If you are trying to lose weight, or just want to take care of your body and stay healthy, then it is time to try a fitness club. ONE FITNESS CLUB offers free strength training that has been proven to be effective.
These programs help with weight loss, muscle mass gain and overall fitness improvement. Schedule a free session today
What exactly are free weights at One Fitness Club?
Free weights are training loads that are not connected to any other apparatus at One fitness club.
It is "free", meaning you can pick it up or move it. The only thing you are fighting is the force of gravity on that object. The two main free weights in the gym like at One Fitness Club are dumbbells. Kettlebells, medicine balls, sandbags, and even tires are free weights. Pick them up and do what you want with them.
This is in contrast to fixed weight machines, cable machines, and resistance bands. And sometimes, with non-free weight machines, gravity isn't even the force you're working against.
With cable machines and resistance bands the source of resistance is the cable or band.
The free weights section is arguably the most intimidating place in any gym, a place where, let's be honest, many women feel out of place.
Some women feel like they're not strong enough to lift weights with their buddies. Others worry about making a strength-training faux pas. (And of course, if we're being honest, this isn't all in our heads.
Understanding exactly what to expect before you walk out the door is the easiest and most effective way to not only reduce anxiety and make your workout experience much more enjoyable, but also ensure that you're getting the most out of the time you spend on your workouts.
Also read: ELASTIC FIT | FIT BANDS ADAPTED FOR LEGS
Why lift free weights?
The possibilities of what you can do with it are virtually endless.
Free weights offer more freedom of movement for most exercises. Take a squat, for example, you perform it with a leg press or machine, bend your knees and hips, and that's it.
Everything else is fixed, so you don't have to worry about wobbling from side to side. Your body can't move outside of a straight path. Now, do the same squat with a free weight. Your muscles have to work to keep you from wobbling, and your body doesn't have to move in a fixed path.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it just feels awesome to lift a piece of metal off the ground like a badass.
Learn more: 30 DAY KETTLEBELL CHALLENGE, HOW DOES IT WORK?
Your One fitness club free weight program
You have decided to start free weights at One fitness club.
Determine your goals, how often you will lift weights, and the duration of your workouts.
When it comes to training with free weights, this is the step most people miss, which is too bad because everything you do in the gym should be based on what you decide here. Don’t worry, though. It’s not hard. Just answer the following questions for yourself:
- What is your goal?
This could be anything from doing your first pull-up to gaining muscle mass to increasing your lifting capacity by X amount of weight. The answer will influence not only the exercises you perform, but also how you perform them (think reps, sets, weight used, rest periods, etc.).
Also, remember that your goals should include rehabbing or treating any previous injuries or painful joints. (If you're ever unsure about how to accommodate a previous injury, it's a good idea to talk to a physical therapist.)
- How many times will you lift per week?
It's good to have goals, but you also have to be realistic. After all, if you create a free weight routine that works different body parts every day, but you rarely hit the gym more than two days a week, half of your body is going to be left behind.
It is always better to add a strength training day than to omit muscle groups throughout the week.
Here are some helpful resources to help you determine how often you should exercise.
- How much time will you dedicate to your training?
It's hard to give a single suggestion on how long a strength training session should be, because it really depends on the reps and sets you do (we'll get to rep and set selection later), how much rest you give between exercises, the intensity of the exercise, and how long it takes to complete each movement. In general, most trainers say that 45 to 60 minutes is enough for a strength training session.
It is important to be realistic about the amount of time you can devote to training.
Choose a time limit that feels achievable based on your schedule. See how many exercises you can do while still allowing yourself time to complete all reps and sets. It's also important to stick to form by allowing for rest time as well. If you need to cut your workouts short sometimes, that's okay too. It's okay to be flexible.
- Familiarize yourself with different movements.
Your body has about seven basic movement patterns. They are: squat, lunge, hinge, push, pull, rotation, anti-rotation.
Everything you do in the free weights area of the gym will be based on these movement patterns, and an ideal free weights workout routine should hit all of these areas. You may do multiple movements in a single workout, or you may focus on just one for an entire session.
It largely depends on how many workouts you have per week.
After all, if you're lifting weights five days a week, doing a total-body workout every day won't give each muscle enough time to recover.
Ultimately, your goal is to work your entire body during the week, with no more than three to five days between working any given body part. So, if you're doing two lifting workouts per week, you'll probably want to make each one a total-body workout.
Full-body training is generally best for improving overall fitness and fat loss, while interval training is typically used for [specific] muscle-building goals. However, it really depends on how much time you have to get to the gym each week. If you can get to the gym four or more times on a regular basis, try interval training. Otherwise, stick to full-body exercises.
Here are some examples of One fitness club lower body free weight exercises:
- Squat
Exercises: goblet squat, rack squat, zercher squat, front squat, back squat, overhead squat, pistol squat.
Equipment used: dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, sandbags.
Main muscles used: quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings.
- Leg curls
exercises: forward lunge, reverse lunge, side lunge, walking lunge, step-up
Equipment used: dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, sandbags.
Main muscles used: quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings.
- Deadlift
exercises: deadlift, hip thrust, glute bridge, hip thrust with heel raise, single leg deadlift, single leg hip thrust, kettlebell swing, clean
Equipment used: dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells
main muscles worked: glutes, hamstrings
Here are some examples of One fitness club upper body free weight exercises:
- Arm pull
exercises: arm curls, arm curls, lower back traction
equipment used: dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells
Main muscles worked: back, shoulders, biceps
- Bench press
exercises: bench press, shoulder press, incline press, chest press
Equipment used: dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells
Main muscles worked: chest, shoulders, triceps
- Rotation
exercises: woodchop, medicine ball rotational slam, Russian twist, reverse lunge with twist
equipment used: dumbbell, medicine ball
Main muscles used: common core
- Anti-rotation
exercises: suitcase carry, server carry, offset load (weight in hand) exercises (like the renegade row pictured above)
equipment used: dumbbells, kettlebells
main muscles worked: the trunk
It's time to learn the correct form so you can perform these movements safely and effectively in the One fitness club weight room.
Correct form helps prevent injuries and ensures training success.
Incorrect movement can cause injuries as well as muscle and movement imbalances that can lead to postural problems down the road."
To learn proper form, you have several options. You can take advantage of a personal training trial session that most fitness clubs offer, hire a personal trainer online, or watch YouTube videos from a certified personal trainer or strength coach.
Focus on learning each of the seven basic movements before increasing the weight or performing complicated exercise variations. It may not be flashy at first, but performing simple squats, hinges, lunges, pushes, pulls, rotations, and anti-rotations is a proven formula that gets results.
Determine the order of the exercises.
Once you know what exercises you want to do and how you're going to spread them out over the week, it's time to decide how you're going to order the exercises during each workout. Because yes, the order of the exercises matters.
Typically, during strength training sessions (after a warm-up, of course), you should first perform explosive power exercises. Then, your heavier, more compound exercises. Finally, finish with isolation movements that target a specific muscle. This will allow you to have enough energy and not exhaust your muscles.
For example, you might do power cleans or sled pushes (power) at the beginning of a workout, then move on to squats and bench presses (compound), and finish with triceps extensions and calf raises (isolation).
Each muscle group gets a little rest while you work another.
Depending on whether you're doing total body, upper and lower body, or interval workouts, you can alternate between upper and lower body exercises or opposing movements, such as pushing and pulling.
Finally, you can order exercises as repetitions and direct sets. To do this, perform all sets of one exercise before moving on to another. You can also set up your exercises as circuits, performing one set of all exercises, taking a break.
Another option is to perform supersets, which are sets of two or more exercises that work opposing muscle groups. For example, you could do 10 chest presses, 10 bent-over rows, rest, and then repeat.
For example, you do 10 shoulder presses, then 10 reverse pull-ups. Compound sets are designed to promote intense muscle fatigue.
Also discover: TONE YOUR WHOLE BODY IN HALF AN HOUR OF FITNESS
Choose your weights
When it comes to lifting weights, the question “How much weight should I use?” is at the top of the list of questions. But before you can answer that question, you need to decide on the number of reps and sets.
How many repetitions should you try to do?
It depends on your goal.
- Strength: 6 reps or less, 2-6 sets
To develop maximal strength, you need to lift heavy weights, usually for 6 reps or less. Then increase the overall work while performing 6 reps or less per set, you can perform up to about 6 sets of the exercise. In order for your body (and mind) to be able to push hard during each set, you need to rest for 2 minutes or more between sets.
- Muscle Gain: 8-12 reps, 3-6 sets
To achieve this goal, you need to increase your overall work volume while minimizing rest. Do this by doing 3-6 sets of 8-12 reps with 30-90 seconds of rest between sets. Circuits and supersets are another way to minimize rest and keep your heart rate elevated.
- Endurance: 12 or more reps, 2-3 sets
Muscular endurance is the practice of performing low-intensity work for long periods of time. In marathon or triathlon training, 2 or 3 sets of 12 repetitions are ideal. Sets should be accompanied by a rest period of 30 seconds or less.
Once you have determined the number of reps you need to perform per set.
The next step is to determine how much weight you can lift for that number of repetitions.
With free weights, everything is based on your RM, which stands for rep max. Your 1RM is the maximum amount of weight you can lift in a certain exercise for a single repetition. A second rep, the body can't do. Often, the weights used are represented as a percentage of the 1RM.
To reap the benefits of strength training, you need to lift weights that are fairly close to your RM. The last rep or two should be challenging. If you can't lift a weight while maintaining form, it's too heavy.
It is not advisable to perform 1RM tests without the supervision of a trainer. It is best to perform 6RM, 8RM, and 12RM. Or the maximum amount of weight you can lift for 6, 8, or 12 repetitions. This means that you will have to do trial and error. If you can't do your last few repetitions, you will have to do less the next time.
But if you are able to do everything, we advise you to gradually increase the weights. And this, until the last repetition of your last set is a success.
You may also like to read: 5 BENEFITS OF HIIT TO REMEMBER HIGH INTENSITY CARDIO
We have spent a lot of time to present you the most complete article on “One Fitness Club: Exercising in free bodybuilding” , we hope you enjoyed reading it.
Don't hesitate to subscribe to our private club!
In addition to this, you will receive our complete book as a gift on the best way to structure your fitness training, you will receive an email in advance when an article appears on our site leboxdufitness.com
Also feel free to check out our store which offers the best fitness, bodybuilding and fitness equipment.
Did you like this article and learn “One Fitness Club: Free weight training”? Tell me in the comments if you already knew this and what your own experience is on this subject.
If you want to discover other articles on well-being and sports. Take a look at the weight loss tips section of the blog. You will find plenty of good fitness ideas.
If you want to find other Fitness and Wellness articles, take a look at the fitness shop review and best seller sections of the store, you will find plenty of products to use at home.
And if you want to know more about our sportswear for your fitness sessions, building muscle or losing fat, don't hesitate to consult the fitness clothing collection .
You can download my complete fitness guide “ The essentials for a body in top shape ” for free and subscribe to our Facebook page and our Instagram account .
Thank you for reading, I am personally responding to the comment.
Looking forward to corresponding with you!
