Bonn, Germany - The image of the body-builder with bulging thighs and arms no longer fits the description of the average gym-goer as a growing number of both medical professionals and sports physicians are advising their patients to take up weight training to prevent complaints such as back pain.

"Everyone can be helped by a modern, health-oriented training programme that can increase body-strength or prevent its loss as you get older," says Christoph Eifler from the German High School for Preventative and Health Management in Saarbrucken in southwest Germany.

The chances are slim that you'll end up looking like a body builder as it takes years of training and a special diet to develop muscles on that scale.

"Any kind of movement is better than none," says Ray Zipter of Germany's Fitness and Aerobic Association in Bonn.

Being fit is the same as having good teeth: "Exercising on a daily basis is a good thing." So if you want to stay healthy and avoid osteoporosis, for example, weight training is just what you need.

Before you head to the gym, however, a doctor should declare how fit you are. That advice applies in particular to people who have not engaged in physical exercise before or who are returning to training after a long break.

"Anyone with a cardiac or blood circulation illness should be very careful about how much they train," says Guenther Kurz, a sport physician from the University of Karlsruhe in south-western Germany.

A good gym will have trained personnel on hand to individually tailor an exercise programme to fit your needs.

The trainer will also check to see if you have any health complaints and in what area you want to see improvement. A good gym will also offer potential members a try-out session.

"There should always be a trainer on the premises to answer queries." Everyone wants to know whether they are using a machine properly, Zipter said.

"If you are training your body properly and neither under nor overworking the body - then it will react by adapting to the training programme," says Eifler.

As you progress you can increase the size of the weights but, "more important than heavy weights or long training sessions is regular training".

If you want the option of exercising at home, ask your gym trainer to show you a few alternative exercises that do not require the aid of a machine.

"Exercises for the torso, back and stomach are very suitable for the home," says Kurz. All kinds of press-ups can be very useful, he added.

If you're not ready for the traditional version on the floor, try doing press-ups in a standing position against a wall.

Another good variation on normal press-ups is to support your weight on your lower arms and then take turns raising each leg.

Kurz recommends another useful exercise: in a kneeling position place both palms on the floor and then raise the left arm and right leg at the same time. After holding that position for a short time, change to right arm and left leg raised.

Not having enough time to exercise is no excuse as the exercises described here can be done in front of the television - and that's far better than just sitting on the couch.