weight training

Looking for the right weight training program or weight training routines? Need to know more about weight training for women? These articles give tips on weight training for runners, swimmers, cyclists and more with keyed-in strength training techniques on the bench press and squat exercises… To browse our library of free sports training articles, browse using the categories on the left or use the search box.
We'll pay you to ask questions
Got a question about sport? We'll pay you to ask it, and pay more to answer others' questions!
Seated calf raise
The seated calf raise is another good calf exercise.
Weight training: The Romanian deadlift
A safer alternative for back strengthening
Weight training: Single Leg Squat
Two heads may be better than one, but this maxim often does not apply specifically to training the legs for sports performance – where training one at a time may be better than training two.
The power snatch from hang
The power snatch from the hang is ideal for anybody who needs to develop power through the lower limbs – for example, runners, long jumpers, footballers and rugby players. It is also brilliant for those who need to improve jumping combined with overhead power – for example, tennis players (serving and overhead shots), volley ball players and javelin throwers.
Power Clean from the Hang
The power clean from the hang is a clean where the bar is received in a partial or semi-squat position only and starts from a hang position and not from the floor. This variant provides most of the benefits of the power snatch from the hang; however, as the bar is caught at the chest (or rack) position, more weight can be handled, which means more strength and power benefits.
The Power Jerk
This exercise requires the bar to be taken to an overhead position from the rack position. Athletes such as boxers, athletic event throwers and tennis players can all benefit from the power jerk. The main reason is that force is transferred into the floor, through the body and finally through the limbs.
The Overhead Squat
The overhead squat is a weight training exercise which focuses on increasing the range of movement across the body. This exercise will encourage gains in strength, power, flexibility and coordination.
The clean and jerk : the Olympic bar bear
The Olympic Bar Bear is a weight training exercise which focuses on mobilising all of the body's joints.
The clean see's the lifter explosively pulling the weight from the floor to a resting position across deltoids and clavicles. From this position, the lifter bends the knees and then straightens them in order to propel the barbell overhead.
The shoulder press: behind the neck press
The behind the neck press is a weight training exercise which focuses on increasing the range of movement of the shoulder. It also increases an athlete's overhead lifting strength.
The lift is performed standing, which means the abdominals, obliques and back muscles are also developed.
Combining plyometric and weight training: exercises to increase speed and power
Increasing your speed and power through contrast training
Strength training: how to construct a progressive weight training plan
The strength build-up phase
Weight training: weightlifting workouts and exercises
Olympic lifts: increase your strength and power
Bench Press: is it a dangerous workout exercise?
Bench pressing is more likely to injure than improve performance
Strength Training Program Part 1: Competition Preparation
The best Weight Training Exercises to prepare for competition
Women's alternating and normal hammer curl
The alternating and normal hammer curls are both good exercises for developing and keeping the biceps strong.
Women's barbell bench press
The barbell bench press is a fundamental upper body exercise for both men and women. The alternating and normal hammer curls are both good exercises for developing and keeping the biceps strong.
Women's barbell curl
The barbell curl is an excellent exercise for developing strength in the biceps of the upper arms.
Women's barbell military press
The barbell military press has no peer amongst other upper body shoulder exercises.
This video was contributed by a PP Online user and does not necessarily reflect the views of Peak Performance. If you like - or disagree with - this video, please leave a comment. Or why not submit your own video?
Women's barbell row
The barbell row is an important exercise for the upper back.
Women's cat and camel
It is recommended the cat and camel be the first exercise of the day. This movement is designed specifically toward keeping your low back flexible and supple.
Women's dumbbell bench press
The dumbbell bench press is a fine alternative to the barbell version of the exercise. It helps develop coordination while at the same time allowing the muscles to take a break from the heavy lifting normally associated with the barbell bench press.
Women's dumbbell military press
The dumbbell military press is a fine exercise for women who desire strong triceps.
Women's dumbbell standing calf raise
Strong calf muscles require constant and varied attention. The standing dumbbell calf raise is just one of the many different exercises that are commonly used to develop the lower leg.
Women's stiff leg dead lift
The stiff leg dead lift is a direct lower back exercise and one that is regularly used in gyms world wide. It's used because it is an effective lower back exercise.
The Barbell Curl
The barbell curl is universally recognized as one of the main bicep building exercises.
The Gironda Curl
Vince Gironda aka the iron guru was an old time strength and bodybuilding coach. This curl originated in Vince Gironda's fertile mind.
The Hammer Curl
The hammer curl is a staple in many lifters gym bag of muscle exercises.
