EnvisionFit - Strength Training

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Strength Training

Work That Body....

.....and now you can work it at home with very little equipment or space. In fact, if you are not ready to commit to the purchase of light weight dumbbells, you can use small cans of soup, beans, corn, whatever is handy. Just make sure the cans are small enough to grip firmly.

If you have never worked out or done any resistence training or if you have been inactive for a log period of time, have any health concerns, or physical limitations you should always consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program. You should begin slowly and use very light weights. If you do decide to invest in dumbbells, begin with something small such as two or three pounds. Then, you can move up in one or two pound increments as needed.

The following workout will work each body part and can be done twice a week with at least two days rest in between workouts.

Begin with one set of fifteen repetitions* on each exercise the first week. If you do not experience a high degree of soreness, you may move to two sets the second week. If you are sore, continue with one set for an extra week. By the third or fourth week you should be able to safely begin three sets on each exercise which is the goal.

Form is the most important thing to remember when doing any type of resistence training in order to get the most out of the movement and to prevent injury.

With each exercise you will find a wrong way to do the movement and the correct way to do the movement along with a written explanation.

* A repetition is performing a movement one time. A set is performing the exercise a consecutive number of times before resting.

Whenever doing exercises in a standing position always keep a light bend in the knees in order to protect your lower back. The foot placement should be wide enough for you to maintain balance. If you are doing a movement on one side at a time, it is always a good idea to stabilize the other side by holding on to something stationary such as a chair.


