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Chapter 14

Designing a Strength-Training

Program

In This Chapter

Defining sets and reps

Knowing how often and how much to lift

Maintaining proper form

Targeting your abdominals

Trying exercises for all the major muscle groups

S

can the fitness aisle in any bookstore or video store and you find fitness

experts who claim to have discovered the Secret, the Answer, the world’s

best solution to building a new you. “I can’t stand to know a secret that can

help others without telling them about it,” says one popular instructor.

Well, we have a secret, too: There are no secrets to weight training. To find a

program that works for you, you need to experiment with a variety of training

methods. Lifting weight is an art, not an exact science.

In this chapter, we present an array of tools you can use to custom-design a

strength-training program. We address questions such as, “How much weight

should I lift?”, “How many exercises do I need to do?”, and “How many days a

week should I work out?” There’s no single answer to any of these questions.

You need to decide what your goals are, which techniques you like best, and

which ones your body responds to. Also, we recommend consulting with a

qualified trainer at least once before you embark on a strength-training pro-

gram. (See Chapter 4 for tips on finding a competent trainer.)

The Building Blocks of a Weight Workout ................................................

You can’t begin to design a strength-training program without knowing two

terms: rep and set.