USING FREE WEIGHT EQUIPMENT Free weights are different in design and slightly different in function compared to machines. Free weights allow a nonrestrictive effect on your joint movement. Using machines are different in that they have a predetermined movement pattern. This nonrestrictive movement is what allows you to do so many different exercises with only one barbell or a pair of dumbbells. We have the Olympic style barbell that weighs 45 pounds. Hip sled is 150 pounds.

FREE WEIGHT PRECAUTIONS Due to the unrestricted movement allowed when lifting free weights, there is potential for injury. It is important to always follow simple safety characteristics when lifting to avoid potentially dangerous situations.

1) LOAD BARS PROPERLY: Basically, load the ends of the bars evenly. Do not put uneven amounts of weights on the ends of the bars.

2) LOCK BARBELLS AND DUMBBELLS: Use the locks (wire clips) to hold the weights in place. Plates that are not in secured could easily slide off the bar and land on feet or other body parts. The sudden shifting of weight could also cause muscle injury.

3) AVOID BACKING INTO OTHERS: Any untimely bump can cause someone to lose control of the bar or dumbbell that is being held overhead. Use caution as you move around the weight room.

4) BE AWARE OF EXTENDED BARS: Extended bars are those that overhang or extend from a machine. (barbells on racks, squat racks, uprights like the bench press, tricep/lat pull downs, etc). Be especially cautious around people that are performing overhead lifts. Head or facial injuries are most common here.

5) STORE EQUIPMENT PROPERLY: Everything has it’s place!! Rack all plates and dumbbells at the end of your lifting. Don’t leave them on the bars for someone else to put away. Equipment left unattended/ laying around are easily tripped over.

6) USING WEIGHT BELT: You should wear a belt when doing exercises that put stress on the back and involve maximum or near maximum loads. A belt by itself will not protect you against injury…only good technique will.

7) WARM UP AND COOL DOWN: It is important to warm up properly before any physical activity. Jogging followed by a stretching routine will help warm up your muscles, increase blood flow to muscles, and help improve your flexibility. Warm up exercises help your muscles contract and relax more efficiently. You should hold each stretching position for 6-10 seconds. The routine may be repeated 2-3 times if you wish.

Our weight room has both free weights and plate loaded machines. It is important that you are

aware of the proper technique as well as the purpose of each exercise that you chose to

perform. Following is a break down of the different machines and free weights that are

available in our weight room. They have been listed primarily as upper body or lower body

exercises. Not all exercises are listed. Only the basics have been covered here. It is

important to know that there are many options available to you and a variety of exercises

You can do to keep your routines “fresh”.

Always keep these simple things in mind:

Wear weight belts!

Be sure to use clips and load weights

properly!

School appropriate music. Volume knob

at high noon. Anything the instructor

deems inappropriate will be taken and

not returned

Put all weights away

when you are finished

with them.

UPPER BODY EXERCISES:

Shoulder press:

1. Lay on bench with your feet firmly planted on the floor, grasp both handles

with palms facing inward. Keep your back flat and your head on the bench.

2. Execution of the chest press:

In a controlled fashion, press the handles simultaneously upwards to the

overhead position. Do not arch the back. Slowly lower the weight down and

repeat the movement.

3. Breathing: Exhale up, Inhale down.

4. Primary muscles: Chest

1. In a seated position with your feet firmly planted on the floor, grasp

handles w/ both hands, palms facing forward. Keep your back straight and

your head up.

2. Execution of the shoulder press

In a controlled fashion, press the handles simultaneously upwards to the

overhead position.. Do not arch the back. Slowly lower the weight down

and repeat the movement.

3. Breathing: Exhale up, inhale down.

4. Primary muscles: shoulders.

Chest Press:

LAT PULL DOWN:

1. Stand in front of a lat pull down apparatus and grasp the handles using an overhand

grip

2. Sit down with your feet firmly planted on the floor with your body straight and thighs

secured underneath the thigh pads.

