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Introduction – Complete Strength Training Guide for Beginners
Getting started with a strength training routine is both exciting and incredibly beneficial to your overall health and wellbeing. There are so many physical, mental and even emotional benefits that come along with a training regimen and even doing just the bare minimum can help you attain them. But when it comes to getting started with strength training, things can get overwhelming, especially if you’re a total beginner. Those first few times you hit the gym floor can feel a little nerve wracking when you’re a newbie. Not to worry though! In this guide you’ll find all the details, tips and tricks you need to know to feel fully confident and excited about diving into your new strength training routine.
Why Should I Start Strength Training?
I imagine if you’ve found your way here, you are already interested in strength / resistance training (generally the two terms are used interchangeably), but if not, here’s a quick refresher on why it’s so good for you:
Strength Training…
- Strengthens the muscles and tendons and helps keep joints healthy
- Supports strong bones
- Improves coordination and balance
- Burns calories and aids in weight loss or weight maintenance goals
- Improves heart and lung health
- Lowers your risk for chronic diseases
- Releases endorphins to boost your mood, enhance memory and cognitive abilities
- Improves Quality and Duration of Sleep
- Helps Manage Stress and Anxiety
- Can Lower your Risk of Depression
- And Boost Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem
- Among a myriad of other benefits!
Strength training includes using free weights like dumbbells, medicine balls and kettlebells, as well as machines, resistance bands and even simply your own body weight to improve your strength, endurance and overall fitness levels.
How Many Days a Week Should I Strength Train?
The answer to this, along with so many other questions in the world of health and fitness is: it depends. First and foremost, you should ask yourself (and answer honestly), how many days each week can you realistically devote to exercise? If you can truly only find the time in your schedule for three days of workouts – don’t set yourself up for failure by scheduling in 6 workouts that week. In order to create consistency in this endeavor you must set up a plan that makes sense for you. That being said, for most beginners, shooting for 3-4 days of exercise per week with two rest days and a day or two for active recovery is a good place to start.
What’s the First Step?
Choose or Build Your Workouts
You absolutely must walk into the gym with a clear plan of what you’ll do once you get there. (This goes for at-home workouts as well!) If you’re wandering around the gym floor, moving aimlessly between machines you will never get the results you’re after – plus it’s a dead giveaway that you’re a newbie.
Your plan should include the details of your resistance training – the specifics of your rep ranges (how many repetitions you will do of a certain exercise) and at what weight, how many sets to complete, as well as the rest times between exercises. A well-rounded plan would also include things like dynamic warm up exercises, details for active recovery days, as well as cardio workouts, if necessary (more on this below).
The beginning of your strength training journey should focus on mastering the basics. The basics consist of bodyweight exercises plus the main movement patterns (squat, lunge, hinge, push, pull) and learning to execute simple exercises with immaculate form before moving on to more challenging exercises or adding extra weight.
We’ve included a great beginner strength training plan below. And it’s never a bad idea to invest in a coach or trainer in order to get a more personal plan for your goals.
The point of this first step is to make sure you’ve got a specific workout that you’re going to complete each and every time you step into the gym.
Strength Training Tips for Beginners
- Set Realistic Goals
Setting goals is a must-do for any exercise endeavor and strength training is no different. Start by defining the results you’re after and then create smaller, step-by-step goals that will get you there.
Losing weight, getting healthy or getting stronger are “big picture goals”, and aren’t specific enough to be something you can reasonably set your sights on without going more into detail.
Breaking down those goals results in things like: going to the gym at least 3x this week or participating in 10 bootcamp classes this month. These types of goals serve to move you closer towards the big picture goal and they are hyper specific – which helps form a clear path to get you there. How many times, how many days, etc also helps you to track your adherence to these goals. When setting strength training goals (or any goals at all), ask yourself: Can I be consistent with this? Does it make sense within the idea of my big picture goal? Will it bring me closer to the results I’m looking for?
