Always have an adult spotter around while you are working out. A spotter is a person who will be nearby to help you with form and control of the weights you are lifting because you can hurt yourself if you drop the weights or use them incorrectly. This person could be your gym teacher, a personal trainer, your coach, or even a parent. Have a trainer or your coach help you figure out a balanced program that is right for you. The largest muscles in your body are located in your chest, back, and legs, so these are the most important muscles for you to strengthen. You can also add exercises to strengthen your arms and shoulders to give your body a complete workout. To help prevent injuries, the area where you workout should be clear, open, and well lit. There should be enough room around you so that you can do your routine without bumping into someone or something else. Also, be sure that neither your shoes nor the floor are slippery. Before you begin your workout, you need to warm up your muscles. Examples of good warm up exercises are jogging, riding a stationary bicycle, jumping rope, and doing jumping jacks. You should allow 10-15 minutes for your warm up.

 Always use proper form. At first, practice the exercise with little or no weight to be sure your form is correct. Use smooth, even motions; don't jerk or bounce the weights around. To keep your flexibility and gain the most strength out of your program, you need to use a full range of motion for each exercise. For example, if you are doing a biceps curl, start with your elbows totally straight and bend your arm until it is tightly bent.

Choose the proper amount of weight for each exercise. If you are a younger athlete, find a weight that you can correctly do 15-20 times. Then do the exercise 15-20 times and then rest for about one minute. This is called a set. Perform one to three sets of every exercise. Once you're able to do the weight 25 times easily with good form, you can increase the weight 1-5 pounds. If you are a teenage athlete, find a weight that you can do 8-10 times and do three to five sets of each exercise. You can increase the weight once you are able to do the weight 12 times easily with proper form. Perform these exercises two or three times a week, depending on how your workout is set up. Never try to lift the most weight you possibly can.

You need to make sure that you do not hold your breath while you are lifting weights. A good breathing technique to use is to breathe out when you body is doing the work and to breathe in when you are relaxing. For example, if you are doing a push up, you should be breathing out when you are pushing yourself away from the floor and breathing in as you return towards the floor. If you are using a weight machine, you should breathe out as the weight plates rise and breathe in as you let them back down.

Once you have finished your workout, be sure to do a complete set of stretching exercises to help you maintain your flexibility. Your coach or trainer can help lead you toward they stretches that are right for you.

Weight training can be exciting and beneficial if it is done properly and consistently. Stick with your program, follow the above guidelines, and watch your strength and performance increase in the sports you play!

To begin with it is important that athletes of all sports stay on a strengthening program at least three times a week. The lifting should include all body parts, but should also be sport specific.

Renewed interest in the effects of creatine use by a large number of American athletes from the professional level on down has led to a number of studies, many of them producing conflicting findings.

Learn the techniques and principles of exercise, then practice for mastery. Watch a fitness professional demonstrate the technique or machine, then work on it while he/she watches you and comments on body alignment, breathing, and other principles. Self-efficacy will build as you practice performing the exercise correctly.

Most importantly, the results show that single-set regimens remain an effective option for improving muscular fitness in long-term recreational weightlifters.

Weight training for older adults. Remember that before starting any kind of exercise program, check with your doctor about recommendations or limitations such as a heart condition, bone or joint problems, or prescription drugs that might affect your ability to work out.

Exercise has now been shown to help people with different types of cancer cope with the  functional and fatigue decline that can result from the treatment for the disease. A new study has now shown  that men with advanced prostate cancer can also reap some of these benefits by Training with weights.

We know that aging means losing muscle mass, which brings on a reduction in strength, risk of falls and impaired functional ability.

Research now shows that aerobic circuit-training and exercise programs can help older men and women more easily perform basic tasks of daily living.

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