3. Keep your body straight and rigid throughout the whole movement. 4. Grip the handles overhead with your arms at full extension; 5. Execution of the lat machine pull down

In a controlled fashion, pull the handles down until they are to the side of the chest area. Pause.

6. Slowly bring the handles back to the starting position until your arms are straight. 7. Breathing: Inhale up; Exhale down. 8. Primary muscles: Back

This is the Multi-cable Machine. It uses cables

and pulleys and adjustable weights. Many of the

free weight exercises can be performed on this

machine also.

Incline Press:

1. Lie back on an incline bench (35 to 45 degrees) with your feet firmly

planted on the floor. Your back should be pressed firmly against the padding.

2. Grip the barbell with your thumbs roughly 3 feet apart. Make sure that the grip is balanced

between both sides of your body. Lift the bar from the rack.

3. Take the barbell from the rack and lock your elbows at the top position. Keeping the arms

away from the body, lower the barbell to the upper chest area slowly and controlled.

4. Lightly touch the upper chest area and push the weight back up in a controlled manner to the

starting position.

Try and keep your eyes on the barbell at all times as this will help out with balancing the

weight and movement.

Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.

Spotter: Spotter is positioned to help lift bar off rack if needed and also to help return bar to

rack if needed. Spotter should also be available to help keep bar even as lifter presses. Again,

spotter should help only if lifter is having difficult

BENCH PRESS: using an overhand grip with hands at least shoulder width apart. Body should

have four points of contact: head, shoulders, buttocks on the bench—feet straddle bench

touching floor. Push to straighten elbow position over chest, keeping wrists directly above

elbows throughout exercise.

Breathing: Inhale while bring bar down in a slow, controlled movement. Bar touches chest near

nipples, pause. Exhale during upward press. Pause at straight-elbow position

Primary muscles: Chest

Spotting: Spotters knees should be slightly flexed. He will assist with bar off the support

rack and help guide bar to straight elbow position. Spotter’s are inside lifter’s hands on the

bar. He should closely follow the downward movement of the bar and assist only when

necessary. On the upward movement, watch for uneven arm extension and also for bar

stopping or moving toward lifter’s face. Spotter should help only when needed. Always assist

in keeping the bar level.

Bench Press

Bicep Curl: (Standing shown with curl bar and alternating w/ dumb bells).

1. In a standing position, keep you feet about 18" apart. Your back should be straight and your head level.

2. Grasp the curl bar or dumbbells using an underhand grip.

3. The curl bar/dumbbells should be at your sides with your arms fully extended.

Execution

1. Slowly curl bar up towards your shoulder, pause and slowly lower it. Do not swing the bar up with any

added body motion. For the alternate dumb bell curl, slowly curl dumb bell up towards shoulder, pause

and slowly lower it. As you lower the dumbbell, curl the other arm upwards. Do not swing the dumbbells

up with any added body motion.

Breathing: Exhale up; Inhale down. Our curl bar weighs 25 pound

Concentrated Bicep Curls:

While seated on a bench. Rest one elbow on the inside of your thigh and the non exercising hand

on your free leg. Keep your feet flat on the floor.

Execution

1. Exercise one arm at a time. Holding a dumbbell, curl the straight arm upward slowly until your

arm is at it’s flexed position. Slowly lower the dumbbell back to the start position. Raise and

repeat. Immediately after lifting with one arm, lift with the other in the same manner.

Tricep Dumbbell extension: AKA Skull Crusher! ☺

1. Hold a single dumbbell behind your back.

2. Hold the dumbbell with your upper arms as close to your ears as possible.

3. Raise and lower the weight, while keeping your upper arms vertical. This is called the “skull

crusher” also for a good reason! Use common sense when choosing the amount of weight you are

using!

