Online Class: Weight Training 101

no certificate
with CEU Certificate*
-
15Lessons
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32Exams &
Assignments -
5,592Students
have taken this course -
14Hours
average time -
1.4CEUs
Course Description
More than 5,000 years ago, the ancient Chinese measured the preparedness of their soldiers by how much weight they could lift, and the ancient Greeks, perhaps more than any other culture at any time in history, celebrated the achievement of great strength and muscular development.
Much has certainly changed in the last five millennia. Weight training has replaced "weight lifting" as the principal goal of many people who are interested in developing their bodies and increasing their success both on and off the playing field. Lifting weights is a sport, but weight training is a lifestyle. As we will learn in this course, the difference is not merely semantics. Weight training is indeed a profession for some people, from physical therapists to professional coaches who advise people on how to use weights to repair and build muscle.
Strength training is an all-encompassing term used to describe all endeavors aimed at increasing one's strength and pushing the body's potential to further heights. Weight training is a specific type of strength training that specifically uses weights to achieve its goals. Proper weight training incorporates many cardiovascular benefits, but its chief goal is to build muscle in a healthy, educated, and safe manner.
This course will provide a comprehensive view of muscular function – how muscles work, how they grow, the nutrition they need to propel growth, how their development can facilitate fat loss, and how to safely exercise using the proper form and technique.
Course Motivation
Much has certainly changed in the last five millennia. Weight training has replaced "weight lifting" as the principal goal of many people who are interested in developing their bodies and increasing their success, both on and off, the playing field. Lifting weights is a sport, but weight training is a lifestyle. As we will learn in this course, the difference is not merely semantics. Weight training is indeed a profession for many people, especially physical therapists who use weights to help people both repair and build muscle.
Strength training is an all-encompassing term used to describe all endeavors aimed at increasing one's strength and pushing our body's potential to further heights. Weight training is a specific type of strength training that specifically uses weights to achieve its goals. It is different than aerobic training, for example, where the main focus is on increasing one's heart rate and deriving the benefits of a cardiovascular workout. Proper weight training does incorporate many cardiovascular benefits, but its chief goal is to build muscle in a healthy, educated, and safe manner.
There is a great deal of research that has been done, especially over the last several decades, on the growth of muscle. Whereas most people interested in building muscle used to turn to their friends in the gym and to popular cultural icons for advice, today people seek the advice of qualified professionals. No one likes to waste their time, especially in today's fast-paced society. Armed with information about how the body works, how muscles grow, what nutrition aids in growth, and myriad scientific facts, a new generation of weight trainers are achieving their goals of muscular development in an efficient and safe manner. This class will naturally discuss the proper way to use weights to increase muscular size and function, but it will encompass so much more. Weight training is indeed a lifestyle. It is about the proper nutrition to eat. It is about the proper rest necessary to lead a healthy life. It is using knowledge to design exactly the right exercise program for you. The more you understand how muscles function and how they grow, the better prepared you will be to design your own exercise program that suits your lifestyle and accomplishes your individual goals.
It can be daunting to start a weight training program. There is so much advice swirling around -- from friends, co-workers, and the mass media -- that you do not often know where to begin. First, it is recommended that you seek the advice of a doctor before you perform any exercise -- even if you are in excellent health. Weight training, by its very nature, places a burden on your muscles. You are forcing them to grow by, in effect, slightly damaging them and having your body naturally repair them. At first, the word damage might be alarming when you are discussing a part of your body, but as you will learn in this class when we discuss muscular function in detail, the muscular damage/repair process is a natural part of the human body.
Starting a program can also be daunting if you have never been very physically active. The prospect of walking into a gym filled with physically-fit people might seem impossible to you. This class will give you the confidence to achieve every goal you set. Most importantly, it will give you the knowledge to achieve these goals in a safe and efficient manner.
While some people exercise simply for vanity purposes, the majority of people engaged in weight training want to build strength and derive the many health benefits of proper exercise.
Naturally, one of the main benefits of weight training is strength. But, weight training is more than just preparing for success in a sport or a competition. Progressively building strength over a lifetime will enable you to function better when you are older. So many people in the later part of their life lose a great deal of their strength due to the underutilization of muscle, which is called atrophy.
Weight management is another benefit of weight training. Indeed, some people start training specifically to lose fat, and there is a great deal of research on how weight training can significantly aid in this process.
Finally, there are so many healthy benefits for our heart and mind from weight training. Training requires us to increase our heart rate and this greatly enhances our ability to control cholesterol, prevent strokes, and maintain a healthy body fat percentage. But, the effect exercise and weight training has on our mind is equally as beneficial. It has been shown in scientific trials that regular weight training is very effective in treating depression, especially in older people. Overall, the anti-aging effects of weight training contribute to a healthy lifestyle when it is done in a safe, controlled manner.
Much can be accomplished through weight training, whether it is success on the playing field, or simply to increase your health and outlook on life. This class will guide you through all the steps necessary to learn this very beneficial skill.
- Completely Online
- Self-Paced
- 6 Months to Complete
- 24/7 Availability
- Start Anytime
- PC & Mac Compatible
- Android & iOS Friendly
- Accredited CEUs

