Weight training can also be referred to as strength training and is generally used to increase the size of the muscle and also to build up an individual’s strength. Using a variety of equipment normally in the form of dumbbells a person can increase their strength and muscle using the force of gravity.
Weight Training or Body Building
Many refer to weight training as body building; however body building is actually a sport although weight training is a major part of their overall training program. Lifting weights can be used by many athletes and individuals that want to increase their overall strength and their fitness levels as well as improving the size of their muscles.
Although weight training is an activity to increase strength there are also other methods that can be used. Resistance training using elastic equipment can also be used. The principals are the same and both forms of strength training require an individual to carry out a certain amount of repetitions, also referred to as reps. The specific goals of an individual will determine the number of reps and the number of sets and exercises that they carry out.
Injuries are not uncommon with weight training and generally this is due to an individual not adhering to the basic principals, the major one being ensuring that the correct form is held during the lift of weights. Therefore it is vital that persons carrying out this form of exercise take advice from trained experts and follow instructions carefully.
The History of Weights
This history of training with weights is believed to go back to ancient times when the early form of dumbbell was used by the Greeks to improve their strength. Generally they used stones as weights, however it wasn’t long before the dumbbell came into play and the hollow globes used would be filled with sand.
Until the 1970s, weight training was only carried out by a few, however following the release and popularity of the film pumping Iron it then became very popular among men and then with the new rising star of film, Arnold Schwarzenegger came a further influx of fans using weights to increase their muscle and strengthen their bodies.
Women and Weights
During the 1990s women increasingly saw the benefits of training with weights and the numbers have steadily grown over the previous 2 decades. Women generally do not want to increase their muscle mass too significantly and prefer to rather tone and firm up the muscles, therefore they generally use light weights for this purpose as opposed to the heavier dumbbells used by men.
By: Patrick Fitz-Gibbon
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