Main benefit: more muscle
Training with weights mainly benefits muscle development, which has an equal number of fans and critics. While some people live to boost the volume and definition of their muscles
(it can even become an obsession, known as vigorexia), other consider this unattractive.

Training with weights favors muscle development but this depends on the weight you lift and how you lift it. So if you work with the right weight and do the right reps, your muscles will firm up without taking on unsightly volume. The key is the amount of weight you choose and the number of repetitions you do.

Aerobic work
Weights can also become an instrument for aerobic work. Achieving this is simple. In your sessions include exercises with a lot of reps, little weight and short rest periods between the series.

This kind of exercise involves effort that is not intense and does not take a long time. It can benefit the cardio-respiratory system and help burn up fat. These days it is very common to incorporate weights in aerobics classes or use them to complement treatment for back problems. This is because when such exercise is done in a controlled fashion, back muscles become stronger and more able to support the spinal column with less work.

Tips about training
Once you have decided on a goal, it is time to get to work. The first task is to choose the right weights. At home the only option is to use small barbells. This is for reasons of space and budget. At home we cannot have the kind of muscle-building machines used at gyms. This means you have to pay attention to doing the exercises properly.

To know what is the right weight keep the following in mind: the tenth repetition of the series should be difficult for you. Also, in a non-professional training session you should do series of 12 to 15 reps, with a brief rest between them.

But these averages vary depending on the goals of the person training. If your goal is to strengthen your muscles a lot, do fewer reps but with more weight. If one the other hand you want to do exercise that is more aerobic, the earlier instructions can serve as a guide. You can even reduce the weight further and do even more reps.

Interesting complements
The fact that weights can only be held in the hand limits their area of effectiveness to the arms, shoulders, chest and back. For this reason you should complement you muscle-toning work with accessories like thick rubber bands, which provide strong resistance and let you work your hips, legs and buttocks at home.

Another alternative are weights that you carry in your hands or attack to your wrists or ankles as you go about everyday activities. The goal is to increase the work load and do more physical activity.
 
These weights, attached to either the ankles or wrists, are very effective for walking at a brisk pace. They increase consumption of oxygen and heart rate by increasing the intensity of the exercise. If you wear them on your ankles you will tone up your legs, and on the wrists they will work the arms, which are virtually inactive while walking. But be careful about incorporating these weights into your daily training because they increase physical activity significantly. If you are not prepared physically you can hurt yourself.