- Proper Form is a Must
We touched on this above but I’d be remiss not to mention it again. When it comes to resistance training, form is crucial. Rushing through an exercise without thinking about it or simply using momentum to drive the weights will not help you get stronger. You must slow down, take your time and get a feel for the correct form of an exercise. You should feel the specific muscles that you’re targeting firing on any given exercise. This tip is also helpful when it comes to figuring out rep-ranges for exercises. You will want to feel fatigued when you get to the last few reps, but must always be able to maintain good form. If you’re unsure – look around for a trainer on the gym floor who can help you with a form check or check out Youtube for proper demonstrations of almost any exercise.
- Choose the Right Weight
In line with good form is another equally important tip: how much weight to choose for a given exercise. It is so common for people to either underestimate themselves and choose a weight much too light for what they’re working on – or – overestimate their strength and go hard with something much too heavy for them. Neither one of which is particularly helpful. The former leaves you without much of a challenge and the latter can lead to bad form, or worse, injury. First and foremost you should aim to focus on good form and look for that muscle contraction, then you can increase the weight as you get stronger.
- Forget Complicated, “Influencer” Exercises
If you have an Instagram account, you know exactly which exercises I’m talking about. While your favorite fitness influencer is jumping around doing something that requires three different movements, a superset and an iso-hold just to finish one “exercise” – you can be doing the exercises that actually got those fitness-gurus that enviable body in the first place. They started out with the basics, too. There is a reason that the tried and true exercises have been around forever – because they work. Compound exercises like squats, bench presses, deadlifts, pull-ups, rows and lunges are all exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once and they are the best for beginners and seasoned lifters alike.
A note, as you get better, stronger, fitter – you can also try out those “creative” exercises – they aren’t inherently bad for you. In fact, it can be fun to try something new that challenges your strength, your balance and your memory. If you do choose to throw one or two creative exercises in your workouts every now and then, remember they are a fun addition, used solely to switch things up and add some interest and challenge. They are not the path to real strength gains or body recomposition goals. If you’re looking for the real deal, leave the fitfluencer exercises to IG.
- Utilize Progressive Overload
To continue making progress at the gym, you will need to challenge yourself over time. This means your workouts need to get harder in order to keep seeing results. As you get stronger and fitter you can change up different variables like the volume (how often or how many times a week you train), the load (weight), the speed of your workouts or decrease rest time, among other training variables. That being said, slow and steady always wins the race and adding too much too soon is a recipe for burnout or injury. Ideally, you should think about switching up your routines or adding additional challenges every 4-6 weeks or so.
- Ask for Help if You Need it
If you’re a beginner to the realm of resistance training, it is common to have questions or be unsure of how things work- especially in a gym setting. There will almost always be a trainer on the gym floor that you can ask about anything you might have doubts about. Don’t hesitate to reach out to them (or a manager on duty) if you can’t find something or there is a machine you’d like to use that you’re confused about or anything else pertaining to safe, effective exercise!
You’ll not only get a confidence boost when you know you’re using things correctly but it will also help bolster your sense of belonging – many small gyms are really like a little community, after all.
- Record your Progress
Recording your training measures your overall progress, serves to keep you motivated, and can even help you make better, more informed decisions in your fitness plan. And there are a whole variety of different indicators of progress.
You can…
- Track your workouts to see if you’re getting stronger/faster
- Record your measurements and weight each week
- Take progress photos along your journey (starting with your before photos!)**
** For best results with progress photos, always wear the same clothing from week to week (or however often you decide to take them) and always be in the same location with the same pose – from the front, back, and side. These photos will help you see the subtle changes in your body that you might not recognize when you look in the mirror at yourself every day.
Beyond the physical, there are some other amazing benefits of exercise that, when you become aware of them, will definitely help you keep up the routine.
- Higher energy levels
- A better mood throughout the day
- Sleeping better/longer
- Seeing clothes fit better
- Stress levels decrease
- Performance in the gym feels easier.
Take note of these things in your training log so you can see how they change over time, just as your physical photos and overall strength do.