The High Bar Bench Press Position
The high bar bench press is favored by the bodybuilders as they feel the impact on the pectoral muscles is greater. If you are a strength athlete you cannot afford to be doing this version of the bench press as ti puts your shoulders at a higher risk of injury. The video shows this being done with a bench that has safety bars attached. You can do these in the power rack and achieve the same degree of lifting safety. While in the power rack make certain the safety pins are placed just a little below the top portion of your chest so that if need be you can slide out from under the bar if you can't lift it.
The Lifting Belt
Several different lifting belts shown and explained.
The non supported dumbbell row
The non supported dumbbell row develops not only the upper back but provides a stimulus for growth in the lower back.
The Non supported Spider Curl
The spider curl is another variation of the barbell curl.
The Seated Good Morning
The seated good morning is another variation of the standing version of this low back exercise.
The Single Arm Low Cable Row
The single arm low cable pull unilaterally strengthens the upper back while at the same time improving your ability to move weight with one arm.
The Standing Good Morning
The standing good morning is an excellent lower back exercise and one that I use with the majority of my trainees.
The standing side bend
Build your obliques with this dumbbell exercise.
The supported dumbbell row
The supported dumbbell row takes the stress off the lower back while at the same time developing the upper back into a strong and powerful structure.
Three commonly used Cheating Methods in the barbell curl
Cheating on a lift is not a normally accepted method of training. Here are the three most commonly used cheating movements seen in the barbell curl.
Under the leg rope pulls
The under the legs low rope pull is a great exercise for your shoulders, not only does it feel good doing them but the benefits are also there in the way of improved shoulder health and increased power production.
Sandbag Shoulder Press Throw
Sandbags are an effective low cost alternative to medicine ball. This drill is alternative to the conventional shoulder press with a barbell, expect you accelerate through the movement allowing for greater power development. You can adjust the weight of the sandbag to suit your strength goals.
Seated dumbbell shrug
The seated dumbbell shrug helps to eliminate a majority of lower body assistance to the movement.
Seated dumbbell side raise
The seated dumbbell side raise helps eliminate the lower body from assisting in moving the weight.
Shoulder Press
The shoulder and upper body muscles contribute to around 30% of force production during running and have an important role in most sports, whether this by fending off opposition or performing a handstand the shoulders are an important part of the body. The Shoulder Press can be performed from two positions shown in the video and with varying loads can be used to train for power, strength and hypertrophy. The Shoulder Press is an important exercise and as such is another “core” exercise in many strength and conditioning programmes.
Single Leg Squat
Running is a unilateral activity meaning that at some point all weight is supported on one leg. The ability to generate force during unilateral movements is a big advantage in sports. The Single Leg Squat exercise can help develop unilateral strength but also uncover and then address any imbalances in leg strength. As such it is included in many strength and conditioning programmes to develop lower body strength and power.
Squat Push Press
The Squat Push Press is an excellent exercise which challenges co-ordination and force transmission from the lower body to upper body. Similar to Olympic lifts it involves the recruitment of whole body muscles however the lift is less challenging and offers an excellent alternative to Olympic lifts. The exercise can be used to train power, strength and is great as a conditioning exercise to improve fitness.
Lunge Press
A combination of a lunge and shoulder press this exercise was designed to challenge co-ordination as well as strength of the lower and upper body during a dynamic movement. This movement is especially useful for athletes in sports that require simultaneous use of lower and upper body muscles to displace objects. Note that this movement does not occur as two major movements ie. a lunge and then press, it is a lunge and then on the upward motion a press.
Overhead Lunge
Similar to the lunge this exercise is designed to develop uni-lateral strength. However, with the addition of the barbell pressed fully above the head for the duration of the exercise it challenges the athlete to maintain balance and develops “core” strength simultaneously.
Barbell Squat Jump
Many athletes use the barbell squat jump as an exercise to develop lower body power. The barbell squat jump is almost identical to the back squat however the aim of the exercise is to jump as high as possible. Aiming to jump as high as possible will recruit fast twitch muscle fibres required for explosive power and allows the athlete to accelerate throughout the movement. Typically the weight of the bar is determined as a percentage of 1RM (the maximum amount of weight that can be lifted for one repetition) for a back squat. Research has suggested that the load required to elicit peak power is between 30-60% 1RM depending on training status and goals.
Barbell Two-Footed Ankle Hop
The exercise is designed to improve the reactive ability and strength of the ankle musculature. Many athletic movements require rapid changes in direction when the lower body may not be in the optimum position to provide power for these movements. However, the ankle musculature can more often than not contribute to the change in direction by providing a powerful “push-off”. In addition, this exercise challenges the ankle musculature to limit the time spent on the ground thus reducing the energy lost when the foot comes into contact with the ground.
