Since childhood, I've been lifting weights in some form or another. I started by pulling my body weight up branches, door frames, and anything else I could hang onto, until my parents finally enrolled me in gymnastics class. In my 20s, I became passionate about weight training and won numerous body-building competitions. Today, I've scaled back, but I still enjoy the many benefits of strength training.

The advantages are numerous—and even more important as we grow older. Weight training helps minimize normal, age-related loss of muscle mass and improves quality of life by enabling us to continue doing the activities we've always loved with ease and comfort. It also strengthens bones, reduces the risk of osteoporosis and other diseases, and increases metabolism to stave off weight gain (also common with age). Lifting weights is a mood booster—it provides a feeling of vitality and energy—and a consistent routine will sculpt muscles that look toned and strong. I prefer the way my body looks when I weight-train and you will, too.

To gain all these benefits, you need only lift moderately heavy weights a few times a week. The following program will get you started if you're new to weight training. If you're not, this program can add variety to your normal routine to keep your muscles challenged. Best of all, you don't need to go to a gym or to buy expensive equipment a few sets of free weights, a mat, and a step platform will do the job.

Gin Miller, a fitness expert featured in numerous workout videos and dvds, was named one of the 25 fittest people in the world by People magazine in 1994 and won the 1991 idea Instructor of the Year award.