What’s the Deal with Cardio?
Here’s the thing: cardio does have its place when it comes to heart health and, to a certain extent, burning calories – but, really and truly, if weight loss and/or strength and muscle gains factor anywhere into your goals, cardio is not necessary to reach them. When it comes to exercise for fat loss or body recomposition (losing fat while simultaneously gaining muscle), resistance training is the best option. Strength training builds lean muscle and adding muscle serves to raise your resting energy expenditure (the number of calories you burn at rest).
That being said, if you enjoy doing cardiovascular exercise, by all means, keep it up! Factor it into your overall training load and make sure you’re allowing your body plenty of time to rest and recover between workouts.
Other Important Strength Training Factors
Active Recovery and Rest Days
Your training program should also take into account your rest and recovery during, after and in between strength training sessions. Rest and recovery are pieces of the puzzle that you cannot ignore, and without them you will find it difficult to move closer towards your goals, whatever they may be.
Recovery includes:
- Post-training recovery: that which helps your muscles recover from your workouts. Foam rolling, mobility exercises or stretches, massage, etc.
- Restorative activities: low-intensity activity you might incorporate on your off-days from training. Taking your dog for a walk, playing with your kids at the park, yoga, leisurely hiking or biking, gardening, dancing, or any low-intensity physical activity.
Restorative activities can look like exercise or they may be more recreational activities that get your body moving. Look at your weekly training schedule and make sure to set aside some time for restorative activity. Restorative activities can also be a good substitute for a higher-intensity strength training session when you’re under a lot of stress, haven’t been getting enough sleep, or are still really sore from a previous workout.
Rest days are days in which you truly allow your body to rest and recover. It is during rest that your muscles are able to rebuild themselves so it is essential not to skip these days!
Strength Training Plan for Beginners:
Below are two beginner strength training workouts, Workout A and Workout B. Depending on how many days you decide to train each week, you can complete them on non-consecutive days in the following ways: AB, ABA or ABAB.
Warm up: 30 seconds each exercise, for two rounds:
- Jump Rope
- Standing Knee Ups
- Alternating Forward Lunges
- Toe Touches
- Alternating Overhead Reaches
Workout A: 3 sets, 10-15 reps per exercise (per side when appropriate). 60-90 seconds rest between exercises. Record how much weight you use for each exercise & how many reps completed.
- Goblet Squats
- Push Ups
- Reverse Lunges
- Bodyweight Dips
- Romanian Deadlifts
- Overhead Press
- High Plank Hold (30 Seconds)
Workout B: 3 sets, 10-15 reps per exercise (per side when appropriate). 60-90 seconds rest between exercises. Record how much weight you use for each exercise & how many reps completed.
- Bulgarian Split Squats
- Bicep Curls
- High Step Ups
- Single Arm Bent Row
- Side Lunges
- Bench Press
- Side Plank Hold (30 seconds)
Other Resources to Help you Get Started:
This article from Muscle and Fitness is a great resource that defines a myriad of strength training terms that beginners might not be familiar with, like different types of workouts (cardio vs strength), terms like reps and sets, and even some common exercise equipment.
Featured Image Credit: Photo by Pixabay (Pexels)
Workout and Warm Up Pictures Credit : Unsplash
References
- Craft, Lynette L., and Frank M. Perna. “The Benefits of Exercise for the Clinically Depressed.” Primary care companion to the Journal of clinical psychiatry vol. 6,3 (2004): 104-111. doi:10.4088/pcc.v06n0301 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC474733/
- Exercise and Mental Health. (2021). Better Health Channel; https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/exercise-and-mental-health
- Exercising for Better Sleep. Hopkins Medicine; https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/exercising-for-better-sleep
- Regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory, thinking skills. (2014). Harvard Health Letter; https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110
- How to Maintain Healthy Tendons. (2020).Optimal Sports Physical Therapy. https://optimalsportspt.com/how-to-maintain-healthy-tendons/
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