August 2003. No, you don't actually need a degree in exercise, but you do need to know a LOT more than those muscle-heads at the gym THINK they know.

People who need a diet buy a book and people who need an investment portfolio find expert guidance, but people who decide they need to exercise just begin to do it--and then usually end up injuring themselves because they did too much or did it the wrong way (usually because they are using the gym muscle-heads as an example!)!? Like every other meaningful venture, there is a right way and a wrong way. The right way leads to meaningful gains, the wrong way leads to painful regrets. If you're smart, you'll seek some sort of expert guidance before jumping in head-first!

To help you get started, let me explain a few basics and obliterate a few myths. In order to weight train effectively, you need to understand the difference between sets and reps. A "set" is the number of times you do the "reps." That's easy, right? So, for example, if you are doing 3 "sets" of 10 "reps," you move the weight 10 times, rest, move the weight 10 times again, rest, and move the weight for the last time, the 3rd set, 10 times and then rest.

"Reps," however, require a little bit more information. Here's an insider secret for you that will obliterate the myth that women should train with higher reps and men with lower reps. That is as ridiculous as saying that the stock market is always a safe bet and that your home town bank is really your friend. It just isn't true. There are many reasons to exercise within different rep ranges and we'll cover them in the next few issues. You should first know the fitness level of your body, second know what your goal is, and third, pick a rep range that pulls all of that together.

Here are scientifically-proven and industry-acknowledged repetition ranges, along with folks who typically train in the ranges:

      4-6 = Power, Power Lifters
      6-8 = Strength, Strength Training
      8-12 = Volume, Body Building
      12+ = Endurance, Tri-Athletes

BUT it isn't as simple as just picking one range and staying there. Different bodies and specific muscles develop differently than others and lifters need to incorporate many different ranges to suit different purposes.

Be sure to pick up the next few issues to learn:
      * how to most effectively use rep ranges
      * your body's 2 different types of muscle--each needing different programming
      * why we "train to failure"
      * typical 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5- day "splits"
      * how a weight trainer stocks their kitchen
      * and more!