Diet & Fitness 

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Strength training and successful weight loss

Weight training is extremely important for weight loss. The shapely, well-defined bodies we all covet simply aren't attainable without it. Find out how to get the best out of strength training

Before we get started on a specific routine, let’s dispel one final myth: It is very, very difficult to get as big and muscular as the female bodybuilders you see in muscle magazines. So if you're worried about bulking up, don't. What weight training will give you is a firmer, toned, more defined body with a pleasing ratio of muscle to fat.

If you are lucky enough to have access to a gym, don't be confused by the galaxy of equipment, machines, free weights and benches available. To get started on a good weight-training programme, you only need to do about seven basic exercises.

The following is a set of basic weight-training moves that will work your whole body in the least amount of time. All can be performed with dumbbells or with very basic machines that even the most sparsely equipped gym should have. Don't worry if all or some of this is new to you. For now, just trust us and get started.

The Basic Seven:

Chest Press (or The Bench Press)

• Can be done with a chest press machine or with dumbbells.
• Targets the muscles of the chest (pecs), triceps and front of shoulders (anterior delts).
• Alternate exercise: Dumbbell Flies
  1. Lie on your back on the bench with a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Bend your arms so that your elbows form right angles (90 degrees) and your palms face in the direction of your feet.
  3. 'Press' the dumbbells up toward the ceiling, bringing them slightly toward one another at the same time, so that the motion is a slight arc. When your arms are fully extended, the dumbbells should be just slightly less than shoulder-width apart.
  4. Lower to the starting position. If you are using a bench, be sure that in the starting and ending position your elbows don’t dip more than an inch below your torso, or where they would be if you were actually lying on the floor.

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