No one wants to waste time at the gym, so to make your strength training workouts more effective, you've got to keep your muscles guessing. Not only is it important to work your muscles in a different order, you also need to mix up the types of exercises you do. While push-ups and squats are great go-to moves because they target the upper and lower body beautifully, there are other ways to work Read more

You met with a personal trainer who outlined a killer strength training routine to tone your entire body. You learned correct form and the order of the exercises, and you've been doing this exact routine twice a week for a month. That's awesome, but if you continue to work out the same way each time, you're sure to reach a plateau when it comes to seeing results. In order to strengthen your Read more

If you're looking to tone up for bathing suit season, having your own set of dumbbells at home will motivate you to squeeze in reps whenever you have a few spare minutes. You can do all the strength training exercises you've learned here on FitSugar, moves from your personal trainer, and ones from fitness DVDs, but you'll quickly realize something — you'll zoom through 50 reps of easier moves Read more

Getting into a consistent fitness schedule is essential if you're on a quest to be fit and healthy, which many of us stated as a get fit goal for 2010. Aside from mapping out your weekly workouts, you'll also reap faster results from mixing up your routine, especially when it comes to strength training. When you learn a certain group of go-to exercises, it's easy to get in the habit of doing them Read more

While it's nice to chill out and catch your breath during sets of strength training exercises, you can maximize your workout by moving a little between exercises (called active rest) instead of completely resting your body. Here are some ideas: Jog in place Do jumping jacks Do burpees Get on the floor and do a minute of running plank Or try plank with V Jumps Jump rope Stretch the muscle just Read more

When strength training, there are so many exercises, and so many muscles to work, how do you know where to begin? Start from the bottom of your body and work your way up. Since your legs are your largest muscle group, these moves require more work than exercises that target your upper body. Take advantage of your high energy at the beginning of your workout and tackle exercises like squats, Read more

When I see people strength training at the gym, and working hard to lift a heavy weight or do those last few strenuous reps, it's hard not to notice their face scrunching up. If this sounds like you, the next time you lift, remember to relax the muscles that aren't involved in the exercise. It's the muscles in the face, neck, and shoulders that are most often engaged when they don't need to be. Read more

Correct form and posture are essential when it comes to strength training. It not only helps prevent injury, but it's also necessary to ensure that you're working your muscles effectively. What you want to avoid doing is cranking your head to take a peek at the muscles being worked, because you can end up straining your neck or upper back. If you have a tough time not glancing at your "guns" Read more

Hopefully you've been adding strength training into your cardio and stretching routines. While dumbbells are great tools to use to target your muscle groups, they're not the only tools. Try to explore other options such as weight-lifting machines at the gym, medicine balls or kettlebells, inexpensive resistance bands, different sized exercise balls, and you can also do exercises that require no Read more

Just as it's important to challenge and confuse your muscles by using different weight-lifting equipment, you can increase the benefits of weight training even more by varying the tempo, or speed, of your reps. While very slow repetitions challenge the endurance strength of the muscle, it's important to incorporate a variety of tempos into your workout, including medium and faster-paced speeds. Read more