These are some of the most helpful tips for weight training I've found. The Weider series of bodybuilding books also contain sound training guidelines (though often poor nutritional advice).

• Warm up for 10 to 20 minutes with an aerobic exercise. The Concept II rowing machine and Turnturi exer-cycles are good if you're stuck indoors, jogging and cycling are preferable otherwise. You'll still want to start lifting with relatively light weights.
  
  
• Start with a light enough weight to warmup and add weight with each subsequent set. Take weights off for the last 2 to 3 sets as necessary. This is known as pyramiding.
  
  
• Maintain strict form. Isolate specific muscles as much as possible. This means not swinging the weights up when curling, not using too heavy a weight, and lowering the weight slowly after each rep. Advanced bodybuilders can 'cheat' to advantage, runners, cyclists and other endurance athletes generally cannot.
  
  
• Work your weakest muscle groups at the beginning of the workout.
  
  
• Train opposing muscle groups on separate days i.e., biceps and hamstrings on Mondays, triceps and quads on Wednesdays...
  
  
• Train abdominals (lightly) and calves daily. Other muscle groups should be worked at most every other day.
  
  
• As with riding the payoffs from weight training parallel the time spent doing it. Try to (gradually) work up to 4 hours per week.
  
  
• Training partner(s) will really help you stay psyched.
  
  
• Don't avoid certain exercises because you need to use a light weight. In fact the exercises requiring light weight (deep squats, deltoid flys, etc.) are also the most likely to show rapid improvement. Remember, endurance athletes have different objectives and requirements from bodybuilders.
  

By Roger Marquis,
marquis@roble.com.