Course Lessons
Lesson 1: Introduction to Weight Training and Its Health Benefits
Lesson 1 Video
Lesson discussions: Weight Training; Reasons for Taking this Course
Complete Assignment: An Introduction
Complete: Lesson 1 Assignment
Assessment: Lesson 1: Introduction to Weight Training and its Health Benefits
Lesson 2: Genetics and Weight Training
Lesson 2 Video
Complete: Lesson 2 Assignment
Assessment: Lesson 2: Genetics and Weight Training
Lesson 3: Weight Training vs. Weight Lifting
Lesson 3 Video
Complete: Lesson 3 Assignment
Assessment: Lesson 3: Weight Training vs. Weight Lifting
Lesson 4: Achieving Weight Loss With Weight Training
Lesson 4 Video
Complete: Lesson 4 Assignment
Assessment: Lesson 4: Achieving Weight Loss with Weight Training
Lesson 5: Muscles: How They Grow, How They Work, and How to Keep Them Healthy
Lesson 5 Video
Complete: Lesson 5 Assignment
Assessment: Lesson 5: Muscles: How They Grow, How They Work, and How to Keep Them Healthy
Lesson 6: Weight Training Foundations and Principles
Lesson 6 Video
Complete: Lesson 6 Assignment
Assessment: Lesson 6: Weight Training Foundations and Principles
Lesson 7: Nutrition for Weight Training
Lesson 7 Video
Complete: Lesson 7 Assignment
Assessment: Lesson 7: Nutrition for Weight Training
Lesson 8: Proper Order of Exercises
Lesson 8 Video
Complete: Lesson 8 Assignment
Assessment: Lesson 8: Proper Order of Exercises
Lesson 9: Equipment and Home Gyms
Lesson 9 Video
Complete: Lesson 9 Assignment
Assessment: Lesson 9: Equipment and Home Gyms
Lesson 10: Exercise Program: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
Lesson 10 Video
Complete: Lesson 10 Assignment
Assessment: Lesson 10: Exercise Program: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
Lesson 11: Exercise Program: Back, Biceps, and Legs
Lesson 11 Video
Lesson discussions: Favorite Leg Exercise
Complete: Lesson 11 Assignment
Assessment: Lesson 11: Exercise Program: Back, Biceps, and Legs
Lesson 12: Exercise Program: Abdominals
Lesson 12 Video
Complete: Lesson 12 Assignment
Assessment: Lesson 12: Exercise Program: Abdominals
Lesson 13: Supplements
Lesson 13 Video
Complete: Lesson 13 Assignment
Assessment: Lesson 13: Supplements
Lesson 14: Sports-Specific Weight Training
Lesson 14 Video
Complete: Lesson 14 Assignment
Assessment: Lesson 14: Sports-Specific Weight Training
Lesson 15: Goals, Expectations, and Safety
Lesson 15 Video
Lesson discussions: Weight Training Goal; Program Evaluation Follow-up Survey (End of Course); Course Comments
Complete: Lesson 15 Assignment
Assessment: Lesson 15: Goals, Expectations, and Safety
Assessment: The Final Exam
Learning Outcomes
- Define weight training and its health benefits.
- Describe genetics and weight training.
- Describe the most effective weight lifting excercises.
- Describe achieving weight loss with weight training.
- Describe muscles.
- Describe nutrition for weight training.
- Summarize proper order of exercises.
- Summarize equipment and home gyms.
- Create an exercise program that works for your body.
- Describe the pros and cons of supplements.
- Define sports-specific weight training.
- Summarize goals, expectations, and safety.
- Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.
Additional Course Information

- Document Your Lifelong Learning Achievements
- Earn an Official Certificate Documenting Course Hours and CEUs
- Verify Your Certificate with a Unique Serial Number Online
- View and Share Your Certificate Online or Download/Print as PDF
- Display Your Certificate on Your Resume and Promote Your Achievements Using Social Media

Choose Your Subscription Plan
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This course only
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Includes CEUs | X |
Self-paced |
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Instructor support |
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Time to complete | 6 months |
No. of courses | 1 course |
Certificate & CEUs
This course only
Includes certificate |
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Includes CEUs |
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Self-paced |
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Instructor support |
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Time to complete | 6 months |
No. of courses | 1 course |
Certificates & CEUs
Includes all 600+ courses
Includes certificate |
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Includes CEUs |
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Self-paced |
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Instructor support |
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Time to complete | 12 Months |
No. of courses | 600+ |
Certificates & CEUs
Includes all 600+ courses
Includes certificate |
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Includes CEUs |
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Self-paced |
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Instructor support |
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Time to complete | 24 Months |
No. of courses | 600+ |
Student Testimonials
- "The course was fantastic, it settled myths and guided me down the right path for weight training. The instructor was very timely in lesson grading." -- Dennis G.
- "This course really opened my eyes to the changes that I need to make in weight training as well as my diet and the instructor was very professional and replied to my emails as well as graded my assignments and tests in a rather rapid manner while giving detailed feedback over everything he graded and that I know takes a lot of time." -- Beau B.
- "I love these courses because they are straight forward and to the point and easy reading, I don't have to get a dictionary out to understand. The instructor makes learning fun and easy for all education levels." -- Vera M.
- "He was great, thank you for putting the effort and make this course." -- Vesna P.
- "It was overall good experience." -- Sherjeel H.
- "This instructor was very knowledgeable and responsive. I really enjoyed this class and got a lot from it." -- Alice C.
- "What was most helpful was learning order to do your work out in. I never knew there was an order." -- Mary C.
- "ALL parts were helpful!" -- MOHAMED F.
- "The ease of communication between myself and the tutor was most helpful." -- Karl Y.
- "What I found most helpful was the order in which you should exercise your muscles." -- Chris K.
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