In this article, we will cover information that you need to have for a successful weight-training program.

There are a few key rules that you have to follow.

The key to any weight training or bodybuilding program is to have a set of goals of what you want to accomplish and when you want to accomplish your goal. This is your long-term goal.

A large portion of the battle is in your brain. You will have to execute your plan to accomplish your goal but once it is on paper it then is just a matter of mechanics.

Speaking of mechanics lets go over some of the basics to determine you schedule.

If your goal is to tighten and tone your muscles, sets of 13 to 20 reps will help you to develop endurance, with some increases to muscle size and some increase in strength. Make sure you do not rest much in between sets and quickly change your exercises. With this plan, you should work each muscle group 2 times a week.

The opposite side of this coin is building strength, power, and size of the muscle group. This is taken care of by performing 1 to 5 reps per set and 4 to 7 sets per exercise. Lifting at 80 to 100 % of your limit and waiting 2 to 6 minutes between sets. When you are a more advanced trainer you will probably only want to exercise a specific muscle group every 3 to 4 days.

The next important thing in your arsenal is your diet. If you want to look fantastic, you can't be eating all that fast food stuff.

Some of the staples of proper nutrition for bodybuilding are:

1. Good protein from lean meats. Lean meats are not that marbled steak, although there are good choices of lean red meat in bison. Another good source of lean meats is tuna that is not to say you have to eat eight cans a day.

2. Another excellent source of protein is from the lowly egg that has been persecuted in the media. Eggs supply a complete protein, which contains ALL essential amino acids for us. They also give us great amounts of vitamins and minerals including Vitamin A, B6, B12, riboflavin, folic acid, choline, iron, calcium, phosphorous and potassium. It has been spoken of as the perfect protein.

3. Make sure you get some good complex carbs from fiber rich foods. Avoid the simple carbs and focus on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, stay away from highly processed carbohydrates.

4. Water is a great transporting of waste products that you need to get rid of after a good work out.

There it is - Some simple but essential items that you need to plan for and do during your body building days.