The ACSM ? the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world ? and the US Surgeon General have been recommending a 1-set exercise program for some time. Such a regular exercise habit will definitely improve fitness, and is a practical, obtainable goal for most people.

I have been exercising for 32 years. Unfortunately, I consciously avoided weight training for the first 31 years. I cannot agree more wholeheartedly with the findings this study promotes. I would even further it, as I believe one only requires about 5-10 minutes of resistance training a day.

There are several key concepts here that can be utilized. Not just any set of weight training will do. One needs to lift the weights to muscular failure. The weight should be heavy enough that this can be done in under 12 repetitions, yet light enough to do a minimum of four repetitions.

It is important NOT to exercise the same muscle groups every day. They need at least two days of rest to recover, repair and rebuild. More is clearly not better here.

I believe that one does not really require leg training exercises unless one is in some sort of rehabilitation program. Generally the cardiovascular portion of your exercise program should use enough of your legs where you don't require a separate program for your legs. This will keep the time down to well under ten minutes.

A health club is wonderful if it fits into your schedule. However, my experience personally and professionally is that for most people this is not the best option. Fortunately there are inexpensive and space conserving options. One can pick up a weight bench. One with an incline is even better, but not necessary. Additionally, a set of dumbbells will be necessary. The key here is a set of Power Blocks that are only six inches wide, six inches tall and one foot long. They are a set of weights that have a foam padded handle and allow one with the use of a inserted pin to change the weight from 5 to 50 pounds. They are excellent and one does not require dozens of weight which take up much space.

You can also use a universal type machine, but it is not necessary. I use a Weider Pro as I have the room to set it up in my basement. Caution: if you select a machine, they take forever to set up. A recent Wall Street Journal article outlined these machines as the hardest thing people buy to put together. I found it a challenge and considered it a puzzle and took about 12 hours last January to put mine together. Free weights are another option.

There are many ways to split up your exercises, but one way is to split them into three. My choices are chest and triceps, back and biceps and shoulders and abdominals. Each group has three to ten exercises. The longest group for me is chest and triceps and that only takes ten minutes, my shortest, back and biceps, only takes five minutes. I do each site one during the week and take the seventh day off for rest. I have been enormously pleased with how effective this program works and would recommend it for most. But remember, unless one lifts to failure the program will not work. The last lift is absolutely the most important and should be done like your life depended on it.

Several cautions. Form is important as sloppy form will cause injury so seek professional assistance if you are unclear about an exercise. Letting the weight down is probably more important to increase muscle strength than raising it. So do not let gravity allow the weight to come down quickly. Resist the gravity as if you were lifting the weight. Stretching is also VERY important in the shoulders. If you do not have a stretching program the increased muscle mass will take away from your flexibility. I recommend active stretching rather than passive. Generally twice a day, when arise and before bed, put your arms, neck and shoulders through their complete range of motion as far as they will go, and in every direction you can think of. The more combinations you use the better. The total stretch time is only a few minutes.