The benefit of weight training.

IT SEEMS AS THOUGH FITNESS in the eighties and nineties stressed aerobics, aerobics, aerobics. In the midst of jogging, spinning, and cycling, we lost sight of the health benefits of weight training. While power lifting involves hefting beefy dumbbells, and body building builds heavy, muscle-bound bodies, weight training tones, tightens, and trims flab.

Trainer Lynn Guist stated on the members.tripod.com Web site, "Weight training increases your energy level, develops your muscles so that they work more efficiently, and reduces wear and tear on your body. Firm, well-toned muscles burn more calories during exercise than when the body is at rest." The fat loss results from weight training's increasing the body's metabolic rate.

Such weight loss is maintainable because weight training is not a fad or "quick fix"; it is a lifelong healthful habit. To weight-train successfully, however, you need to develop a routine that will accomplish what you want and what you'll be able to stick with.

The first step to developing your weight-training routine is to decide what you want to accomplish. By setting goals, you can effectively set up your routine to get the kinds of results you will be happy with. The old saying "If you aim for nothing, you will probably get it" is true in this situation too.

You can either target specific areas of your body that need toning, or go for overall toning. If your goal is to improve the firmness and strength of your upper body, for instance, and you are satisfied with your legs, focus on your arms and back. If overall toning and weight loss is your goal, each muscle group needs attention.

After you set your goals, you can design your routine. The amount of weight should "work you, but not break you," says Ted Myers, winner of nine Colorado state body-building titles. You should feel strain, but you should not force yourself to do more repetition of moves than you are able. If you do so, you will build body mass and you should have a lifting partner to "spot" you.

Women should not worry about becoming muscle-bound. Since the female body has far less testosterone than the male body, it is much more difficult for women to build mass, even with many repetitions (reps). However, if you're lifting to tone, either gender should keep the weight slightly challenging with a realistic number of reps.

To decide what moves you should use, consult a personal trainer, check your local library for books on weight training (not "power lifting" or "weight lifting" or "body building"), or search the Web. For a list of personal trainers in your area, call the American Council on Exercise at 1-800-825-3636. The key is to find the moves that work for you. Everyone is different, and what may do wonders for someone else may not be right for you. You should perform one to two contrasting lifting moves per body part for all-around toning or for spot toning. The type of move should not aggravate any previous injury you may have. You should select moves that give you a "burn" in the specific muscle group you are seeking to tone.

You should work out three times per week, preferably spreading out the workouts so that you have a rest day between each day of lifting, Ted Myers advises. It's important to ask your doctor for advice before you begin, especially if you have had injuries in the past. On the days that you don't lift, you can do aerobic exercise to enhance your total personal fitness program.

Sticking to your plan is the hardest part of developing a weight-training routine. You have to be patient and not expect to see immediate progress. Many beginning weight trainers are also disappointed that their body weight doesn't plummet as they had expected. For people who want to lose just a few pounds, the fat they lose is replaced by muscle, and although their weight is the same, they lose size. If your weight remains stationary, don't focus on pounds, but on how toned you are becoming and how healthy you feel.

The only way to keep fit and toned is to make weight training a part of your daily activities. For some people, slipping off to a gym is a welcome break from life's business. Others prefer the privacy and convenience of a home gym. This doesn't necessarily mean dedicating a corner of the family room to a cumbersome weight bench. A set of free weights should do the trick. Check out a sporting goods store to test out a set and decide what you need. Most discount store chains even sell dumbbells and strap-on weights (good for toning legs) in a variety of sizes.

Timing can be everything. You can make weight training a habit by lifting at a time of the day that is good for your schedule. For some people getting up extra early before work is the best. For others after-hours workouts are a good way to unwind after a stressful day. Whatever the time, make weight lifting a priority. Your body is the Lord's, and it is important to keep it healthy for His service.

