The free weights section of the gym can be a bit daunting thanks to floor-to-ceiling mirrors, stacks of barbells and dumbbells, and a crowd of bodybuilding types. But the benefits of free weight exercises are great, so it's important to boost your dumbbell confidence. Here are five reasons you should take a break from the weight machines: Your know more than you think you know. There aren't any Read more

You've stuck to your strength-training routine and have memorized every workout in your favorite exercise DVD. You've probably noticed changes in your body, including those uber-toned arms that you never thought you'd have. Now that you're getting stronger, here's a reminder that you may be ready to increase the weight of your dumbbells. The right dumbbell weight for you will fatigue 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

Weight training is a slippery slope for a lot of women. Many are afraid of bulking up and skip it altogether, while others — including actress Kristen Bell — use lighter weights to avoid looking too muscular. The accepted logic is that heavier weights equal big muscles and using lighter weights is the best way to slim down and maintain "womanly" tone. Not so, says a recent article in the New Read more

Today's lesson: be careful when strength training. Research findings show that injuries related to weight training have increased by almost 50 percent between 1990 and 2007. During this period, US emergency rooms treated almost 100,000 weight-training injuries — about 6,000 per year. The good news for women is that men suffered the brunt of the injuries, making up 82 percent of the group. Read more

Eva Mendes, to me, always looks great: a little bit curvy, nice tone, and always sexy. She also has arms to die for! Health magazine reveals the exercise Eva does for tank top worthy shoulders is punch-ups. Hold a weight in each hand with palms facing your cheeks. Keep your right fist by your cheek and raise your left fist towards the ceiling, then lower. As you lower your left fist, raise your Read more