Free Weight exercises can be performed by individuals primarily to improve their body strength in general, in addition to helping them prepare their body for doing the various movements and activities in their daily life. Workouts done by individuals using free weights help them to focus on specified areas of the body, in addition to helping them deal with various imbalances associated with their body. Particularly, those individuals who are eager to get the best out of their training can begin to train their body using free weights, as it would help them improve their muscular strength and stability, in addition to helping them avoid any kind of injury.
Following are some of the free weight exercises that can be performed by individuals as a part of their workout routine at the gym.
1. Barbell Glute Bridge:
This is one of the well-known exercises that targets your glute, quads and hamstring muscles and helps in strengthening these muscles. In this exercise, a barbell that is used by an individual would be placed above your hips, which would eventually let you perform the exercise using heavy weight such as a barbell. By doing this exercise, you would be able to add enough strength to your glute muscles.
Equipment Required:
• A Barbell
How to do this exercise?
• Firstly, you can start off by lying on your back flat.
• Start by moving a barbell and place them over your legs and allow it to rest at the place where the hips start curving.
• Keep your knees bent at a perpendicular position, in such a way that they point upwards on to the roof.
• Your feet must be kept flat on the ground.
• Keep your hands on the barbell and begin to push your hips up using your heels, while still holding on to the barbell. Your knees would continue to point upwards, while the body would get into a straight position from the top up to your hips.
• You must continue to remain in the same position pointing upwards for about 20-30 seconds and subsequently start releasing it back on to the floor.
• Now, you can slowly start moving the body in and out of such a position for the desired number of reps that you feel comfortable in the beginning, since you require a lot of strength to do these movements using the barbell.
You can try and do at least 2 sets comprising of 7-8 reps each per set, by resting for a minute in between each set.
2. Floor Press:
Floor Press is one of the free weight exercises done by individuals, who would normally be pressing with huge weights that would leave them with very little stress on their shoulders. This helps them leverage their efficiency while training with weights. It is also one of the popular upper body movements that have been used primarily to increase the muscles in a person as well as to strengthen the upper body. Additionally, when you train with the floor press, it limits a person’s chances of being affected by any injury on their shoulders.
Equipment Required:
• A pair of Dumbbells or a Barbell
How to do this exercise?
• Start off by lying on your back on to the floor and get yourself onto a position under a bar. The bar must be positioned on a power rack at least 2 feet away from the ground.
• Keep your eyes positioned right under the bar and your knees must be kept bent.
• The bar must be held by you by keeping a little wider than shoulder-width grip.
• You can start lifting the bar off your legs which is similar to what you do in a standard Bench Press.
• Now, you must begin to lower the bar slowly on to your chest, till your elbows come into contact with the floor. Meanwhile, your upper arms are to be kept at an angle of 90 degrees to your body.
• Now, you can stop for a few seconds by keeping your elbows on the floor.
• Start powering the bar above your chest till your arms are extended completely.
• Now, move your bar away after completing a set.
You can try and do about 3 sets comprising of 4 reps each and can rest for about 2-3 minutes after completing each set. You can increase the count after gaining sufficient practice and strength over a period of time.
3. Dumbbell Lunges:
This is another free weight exercise that can be done by individuals to gain stability and proper balance, in addition to improving their body strength as a whole. You also need to maintain a reasonable body strength as well as balance in the beginning itself, since you are working with weights. You can also do this exercise without using weights in the beginning and later start using the weights in order to perform the movements.
Equipment Required:
• A set of Dumbbells
How to do this exercise?
• Start by standing up and grab a pair of dumbbells on to your hands. Keep your arms hanging on both your sides and your feet must be placed at a position that is lesser than shoulder-width apart.
• You can begin by taking a long step on to your front by using any of your legs and start bending yourself at your knee, till the front thigh arrives at a position that is parallel to the floor and landing on your heel.
• Subsequently, you should inhale as you move downwards. As you take a step forward with any of your legs, you must not allow your knee move beyond the tip of your toes.
• Now, you can return by taking a step backwards onto the starting position as you are breathing out.
• Try and repeat the movement using your other leg. You can alternate your legs till you complete the desired number of sets.
You can try and do at least 2 sets comprising of about 6-8 reps per set.
4. Romanian Deadlifts:
This is a free weight exercise that can be done by individuals to help them build their lower body strength. This exercise basically targets various muscles such as your glutes, hamstrings and the muscles in your lower back. Besides, the core muscles of individuals are also worked in the process, while on the other hand the abdominal and oblique muscles of individuals are contracted in order to keep their body stable. Besides, many other muscle groups of individuals are targeted while doing this exercise, as the individuals would be compelled to keep their movement under control while doing this exercise.
Equipment Required:
• Barbell or a set of Dumbbells
How to do this exercise?
• Start by standing on your feet straight and keep your feet at about hip-distance apart.
• Start holding on to a barbell or you can use a dumbbell in each of your hands and place them right in front of the thighs, while your hands are kept at a distance that is about shoulder-width apart.
• Now, after bending your knees a little, begin to roll the shoulders backwards, while you draw your shoulder blades on to your spine, so that you can keep your upper back engaged.
• Start breathing in as you hinge forward at your hips, as you lengthen the torso to your front at nearly 90 degrees.
• After the weight has reached a position that is closer to your knees, start engaging both your hamstrings and glutes in order to stand up once again, while lifting your torso back on to the starting position.
You can try and do about 2-3 sets comprising of about 7-8 reps each.
Image Source: www.coachmag.co.uk
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
