Weight Training

The Washington Post has a section of exercise demonstrations by people who look like average, fit individuals rather than buff bodybuilders, so it may be less intimidating for the novice. Find exercises for the upper body, lower body and the core, both for the beginner and the advanced strength trainer.

Global Health & Fitness has a unique "Muscle Map" for navigation. The Web site uses QuickTime technology for its video demonstrations, so the demos are of good quality. Moreover, the descriptions of the exercises are quite detailed, and include a "Don'ts" section to caution you about common technique mistakes.

ShapeFit 's exercise demonstration videos tend to be a bit jerky, but the descriptions of the techniques are fairly detailed. Moreover, the list of available exercises is extensive and includes more than 300 animations, so there's lots of variety (just don't be fooled by the Google ads near the top of the page).

Mahler's Aggressive Strength has articles related to numerous styles of strength training, including kettlebells, sandbags and bodyweight. You'll have to navigate through a list of articles, but it's a great place to start if you're looking for basics about different weight lifting routines.

American Council on Exercise (ACE) offers a succint introduction to resistance tubing exercises. The page demonstrates and explains how these thick rubber bands can be used for many different strength training exercises, such as squats and bicep curls. The site is designed for personal trainers so the information is reliable and detailed.

TBK Fitness presents a bare-bones but informative Web page about routines that use absolutely no equipment. The exercises rely on bodyweight for resistance—much like standard military training—and include basics such as push-ups and squats. These strength training exercises are ideal for travelers or those on a budget.

Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness offers nutrition and training advice for the vegan weight lifter. Most weight lifting Web sites focus their nutrition articles on high-protein diets that rely on animal products like meat and eggs. This site, however, profiles numerous bodybuilders who have achieved enviable physiques with a vegan diet, proof that muscles can be obtained without meat, whey supplements or egg whites.

TeenBodybuilding.com is Bodybuilding.com's teen Web site. It's full of information and articles that directly address weight lifting concerns for a growing adolescent body. Although the site sells supplements, there's a wealth of articles on training, nutrition and fitness success stories.

Women Fitness focuses exclusively on a female audience. It offers a great primer for women who are hoping to learn the lingo and basic techniques with articles on nutrition and training.

Lift for Life is geared toward the drug-free bodybuilder. Many bodybuilders are looking for a "cleaner" approach to the sport. This site provides information about natural bodybuilding, with a focus on training and nutrition.