Using weights can even increase bone density, which is especially important for women and the over-50s.

There’s a nearly infinite list of possible combinations of weight-training exercises you can do.  The types of exercise, the weights you use, and the number of repetitions (or ‘reps’) will vary from one person to another.

So this is mostly about the principles of weight training and how to go about adding weights to your current program.

If you want to build strength or burn fat you need to increase the workload done by your muscles. Weights add resistance to your movements and send a message to your muscles to get stronger and use more energy to cope with the extra demands.

Add some weight work to your current exercise program. A set of strap-on weights or dumbbells won’t cost much and starts you off the right way. Even a couple of 2-litre milk containers filled with water can become training weights.

A basic element of weight training is to regularly increase the intensity of your work, by adding more weight, by doing a greater number of exercises, or both.

Give a weight-assisted workout to different parts of your body every time you exercise. In this way you increase your body’s overall strength and burn the maximum possible amount of kilojoules.

Choose at least one exercise for each major muscle group. These groups are: Chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and abdominals.
        
When it comes to the question of how much weight to use for each exercise, it’s entirely up to you. Just don’t overdo it at first. Start light with a small number of ‘reps’ and build up as fast as you can.

You can do weight training anywhere you like, whether you use the weights at the gym, take your own equipment to a local park, or just exercise with home-made weights in your own lounge room.

Weight training does require a few safety considerations:
- Warm up your muscles before you start lifting,
- Raise and lower your weights slowly,
- Breathe regularly and don’t hold your breath,
- Keep your back straight to protect it from injury, and
- Always drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.