Bench Press
The bench press has traditionally been viewed as the gold standard for measuring upper body strength. This is probably as it recruits the major muscles of the chest, shoulder and arms. The bench press is seen by many as an essential exercise to develop upper body power, strength and hypertrophy and as such is a core exercise in many strength and conditioning programmes.
Bench Press with Resistance Bands
The exercise is similar to the bench press but with exception that resistance bands are secured around the bar to add an extra load. During the bench press the bar must decelerate as the bar reaches the top of the movement to prevent the arm and shoulder joints from injury. When the resistance bands are added the acceleration profile of the movement is changed, in that as the bar is pushed upwards the stretch on the bands increases as does the resistance. This means that the athlete must accelerate the bar throughout the motion. The advantage that this has is that the bands train the muscles to produce force throughout the entire range of motion.
Bent Over Row
Most exercises within sport and exercise require pulling motions and thus strength within the posterior chain. The upper back musculature is often neglected in many training programmes, however it is an essential piece of the performance jigsaw. The Bent Over Row is an excellent exercise to develop strength in the upper back muscles when performed correctly.
Calf-Raise
The Calf-Raise is an important exercise in the development of the lower body. As one of the first links between the foot and the rest of the body a strong calf muscle is required for numerous functions among force transmission and injury prevention.
Common grips used on weight lifting equipment
Gripping the gear in the correct manner often determines success or failure with the selected equipment.
Deadlift
Another member of the “core-lifts” the Deadlift is seen as essential exercise within many strength and conditioning programmes. This is because the exercise recruits the major muscles of the lower body as well as the lower back and “core” musculature.
Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
The dumbbell triceps extensions is a good exercise to help increase the muscle density of the triceps.
Foot wear
Foot wear will make or break a lifting session.
Forward Lunge
A more sport specific exercise than the Back Squat and Deadlift the lunge is an excellent exercise to improve strength and power in the lower body. All running activities are uni-lateral (at some point all weight is on one leg) just like the lunge. This means that predominantly, the exercising leg must produce the power to complete the movement. The forward lunge will help develop uni-lateral strength and power.
Front Squat
Similar to the Back Squat the Front Squat is a lower body exercise used to strengthen the leg muscles. Using varying loads it can be used for power, strength or hypertrophy training. The Front Squat is seen as an essential exercise to improve performance in a range of sports/events and for this reason is often a core exercise in many strength and conditioning programmes.
Getting into the dumbbell bench press position
It's not a struggle to get a set of heavy dumbbells into the bench press lifting position if you follow these simple instructions.
Good Morning
The Good Morning is an exercise that receives little attention but is an excellent way to develop the muscles of the posterior chain including the lower back, glutes and hamstrings. The lower back and hamstrings are susceptible to injuries during sport, using the Good Morning exercise can help strengthen these muscle groups to reduce the risk of injury and help improve force generation.
Hang Clean
A variant of the clean, the hang clean focuses on the second pull and catch phases of the lift. Due to the difficulty of learning the clean, the hang clean is an excellent exercise to learn the basic technique required for the second pull and catch phases. Aside from learning the technique this exercises still involves all the major muscles of the body and is an excellent way to train whole body movements when under a load.
Back Squat
The back squat is a lower body exercise used to strengthen the leg muscles. Using varying loads it can be used for power, strength or hypertrophy training. The back squat is seen as an essential exercise to improve performance in a range of sports/events and for this reason is often a core exercise in many strength and conditioning programmes.
Barbell Split Squat Jump
A squat jump/ lunge hybrid the Barbell Split Squat Jump is designed to improve power in the lower body muscles. All running activities are uni-lateral (at some point all weight is on one leg) and in this exercise the predominant force to jump upwards comes from one leg. This means that this exercise trains the lower body to produce power in one leg.
pregnancy weight training
Pregnancy Weight Training: Pregnancy, strength and fitness
dumbbell exercises
Dumbbell Exercises : Supine dumbbell straight arm pullover
strength training diet
Strength Training Diet : Hormones and strength - why low-fat, high-protein diets might not be best after all
weight training systems
Weight Training Systems : Weight train your hormones
step-ups
The step-up
weight training flexibility
Weight training flexibility: Can weight training really enhance your flexibility?
Strength training: the leg press machine
The leg press is a great multiple joint exercise for those looking for increased lower body strength
Strength training: the leg press machine
The leg press is a great multiple joint exercise for those looking for increased lower body strength


































