Everyone knows that exercising is important for the health. Many health conscious people try to work out at least a few times a week and those who don't, try to include some form of physical activity in their day-to-day routine. However, if the workouts are not balanced with the required amount of strength training, a very important component of fitness and overall health is missing in them. Without any reference to the "Body builder" image, strength training is important for everybody, as it helps in burning more calories, reducing body fat and increasing lean muscle mass. Normally, muscles mass decreases with age, but proper strength training can actually help preserve and even enhance it at any age.

Strength training

Given below are some simple strength boosting exercises that work out different parts of the body. You will need dumbbells of different weights, a barbell, a weight bench, an exercise mat and an exercise ball. Before you start weight training to increase your strength, it is important to warm up for about 5 minutes, with some cardio exercises. Beginners should start with one set of 14 to 16 reps and advanced or intermediate exercisers can do 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps, with enough weight so that the required number of reps can be completed.

Bench Press (Chest):
Lie down on the floor, a step or preferably a bench and hold a medium to heavy barbell straight over your chest. Bend both your elbows, to lower the weight, till your elbows are at 90 degrees. Press the barbell back up and keep repeating this, to complete the required reps and sets.

Lateral Raise (Shoulders):
Hold dumbbells of light or medium weight and keep your elbows slightly bent. Then, lift your arms out to the sides, until they are at shoulder-level. Lower your arms slowly and repeat this, to complete the reps and sets.

Barbell Row (Back):
Hold a barbell that is either of medium or heavy weight in front of you, with both your hands. Keeping your back straight, tip forward to 45 degrees and the squeeze back, to pull the weight in, towards your belly. Lower the barbell and repeat this, to complete the reps and sets.

Ball Crunch (Abs):
Lie down, after placing an exercise ball under your mid-lower back. Squeeze your abs and lift your shoulders off the ball. Lower your back and repeat the crunches.

Squats (Hamstrings, quads and glutes):
Place a barbell on your shoulders, holding it with both your hands. Bend your knees and lower yourself into a squat, ensuring that your knees are behind the toes. Push back to the start and repeat the exercise.