Different Types of Weight Training and Their Results

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Initially, weight training was considered an activity in which only athletes, wrestlers, and other professional sportspersons engaged. However, over time, weight training became a common form of exercise. Today, weight training is dabbled in and enjoyed by students, young professionals, older individuals, men, women, and even seniors.

The term ‘weight training’ brings up the image of going to the gym and lifting massive weights as you push your body and muscle to new heights. But this isn’t really the correct interpretation of the term. Weight training does imply the use of dumb-bells, barbells, weighted bars, and more in different types of exercises. But there is much more to weight training than just that.

Speaking to some of the best personal trainers of the Bay Area, we discovered that weight training can differ in many ways. And every type of weight training gives different results. That is why, the type of weight training you opt for should depend on whether you want to build endurance, stamina, muscle mass, muscle size, strength, or a combination of the above. Here is a brief look at the five different types of weight training and the results they give.

Circuit training
Circuit training implies weight training that is done in circuits. A circuit is a complete round of three to four different exercises. When doing a circuit, you do a large number of repetitions for one exercise before moving on to the next exercise almost immediately. The key here is a high number of repetitions, done with light to moderate weights. Each circuit contains multiple exercises that are completed with little or no rest in the middle. This means that you do one entire circuit of around twenty repetitions of the first exercise, then immediately move into the second where you do another twenty repetitions and so on until you complete one circuit. Then, you take a short break and repeat the circuit, for two or three rounds of each circuit. Three to four such circuits, with each having two to three rounds, make up the entire workout. This kind of workout focuses on reducing fat, building stamina and endurance, and bringing about relative growth in strength. It is ideal for boxers or mixed martial arts fighters because of the similar conditions the body faces during a match and during circuit training.

Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is the weight training style primarily followed by bodybuilders, and those aspiring to develop similar physiques. This type of physique contains very large muscles that may or may not necessarily be just as strong. Simply put, these types of bodies are more about large muscles with above average strength. However, the muscle build is very well defined, with very little body fat and chiseled features. These bodybuilders focus more on aesthetics than on athletics through this workout which gives them good strength that may only be lacking to that of other weight training types that focus on muscle building. The best way to get a bodybuilding workout is to work on only one muscle each day while doing moderately heavy weights in sets of eight to twelve repetitions.

Powerlifting
Powerlifting is purely about building strength, with very little focus on aesthetics. Hence, you may see that powerlifter often have thicker muscle build and a healthy body fat percentage. This is to provide good support when lifting very heavy weights. The primary goal of a powerlifter is to build strength and they often have, what people call, ‘brute’ strength. The aim of strength building is fulfilled by doing very few repetitions of extremely heavy weights. The most popularly known powerlifter  can be considered to be the competitors of the sport, the World’s Strongest Man.

High-volume training
High-volume training combines bodybuilding and powerlifting, in that, it develops muscle strength and endurance, as well as size. Each muscle group is worked out only once every week, and you do one exercise at a time (which is the opposite of circuit training). Keeping with its name, high-volume training focuses on high volume. This means that you choose a comfortable weight and then do one set of around ten to twelve repetitions at a time. However, the number of sets you do is high, with most people choosing to do approximately ten sets of each exercise. As you progress every week, you increase the weight where possible, even if by a small amount, which allows your muscle strength and size to increase.

Isometric weight training
Isometric weight training aims to include stamina and endurance of the muscle, along with strength. An isometric weight training exercise is done by lifting a dumb-bell or weight to the desired position and then holding it in that position for twenty to thirty seconds before relaxing. For instance, raising a dumb-bell in front of you and working out the shoulder. A few such repetitions, carried out with light to moderate weights, help develop stamina and strength of targeted muscles. This type of workout is most often followed by gymnasts or rock climbers due to the targeted development it provides. This is extremely necessary for those athletes who have to support their own body weight for prolonged periods of time.

There you have it – five different types of weight training and their different results. The type of weight training you do will depend entirely on the desired result. Often times, people end up doing the wrong kind of weight training and find their motivation failing when they don’t see the results they want.

A personal trainer can stop that from happening by giving you the right guidance. In fact, personal trainers can provide you with customized workouts that include the best of the many different types of weight training. This means that all you need to achieve your health goal is the right guide – a fitness trainer who understands you, your requirements, your problems, your preferences, and your goals. This is exactly what the personal fitness trainers at LocalMasters.com offer.

These fitness experts have been carefully selected and certified, ensuring that you get the best of service and guidance. The best part is that these experts will come to your home, office, studio, or a local center at a time and day convenient to you. They will provide you with completely customized and personalized fitness routines that take all your requirements, including medical history, into account. They will not just teach you how to work out correctly, they will help you with your diet as well as help you imbibe great lifestyle habits to keep you healthy in the long term. With their passion for helping people, they will ensure that you work towards achieving the health targets you desire, and live a fuller, happier life. So why wait? Get started with your own personal trainer today and get ready for a healthy life!