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Photograph by Sunstreak Productions, Inc. At most gyms, you find a wide array of dumbbells, lined up from lightest, usu- ally 3 ...

198 Part IV: Lift and Curl: Building a Stronger Bod with Weights How to spot and be spotted If you spend enough time in the gym, ...

Chapter 13: Demystifying Strength Equipment 199 The advantages of free weights ................................................. ...

If you’re using very heavy weights, enlist a spotter. (See Figure 13-2 and the sidebar “How to spot and be spotted” in this cha ...

Experiment with the angle of the bench, especially for chest exercises. Inclining the bench a few degrees allows you to work th ...

Don’t be afraid to play around with the different types of adjustments. Attach- ing a new bar is easier than it looks, and you m ...

and curl your hands up toward your shoulders. Lower your arms slowly so the band doesn’t just snap back into place. (You can fin ...

The advantages:You don’t require any storage space and you certainly can take yourself anywhere. Plus, push-ups and pull-ups are ...

Chapter 14 Designing a Strength-Training Program In This Chapter
Defining sets and reps
Knowing how often and how much to lift ...

Repis short for repetition — one complete motion of an exercise. Suppose you’re doing a leg lift. When you lift your leg and th ...

How much should I lift? .................................................................... To increase strength, you need to l ...

weights). Plus you’ll end up relying on momentum rather than muscle power. Going slow and steady yields better results because m ...

to four weeks of training; at that point, consider adding a second or even third set for each muscle group. However, if your goa ...

How many times a week do I need to lift weights? ....................... Start by lifting two or three days per week for several ...

Upper body/lower body: You work your upper body one day and your lower body the next. You fit in your abs two to four times a w ...

Consider trying periodization,a method of organizing your workout program into several periods, each lasting about four weeks. E ...

All about Abs ............................................................................................... Abs are everywhere ...

If you can do more than 12 reps of an abdominal exercise, you’re either doing the reps too quickly or with poor form, or the ex ...

pulling your belly button up and in toward your spine. Imagine that you’re wearing a pair of underwear that’s one size too small ...

Remember to breathe. In general, exhale forcefully through your mouth as you lift the weight and inhale deeply through your nos ...