We all want a fit and lean body; some of the great ways to achieve our dream goal is to practice weight-free exercises, as free weight exercises help improve your functional fitness levels. By doing free weight exercises, it allows you to target a particular area of your body as well as address imbalances. Don’t worry if you think you are not getting stronger, as it takes time to see improvement in your muscle definition, especially when doing free weight exercises.
However, doing these exercises correctly is another thing, so you should perform them properly to get more benefit from your training or workout session. To help you understand the exercises better, we will go through the free weight exercises and some incredible upper body workouts.
The first and foremost thing to know is what free weight training is? As the name suggests, free weight training is an exercise in which we do not use machines. So, usually, one of the most versatile types of free weight exercises is with a pair of dumbbells.
Contents
Dumbbells Shoulder Press
For doing this exercise: First, sit on a bench in an upright position, holding the dumbbells in each hand. Bring your arms up, and along with it, be ready to push the weights above your head. Ensure you have the dumbbells at your ear height and hold them at a 90-degree angle to your body.
Once you push the weights upward, bring them back down. Remember to keep your back straight, and your hips pushed back into the bench. Beginners who will be performing this exercise should start with a lightweight like women can start with 5-pound dumbbells and men with 10 to 12-pound dumbbells. This is an excellent exercise for upper body strength.
Incline Dumbbell Press
This is another excellent exercise that will keep you fit and also improve your body strength. While performing this exercise, make sure your bench is at a 45-degree angle. You can adjust the seat according to you. Hold the dumbbell in each hand, sit either keeping your back straight, or you can also arch your back. Keep your feet pressed onto the floor. Now bring your hands in a bench press position, your weight should be around the chest height, and your elbow should be at 45 degrees to your body. Now push your dumbbells up and towards each other so that they meet your eye line, bring them down into their starting position and repeat. They will target your triceps, pecs, and build your upper body muscles and tighten them.
Rear Dumbbell Fly
Bend your knees slightly, elevate your chest, and then bend down so that it looks like your upper body is parallel to the ground. Make sure your back is straight. Hold the dumbbells in your hand, and then slowly bring your hands down directly below the shoulder. Ensure you have kept your neck straight and aligned with the spine, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Try to lift your arms as high as possible, then bring them down in their actual position and repeat. This exercise is perfect for arms and shoulders, biceps, and triceps.
Back Squat With The Overhead Press
This is a combination of two exercises that is back squat and overhead press. Now including a leg workout, this is a functional exercise. Start in a squat position, legs wide apart, and toes are pointing out slightly. Make sure your spine is aligned by looking at the spot on the floor. Imagine your sitting back and down on a chair. As you drive back up, keep your arms straight above your head by keeping your arms straight, parallel to your feet. This exercise is the most useful one as it targets your whole body from your neck to your limbs and feet.
Diamond Press-Up
This looks simple, but it is a deceptively challenging exercise. This is relatively similar to how you perform a push-up. But in this exercise, you are keeping your hand in a diamond-shaped position, and you’ll be putting more emphasis on your triceps. First, you can focus on maintaining a good form and get up into a press-up position, placing your hands close, so you form a diamond-like shape by bringing your thumb and fingers close. Please make sure your glutes are engaged, and they are not too high, neither too low. Hold your chest above the floor, and then press back up.
Muscle Strength
Muscle strength is the ability to move and lift objects. You measure it by the force you can exert and how much weight you can lift for a short period. There are many exercises to develop muscular strength; they include resistance and power training. Other options available to build up your muscle’s strength are running, cycling, climbing walls, etc. The muscle strength in men and women varies according to different factors like weight, height, and muscle composition. Women have approximately 52% to 66% more body fat than men in the whole body. However, men are comparatively stronger when it comes to lean body mass.
Benefits Of Muscle Strength
There are several benefits of muscular strength, and it helps boost your athletic activity and overall health.
- Muscle strength allows you to lift objects and perform a required activity without getting tired.
- It also helps maintain a good weight and healthy body by burning calories, and it carries a ratio between fat and muscles.
- Strength building also helps to boost your mood while promoting sleep patterns. It provides a sense of accomplishment and gives you a sense of confidence.
- Strength building gives you more balance, and stability and there are fewer chances to get injuries when you perform strength training.
How Much Weight Should A Beginner Lift?
Always use a pair of light dumbbells when you are just starting up. Once you feel comfortable with what you should be doing, you can take a higher set of dumbbells. If you want to build up strength, you should choose a weight for up to six reps. Let your representatives decide your weight load. If you aim to build muscle mass, then select a weight for up to 12 reps. If you can’t choose weights, then you can adjust the weight accordingly.
Conclusion
Basic free weight exercises are absolute must-try exercises that you should include in your workout sessions. For a beginner, free weight exercises should come first when performing advanced training. Free weight training aims at bodybuilding and muscle building. You should workout and include a certain amount of weight when you get better.
