Weight Training for Dummies, Second Edition
IDG Books Worldwide, 2000

By Liz Neporent and Suzanne Schlosberg

Comments from amazon.com customers:

"This book explains the basics in enough depth to be useful, without assuming everyone who starts lifting weights wants to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. The pictures are of real people, not bulked up steroid cases." -Reader from San Diego

"Easily one of the best weight lifting books available. While basically written for the novice, many veteran lifters will find valuable information." -Reader from Vienna, Virginia

"I enjoyed the chatty approach of the authors, who are obviously very well versed in weight training." -Reader from Bakersfield, California

Excerpt from Chapter 6: Weight Training Etiquette

Suzanne was performing squats at a crowded health club not long ago when suddenly she was jolted off balance by an earsplitting thud. Moments later, the room was rocked by another deafening clunk. Simultaneously, dozens of heads turned toward the source of this unnerving noise: a large man hoisting a 500-pound barbell. Apparently, this guy did not have the strength to be lifting that much weight. Midway through each repetition - when he had the bar about two feet off the ground - he’d lose control and the 500 pounds would come crashing to earth, nearly sending the rest of the club’s members into cardiac arrest.

This is what you call rude - and potentially dangerous - behavior. While weight training does not require the same level of concentration as, say, reading Faulkner, it does happen to be an activity that’s difficult to perform with bomb explosion-type noises going on in the background. Finally, Suzanne politely asked the guy to lose the sound effects so that the rest of us could work out in peace. Judging from the snarl on his face, he didn’t appreciate the constructive criticism. But he did cut out the clanging.

Even at a health club - a place where tank tops, profuse sweating, and mild grunting are perfectly acceptable - there are rules of etiquette. Sure, the social graces expected in a weight room are a bit different from those expected at the symphony or the Louvre, but manners are important just the same. In this chapter, we explain the rituals and customs that are unique to gyms. Some of these may seem odd at first, but once you learn how you’re expected to act, you’ll feel a lot more at home in your club - actually, in any club. By the way, if you witness a flagrant etiquette violation, don’t be afraid to inform the club staff. You’re not being a snitch. The rules are for everyone, whether you’re the Queen of England or one of her loyal subjects.

Excerpt from Chapter 16: Expanding Your Repertoire

You may come to a point in your weight training career when moving through the same 12 weight machines or performing the same old dumbbell exercises is not enough - not enough to keep you interested and not enough to keep giving you results. Halfway through your workouts, you may start to think, "I really wouldn’t mind cleaning my refrigerator about now." Or you may glance at your body in the mirror and realize that those pecs, quads, and glutes are no firmer than they were two months ago. Out of boredom or disappointment, you may start skipping your workouts.

This is a warning sign. When excuses like "my dog ate my workout log" or "I’m having elective surgery every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during my scheduled workout time" start coming out of your mouth, you can pretty well admit you’ve lost the momentum.

In this chapter, we show you how to move beyond the basics and create a more sophisticated, stimulating weight program. You can experiment with a couple of the strategies we discuss in this chapter, or you can use every one. Just don’t try them all at once. That would be like changing your address, your job, your wardrobe, your hair color, and your personality in one day. You’ll feel less overwhelmed if you incorporate changes one by one. Plus, you can pinpoint more precisely which strategies work for you and which don’t.