It is also important to keep your goals realistic. You should strive for strength, fitness, and health--not perfection. No matter how willing you may be to try hard, you do not have the genetic potential to live up to inflated expectations. Working out is work, but it should be enjoyable,, too. Keeping exercise pleasant makes it much easier to stick with it. Wear comfortable clothing and quality gym shoes, stretch out before and after working out, and use proper lifting methods to avoid injury (see the sidebar on page 35). Lifting weights can be an activity to enjoy with your spouse. Listening to uplifting music, audio books, or news programs can keep workouts interesting as well.

While aerobic exercise is beneficial, you should not exclude weights from your fitness plan. Boosting your body's metabolism is just one of weight training's many benefits. By deciding what you want to accomplish, designing a personalized routine, and sticking to your weight-training plan you can maintain a higher level of fitness than with aerobic exercise alone. Take the time to incorporate weight training into your life. After you feel the positive effects of lifting, you will be glad you did.

Lower Body Exercises

1. Squats--Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your hands at your sides, palms in. Squat to a near-sitting position with legs at a 90-degree angle. Do not lock your knees. Go slowly. Dropping down and jerking up not only builds little muscle, but will put you at risk to injure yourself. Repeat 12-15 times (this equals one "set"), and do three sets. Rest for thirty seconds between each set.

2. Calf Raises--Stand on the balls of your feet on the lowest step of a staircase with a sturdy rail on both sides. Hold a dumbbell in one hand (lowered at your side), and hold the rail with your other hand. Rise up as high as you are comfortable with on the toes of the foot closer to the dumbbell; then lower the foot as low as you can go. Do three sets of 15-20 repetitions each side.

Upper Body Exercises

3. Oblique Extensions (good for "love handles") -- Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart with hands at your sides. Rock torso left to right slowly. Do 3 sets of 20-25 repetitions.

4. Push-ups (good for the chest) -- Lie facedown on the floor with palms on the floor, shoulder-width apart and feet together. Push up slowly until arms are straight, but do not lock the elbows. Lower back to the floor slowly, but allow only the palms, toes, and chest to touch the floor. For a more challenging push-up, rest feet on a chair so that your body is at a 30-35 degree angle. This will target your upper chest. "If you don't have an upper chest," admonishes Ted Myers, "you don't have a chest. That's where the muscle is the thinnest." Do three sets of 15 repetitions.

5. Triceps extensions --Sit in a sturdy non-plush chair such as a kitchen chair. Hold the ends of one dumbbell in the palms of your hands behind your head. Slowly raise the weight straight above your head. Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

6. Kick Backs--Kneel on one knee with the other leg planted in front of you (as if proposing). Rest the near elbow on the extended knee (like The Thinker) and hold a dumbbell in the other, near its shoulder. Extend the arm out straight behind you slowly. Do three sets of 10-15 repetitions for each arm (don't forget to switch sides!).

7. Curls--Hold a dumbbell at your side as you would the handle of a suitcase, palm in. Slowly raise to your shoulder, turning the palm parallel to the shoulder. Slowly lower. Do three sets of 12-15 repetitions for each arm. To isolate the biceps even more, sit on a chair, rest the elbow against the inside of the thigh, and curl the weight toward the shoulder.

8. Lats Lifts--Kneel one knee on a pillow on a sturdy chair, with the near arm holding on to the seat for balance. In the opposite arm, hold a dumbbell level with the chair seat. Lift the weight straight back slowly, then lower to the original position. Use the back, not the arm. Do three sets of 12-15 repetitions for each arm.

9. Towel Pulls--If you have a workout partner, this can be a good alternative to lats lifts. Roll up a bath towel lengthwise. Each person takes an end in a crossover grip (one palm up and one down). Stand next to one another. Take turns slowly pulling back and forth, as in a "tug-of-war." Don't yank. Do three sets of 12-15 repetitions for each leg.

Weight a Minute! Read This Before You Lift:

* Stretch out before and after you lift.

* Lift steadily--you should raise and lower a weight slowly.

* Don't jerk weights around or improvise movements to make weights to lift.

* Do full range of extension for each movement.

* Don't drop the weights.

* If ifs too heavy, don't try to lift it.

Deborah J. Myers writes on health topics from Longmont, Colorado.