WEEK 1 OPTION 1 Workout is broken up into 3 days Shoulders - Monday Overhead Press Wrong - Do not allow the dumbbells to drift forward. Do not allow the knees to remain locked. Correct - Keep the arms aligned with the shoulders as you press upward. Begin the movement with the elbows even with the shoulders or just slightly below and then press upward above the head. You may do one side at a time or both sides at the same time on this exercise. Side Lateral Raise Wrong - Do not allow the elbows to be locked with the arms straight out. Do not keep the knees locked. Correct - Stand upright, knees slightly bent and stabilize the side that is not working. Begin with the dumbbell at the hip with a slight bend in the elbow. As you lift, do not straighten the arm or lock the elbow joint. Lead with the elbow, not the wrist and lift the elbow and wrist to a position even with the shoulders. The wrist should never be higher than the elbow. This exercise may also be done by both sides at the same time. Chest - Pushups Wrong - Do not allow your butt to be higher than the rest of your body. Correct - By bending the knees, this makes the exercise easier. It is usually associated with ‘women’s pushups’. Doing the exercise with the legs straight makes it harder and is usually associated with ‘men’s pushups’. Either is acceptable. Try to keep the body in alignment. Bend at the elbow to lower your body to the floor and the goal is to get your chest as close as possible to the floor. Then reverse the movement. Fly Wrong - Do not lock the joint with the arms out straight. Correct - Lie flat on the floor. Your legs may be straight or knees may be bent. Place your upper arms on the floor out to each side with the dumbbells facing upward. Keep the elbows bent with a slight arc in the forearm (hug a tree). Lift the dumbbells in an arcing motion to meet at the top. Return to the starting position. Back - Row Wrong - Do not lock the knees. Correct - Bend the knees and bend at the waist. Place your forehead on a chair. You may support your head with the arm that is not working. Extend the arm holding the dumbbell toward the floor. Pull the elbow up toward the ceiling as far as it will comfortably go above the back. Return to starting position. Twisting Row (See Above) Wrong - Do not lock the knees. Correct - Do this exercise exactly as the previous exercise but twist the dumbbell at the top of the movement so that your fingers are facing to the rear. Wednesday Biceps - Curl Wrong - Do not hold the arms so that the dumbbells are facing forward. This is hard on the tendons and ligaments in the elbow area and forearm and can contribute to tendinitis. Correct - Keep a slight bend in the knee. Allow the arms to hang naturally by your sides with the dumbbells turned inward. Keep the elbows close to your side and pointed toward the floor at all times. Twist your wrist and bring the hand holding the dumbbell up to your shoulder. The thumb should be at the shoulder at the top of the movement. Then reverse the twist as you return the dumbbell to the starting position. This exercise may be done alternating the arms, one at a time or both at the same time. Triceps - Kickbacks Wrong - Do not stand straight with knees locked. Do not keep elbows too far forward. Do not begin the movement with the dumbbell too close to the shoulder. Correct - Bend the knees and bend at the waist. You may rest your forehead on the back of a chair. The arm holding the dumbbell should be at approximately at a ninety degree angle. Bring the arm holding the dumbbell up so that the elbow is slightly above your back. The upper arm from shoulder to elbow will remain stationary during the movement. Only the forearm and hand will move in an upward motion toward the ceiling until the arm is completely straight. This exercise may be done one side at a time or both sides at the same time. Friday Quadriceps - Lunges Wrong - The name of this exercise is deceptive. Never allow the front knee to extend over the front foot. Never allow the back leg to remain straight. Correct - As you go forward, the back knee should bend and move as close to the floor as your range of movement will allow. Keep your back straight and drop down keeping the front knee directly over the front foot when bent. As you return to the beginning of the movement, allow the heel on the back leg to touch the floor. This exercise should be done without holding weights until you feel balanced. To minimize unbalance, you may hold on to a chair until you become used to the movement. Also, it will help balance if you do all the repetitions on one side before doing the other side. Squat Wrong - Do not bend too far forward so that your body is extending over your knees. Correct - Bend the knees and drop toward the floor keeping a bend in the waist. You may also hold on to a chair in the beginning and then use weights when you are more sure of your balance. Hamstrings - Curl Wrong - Do not allow the dumbbell to drift to one side of the body. Correct - Lie flat on your stomach, resting your head on your forearms. Grasp the dumbbell with your feet firmly and lift it toward the butt by bending the knees. Stay in a straight line. Begin with a very small weight until you learn to grasp the dumbbell securely with your feet.	WEEK 1 OPTION 2 Complete entire workout Monday and repeat it on Thursday Shoulders - Overhead Press Wrong - Do not allow the dumbbells to drift forward. Do not allow the knees to remain locked. Correct - Keep the arms aligned with the shoulders as you press upward. Begin the movement with the elbows even with the shoulders or just slightly below and then press upward above the head. You may do one side at a time or both sides at the same time on this exercise. Side Lateral Raise Wrong - Do not allow the elbows to be locked with the arms straight out. Do not keep the knees locked. Correct - Stand upright, knees slightly bent and stabilize the side that is not working. Begin with the dumbbell at the hip with a slight bend in the elbow. As you lift, do not straighten the arm or lock the elbow joint. Lead with the elbow, not the wrist and lift the elbow and wrist to a position even with the shoulders. The wrist should never be higher than the elbow. This exercise may also be done by both sides at the same time. Chest - Pushups Wrong - Do not allow your butt to be higher than the rest of your body. Correct - By bending the knees, this makes the exercise easier. It is usually associated with ‘women’s pushups’. Doing the exercise with the legs straight makes it harder and is usually associated with ‘men’s pushups’. Either is acceptable. Try to keep the body in alignment. Bend at the elbow to lower your body to the floor and the goal is to get your chest as close as possible to the floor. Then reverse the movement. Fly Wrong - Do not lock the joint with the arms out straight. Correct - Lie flat on the floor. Your legs may be straight or knees may be bent. Place your upper arms on the floor out to each side with the dumbbells facing upward. Keep the elbows bent with a slight arc in the forearm (hug a tree). Lift the dumbbells in an arcing motion to meet at the top. Return to the starting position. Back - Row Wrong - Do not lock the knees. Correct - Bend the knees and bend at the waist. Place your forehead on a chair. You may support your head with the arm that is not working. Extend the arm holding the dumbbell toward the floor. Pull the elbow up toward the ceiling as far as it will comfortably go above the back. Return to starting position. Twisting Row (See Above) Wrong - Do not lock the knees. Correct - Do this exercise exactly as the previous exercise but twist the dumbbell at the top of the movement so that your fingers are facing to the rear. Biceps - Curl Wrong - Do not hold the arms so that the dumbbells are facing forward. This is hard on the tendons and ligaments in the elbow area and forearm and can contribute to tendinitis. Correct - Keep a slight bend in the knee. Allow the arms to hang naturally by your sides with the dumbbells turned inward. Keep the elbows close to your side and pointed toward the floor at all times. Twist your wrist and bring the hand holding the dumbbell up to your shoulder. The thumb should be at the shoulder at the top of the movement. Then reverse the twist as you return the dumbbell to the starting position. This exercise may be done alternating the arms, one at a time or both at the same time. Triceps - Kickbacks Wrong - Do not stand straight with knees locked. Do not keep elbows too far forward. Do not begin the movement with the dumbbell too close to the shoulder. Correct - Bend the knees and bend at the waist. You may rest your forehead on the back of a chair. The arm holding the dumbbell should be at approximately at a ninety degree angle. Bring the arm holding the dumbbell up so that the elbow is slightly above your back. The upper arm from shoulder to elbow will remain stationary during the movement. Only the forearm and hand will move in an upward motion toward the ceiling until the arm is completely straight. This exercise may be done one side at a time or both sides at the same time. Quadriceps - Lunges Wrong - The name of this exercise is deceptive. Never allow the front knee to extend over the front foot. Never allow the back leg to remain straight. Correct - As you go forward, the back knee should bend and move as close to the floor as your range of movement will allow. Keep your back straight and drop down keeping the front knee directly over the front foot when bent. As you return to the beginning of the movement, allow the heel on the back leg to touch the floor. This exercise should be done without holding weights until you feel balanced. To minimize unbalance, you may hold on to a chair until you become used to the movement. Also, it will help balance if you do all the repetitions on one side before doing the other side. Squat Wrong - Do not bend too far forward so that your body is extending over your knees. Correct - Bend the knees and drop toward the floor keeping a bend in the waist. You may also hold on to a chair in the beginning and then use weights when you are more sure of your balance. Hamstrings - Curl Wrong - Do not allow the dumbbell to drift to one side of the body. Correct - Lie flat on your stomach, resting your head on your forearms. Grasp the dumbbell with your feet firmly and lift it toward the butt by bending the knees. Stay in a straight line. Begin with a very small weight until you learn to grasp the dumbbell securely with your feet.

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