Types of Weight Lifting

To many, weight training is simply lifting weights or using machines at the gym. Although this is technically true, there are different types of weight training and ways to go about achieving your fitness goals. The different methods of training will give you different results and are fundamentally different. Some terminology that I will be using throughout this post and my blogs are reps and sets. Reps, also known as repetitions, are how many times you complete one full action of an exercise. On the other hand, sets are how many reps you do before you take a rest period. Both are very important in building muscle and burning calories as they determine the type of weight training you are doing.

The first type of weight training is training for muscle strength. Lifting weights regardless of the type of weight training will build strength given a sufficient diet. The difference is that this type of training will focus on prioritizing strength over size or endurance. The benefit of this kind of training is that you will be stronger than in other forms of lifting. In doing so, daily tasks may become easier and you will see more progress in the gym in terms of the weights that you are using for your exercises. As for the downside, you will likely not build as much muscle volume or endurance as the other methods. To use this form of weightlifting you should aim for three to four sets of three to five reps of each exercise.

The second type of weight training is muscle hypertrophy. Hypertrophy training focuses on increasing the size of your muscles as well as decreasing fat. You will not gain the extent of muscle strength or endurance of the other types of training but will find yourself in the middle ground of both. For this exercise, you should aim for three to four sets of eight to twelve reps as well as have a shorter rest time of about 90 seconds.

The final type of weight training I am going to discuss is endurance training. Endurance training will allow you to increase the number of reps of an exercise you can do. This kind of training is especially helpful if you enjoy cardio or sports as it will enable you to perform the activity for longer and with greater efficiency. Although you will not build as much strength or muscle volume, your muscular endurance will improve much more effectively in this type of training. For each exercise, you should aim for three to four sets of 20 to 30 reps along with a 45-second rest period.

Regardless of what type of weight training you choose to do, going to the gym and getting started is the most important step. If you are unsure of your fitness goals or which method you prefer, I recommend trying each method for one week. This will allow you to find the type of weight training that is most enjoyable and effective. Hopefully, this post has helped you move a little closer to getting started at the gym or achieving your fitness goals.