1. Break away from the machines Use dumbbells to engage both sides of your body, and for a greater challenge, perform unilateral exercise movements (alternating from one side to the other when lifting weights).

2. Take it to almost failure It's important to engage the muscles completely and make sure that no matter whether you are completing 8 or 12 reps, the last 2-3 should be challenging and you should not be able to complete another 2-3 reps. If you can, then raise your amount of weight to engage those muscles. Make sure to use a spotter if you're lifting heavier weights.

3. Lunges and squats Probably the two best lower body exercises that can be performed to engage the largest muscles in your body. Working your lower body will keep you symmetrical in shape and also help you burn more fat and change your Body/Fat ratio by developing the largest muscles in your body to become your Fat Burning Machines while your body is at rest.

4. Stay in the range 8-12 reps is about the perfect rep range for most people trying to improve their general fitness level. Too many reps will leave you with NO good quality results and too little will make it very hard to train without a spotter. Lift heavy for size and strength and keep changing your rep range to keep your body guessing while developing strong fat burning muscles.

5. Take a break Rest and Recovery are a crucial element in any successful fitness training program, and I recommend to my clients at least 24-48 hours rest between resistance training sessions. I always recommend at least 48 hours for your larger muscle groups, which would be your lower body leg workouts. I also recommend taking a week off during your training programs to give your body a break, and in most cases you will come back even stronger. Keep your body fresh and strong, and you will get greater long-term fitness success.

6. Eat to train and train to eat Your body is an engine, so feed it like one. You cannot perform well at peak levels without fuel, especially if you are engaged in a high intensity resistance training workout. Eat a combination of good quality high fiber carbohydrates in combination with a lean good quality protein before your training sessions and always refuel again after you workout. You need to feed the muscles you just broke down so they can get stronger again. Eat your meals as the old proverb says: Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Citizen and Dinner as the beggar on the corner.

7. Keep it fresh and challenging Any training program that is maintained for longer than 4-6 weeks will not be as effective in the long run. Always keep your body guessing, challenged and fresh with new and innovative fitness training programs. Your body should never be allowed to develop a rhythm using the same training programs. You will ultimately get diminishing returns on your training sessions. So keep your body guessing for maximum long-term results.

8. Don't limit yourself Machines will typically provide only one range of motion and will not help improve any muscle imbalances you may have. When you use dumbbells, you have no choice but to engage both sides of your body when lifting weights. Using free weights will really uncover any weakness you may have on one side of your body, promote a more natural range of motion, support imbalances of your muscle groups, and introduce you to tons of exercises that can be performed with a low cost and home friendly training method. Also, challenge all your muscles by using a Stability Ball. Stability Balls provide you incredible flexibility in terms of cost, variety of exercises, and most importantly the engagement of many, many stabilizer muscles that would never be worked utilizing a fitness machine or even a bench.

Robert Adams is a Nationally Recognized Personal Trainer as well as the Head Fitness Expert at: http://www.MyHomePersonalTrainer.comhttp://www.body-perfect-fitness.com Robert also provides outstanding resource content with his Online Personal Trainer website: