Weight Training basics

One of my clients who’s been with me for around 18 months had mentioned how he used to do his Weight Training workouts in a fancy 24 hour commercial gym and would only use the available machines and would perform the very basic exercises that the gym offered. Sadly no instructors were around to assist if required either.  As a result he basically didn’t have use of Barbells to work from or help on technique. Like most he would rock up on Mondays and do the “Ol” chest and arms routine and a bit of abs. This is what most regular gym goers tend to do without a strict plan, even when their gym is properly equipped.

Currently we have been working out with Kettlebells, Barbells and Boxing , keep a focus on Nutrition and have based our program around weight loss. To date he has shifted “a lot of excess”  from his frame. So I was pleasantly surprised when he asked me to incorporate some of the more traditional exercises on one program to get a feel of how it all works out. We have over time covered the basic compound lifts for general physical preparation (as you should) but today’s workout was a bit of a variation on the basic with a bit of Claudefit experience chucked in for good measure.

It’s basically a variation on the Chest and Back routine with the addition of Gymnastics rings for on overload under fatigue and the use of the Deadlift and Kettlebell swing for an all body effect. Arm training was at the end after core and ensured that we worked ‘the guns” until they could not Lift anymore.

Focus : All a bit of fun while still getting the job done.

Chest: Incline Barbell press, Flat barbell Press and Gymnastics rings presses.

Back: Barbell bent over rows , Chins and Gymnastics ring pulls

Full Body: Deadlift and Kettlebell swings

Arms: Barbell Bicep curls and lose grip bench press

Core: Hanging Knee raises

Mobility: Included all the stretches and target areas as required.

It’s Strength Training

The above approach was to get in those two large body parts of the back and chest with a 3-5 rep max for 5 sets. The rest of the additional exercises where with a lighter loading and took it to a range of 8-12 reps. All for a bit of serious fun really. The session was then complimented by the ever reliable Deadlift with the classic 3×3 and chucked in several Kettlebell two handed swing 20×5 just to get the heart rate up – yeah we succeeded. Given the nature of the workout we were always going to cover arms and worked them to failure. If you had noticed the arms were certainly incorporated as assistant muscles with the previous movements. Core was taken care of with the Hanging knee raises with a mention of the Deadlift and bent over rows for the bracing component in the core work.

As always we finished off in recovery with related body part stretches and full body mobility drills to prevent any stiffness from becoming a hindrance This very basic (not easy) covers the upper body and gives the arms a more than effective workout. It’s not exactly bodybuilding as we focused on both strength and conditioning. For those who want the bodybuilding approach you need to go to a bodybuilding gym. Not a 24 hour commercial Gym.

The message is to plan well for you objectives. For general physical preparation, just cover all the major movements and incorporate some cardio, sort out you food and you are well on the way to results. For other who have particular need on strength and conditioning on a more specific level I suggest you speak with someone who knows how to program you workouts.

Claude Castro has been the owner of Claudefit Personal Training for 8 year and has over 35 year of practical application. Can be located on  www.claudefit.com.au