can do, advice on which will work best for you, and also a guide to choosing the best equipment for your needs.

3 Types of Free Weight Exercise to Choose From

When using free weights at home you have 3 options to choose from:

• Barbells
• Dumbbells
• And, Variable Resistance Dumbbells

For safety and effectiveness, we recommend dumbbells for home use. Though a person can use more resistance with barbells, unless you have a spotter, they can be dangerous when working out alone.

Beyond just safety, dumbbells offer a superior workout over barbells. Due to your body having to control 2 weights instead of just one, it has to use many more stabilizing muscles while exercising.

Variable resistance dumbbells can make your workouts even more effective. As you begin to get into better and better shape you will find that certain muscles (like your thighs) can use more resistance than other muscles.

Variable resistance dumbbells can enable you to train each muscle group at their optimal levels and get the best overall results.

Laying the Foundation for Your Success

Understanding these 3 principles can help you lay the foundation to your future success.

Principle #1

"KISS - K eep I t S imple S upergirl."

Getting great results from your workouts doesn't take a "miracle" program or the latest "super secret." It only takes time and consistent effort

Principle #2

"It is better to do a little consistently, than try to do too much and do it inconsistently."

In the beginning, even if you can only do 1 set of each exercise, you will get far better results from doing that amount consistently than trying to do 10x that much and getting burnt out on exercising.

Yes the turtle does win the race .

Principle #3

"Form is more important than weight"

Do you remember when you learned to ride a bike? At first it was hard, and then all of a sudden, POOF, off you went. What happened? Your neuromuscular system adjusted to the "exercise".

Just like learning to ride a bicycle, your body needs to learn how to do each exercise correctly. In fact, once it learns to do an exercise a certain way it can be difficult to "unlearn it". Many times people make the mistake of using too much weight at the beginning, which causes them to use improper form, which can be less effective and possibly dangerous.

Using less weight when learning a new exercise will enable your body to "learn" to do it correctly, which will empower you to train safely and effectively.

What Equipment Do You Need?

The nice thing about doing free weight exercises can be the price. Depending on your preferences, you can get started for less than $100 or invest in a top-of-the-line adjustable dumbbell set and bench for $400 - $600.

What you will need:

• Workout bench - a workout bench will enable you to do many exercises, such as: chest presses, shoulder presses, and back rows. For more information about choosing the best workout bench for you, please click here
• A pair of dumbbells - a pair of 10Ib dumbbells can be purchased at any sporting goods store for less than $50. For more information about the different types of dumbbells (including adjustable dumbbells), please click here

• (optional) Exercise ball - for around $25, an exercise ball can add great variety and versatility to your workouts.

If you're interested in specific exercises for toning your legs please visit our partner site Get-Great-Legs.com

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This site is designed for educational purposes only and is not engaged in rendering medical advice or professional services. Please check with your health care professional prior to starting any exercise program.