Basic Weight Training Exercises
General Concepts
The article assumes you have already read my Weight Training Basics article to
understand the principles, general technique, and format for counting sets and
repetitions.
Fitness Goal
Endurance
General Fitness
Muscle Building/Strength
Repetitions
15-20
10-12
8-10
Sets
2-3
2-3
3-4
You will want to work both upper and lower body while focusing largely on compound
muscle movements/exercises that use multiple muscle groups (e.g., overhead pressing
engages not only the shoulders but the upper back, triceps, and forearms.) [Go to the
www.bodybuilding.com website and click on “Exercises” under the SuperSite section to
see photographs of exercises sorted by body part.]
While specifying free weights (barbell or dumbbell), many of these exercises can be
done using commercial or home gym apparatus with cables and weight stack for
resistance.
Upper Body
Overhead Press
From a standing or sitting position with palms facing down or toward the side of your leg
(optionally with dumbbells), raise/push the weight(s) straight up and resist them coming
down. Optionally, perform while sitting on a stability ball.
Rowing
Barbell—with knees bent and back straight, pick barbell off the floor, keep back
straight, pull or row it to your chest, resist on the way down.
Dumbbells—put one foot behind the other while bending over and placing your free
hand on a bench/rack. Pick up the dumbbell off the floor, smoothly pull it to the side of
your chest using the rear shoulder, resist on the way down. Optionally, place the free
hand on a stability ball.
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Chest Press
Lying with your back on a bench or stability ball, with palms facing in front, press
weight(s) from top or side of chest to fully extended arms and resist coming down. Vary
by having palms facing toward each other (with dumbbells) and/or using an incline
bench.
Biceps Curl
From a standing position or sitting on a bench or stability ball, start from hanging arm
position with palms facing toward you. Lift the weight(s) up to your shoulder using the
biceps muscle while rotating your palms upward toward your shoulders, resist the
weight on the way down. Also try palms facing downward for a forearm and hand
emphasis (reverse curl).
Triceps Press
Seated—Sit on a bench or stability ball with a barbell/single dumbbell on your lap.
Press it overhead to a starting position. Lower the weight slowly to the back of your
neck, use triceps to press back to the starting point. This can also be done using a
cable pulley from behind your head.
Lying—Lay down on a bench or stability ball (shoulders/upper back on the ball), push
weight to above chest, lower slowly to forehead, use triceps to press back to starting
point.
Standing—Use a cable and attachment (straight or angled bar; rope), push down until
hands are chest level (starting position). Then, fully extend arms downward and resist
slowly going back up. Keep elbows close by the hips.
Lower Body
Leg Press
Seated on a leg press machine or home gym attachment, place feet on platform with
toes pointed outward. Push legs outward and resist slowly as your legs come back.
[Do not bring knees too close to chest where you are putting strain on your lower back.]
Can also be done one leg at a time with a lighter weight.
Lunge Squat
Holding dumbbells at your side, step forward with one leg until the quadriceps muscles
(large one in front) is parallel with the ground. The other leg is extended behind with
weight on the toe. Squat straight upward with the forward leg and then resist going
down. Keep head and chest up. Do all reps on one leg than switch sides.
Step Up
Holding dumbbells at your side, step forward with one leg onto a raised surface, while
letting the back leg trail behind and just touch the edge of platform. Resist on the way
back down. Do all reps on one leg then switch sides.
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Leg Squat
Hold a pair of dumbbells by your hips or a straight barbell on your shoulders behind
your neck. Keep your head and chest up while letting your butt drop behind your heels,
squat to a position with thigh parallel with the floor. Resist on the way down, then drive
up to a standing position, keeping your head and chest up.
Romanian Dead Lift
Grab a barbell (in front) or dumbbells (outside the ankles) off the floor and rest hanging
at mid-thigh. Let your hips/butt protrude significantly behind your heels as you keep the
back flat and slowly lower the weight to a position between your knee and ankle.
Squeeze your buttocks to return the weigh to the starting position, i.e., don’t let the
lower back do all the lifting. Feel your glutes (butt) and upper hamstrings doing the
work.
Leg Curl
Standing or seated on cable apparatus/home gym with your Achilles tendon/heel on the
roller pad, curl your leg to your butt, extend slowly back to the start position. Keep
tension on the hamstring muscle at all times.
Calf Raise
Standing—Stand on an elevated area (platform, stool, step, 4x4 board) so your heel
can drop below your toes. Raise up on your toes then lower the heel all the way down.
Seated—sit on a stool or bench with toes elevated. Place barbell plate(s) on your lap.
Raise up on toes then lower heel all the way down.
Also, refer to these articles at www.ironmanthrows.com:
 Weight Training Basics
 Circuit Training
Questions! Need Help? Email taylors@ironmanthrows.com
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106760926
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