Tricep Dips

Tricep dips are another option for the triceps. Start by holding yourself up on the bar,

then “dip”, lowering yourself by bending your arms, elbows slightly out to the side. Lower until

the biceps almost touch the forearms. Pause, then press back to arm’s length with elbows

locked. Be careful not to swing your body. Inhale down, exhale up. Bent over Tricep Kickbacks/Extensions:

1. Grasp a dumbbell using an overhand grip. Bend forward at the hips and over so that your torso

is parallel to the floor. Keep your feet firmly planted on the floor with your free hand holding

on to a bench or rail. Press your upper working arm firmly against the side of your body.

2. One foot should be in front of the other

Execution

1. Slowly raise your arms backwards, extending it straight. Keep your upper arm in line with your

torso and parallel to the floor.

2. Once the arm is extended, hold the position for a moment and then lower the weight back to

the start position. Repeat the movement

3. Reverse the working arm once you complete the first set.

Military Press:

1. Sitting down on a bench with back support and special supports. Press your back firmly

against the padding for support.

2. Grasp a barbell with your hands spaced a little wider than shoulder width. Keep your back and

head straight with your feet firmly planted on the floor.

3. Take the weight off the rack and press the bar directly over your head in a vertical line.

Execution:

1. Slowly lower the bar behind your head to just below the ears.

2. Push the bar back up without bounding the weight. Remember to keep the back straight and

flat (no arching) Repeat the movement.

3. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled. Exhale up; Inhale down.

Spotters: Spotter stands behind and has hands near lifter’s elbows to help guide or keep

aligned.

Lat press:

This lift works the LATS (back muscles). This LAT PRESS is similar to the military press with

the exception being the motion is with the bar behind the head. The lifter lowers the bar

behind his head to about the nape of his neck. His feet are firmly on the floor, his head is up,

and his back remains straight. Exhale up, Inhale down. The spotter is available to help lift the

bar on and off the rack.

LOWER BODY LIFTS:

Calf Raises:

1. Standing upright, place your toes on the platform. Ensure that you are on the balls of your

feet at the edge of the platform.

2. Slowly drop your heels as far as they can go.

3. Place your hands on the shoulder pads.

Execution

1. Rise up as high as possible on the balls of your toes without excessive knee bending.

2. Slowly lower your heels as far as possible. Do not bounce at the bottom of the movement. Repeat.

Leg Extensions:

1. Sit on the leg extension with your back firmly on the back rest.

2. Press the back of your knees firmly against the edge of the seat.

3. The leg extension pads should be set just above your ankles. Place your ankles under the

extension pads. Keep your head level and place your hands on the grips.

Execution

1. Slowly raise the weight by extending both legs upwards to the straightened position. Do not

jerk the weight up.

2. Hold this position for one second. Slowly lower the weight back to the start position. Repeat

movement.

3. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.

Primary muscle: quadriceps

Hamstring Curl

:

1. Lying face down on a leg curl machine, hook your heels under the leg curl pad and grab hold of

the handles.

In unison, curl your legs upwards until you cannot go any further. Hold for a second and slowly

extend your legs back out. Do not bounce the weight at the bottom.

Primary Muscle: hamstring

Back Squat: We have three options for you in our weight room:

This lift will work his QUADRICEPS (thighs). Lifter should use an over hand grip, slightly wider

than their shoulders. Bar is positioned at the base of the neck. Hips are directly under the

bar, chest out, shoulders back head up. The spotter be standing directly behind and close to

the lifter. Hands placed close to the hip and arm area. Assist only if necessary. The lifter

squats down slowly, avoid excessive forward lean. Keep feet flat on the floor with knees in line

with feet. Continue squatting until bottoms of thighs are parallel to the floor. Spotter should

squat with partner, tracking lifter with hands.

To straighten up, keep head up and chest out. Straighten hips and knees. Inhale down, exhale

up. Spotter should stand with partner keeping hands close to the elbow area. Assist only when

necessary.

Using the plate loaded Smith machine, you perform the squat with the same motion that you did

with bar bell

Multi-Hip Flexor Machine:

.