Strength training has many benefits that will help you age gracefully, get stronger and even help with weight loss if that's your goal. But what if you're new to it and don’t know what to do at the gym?
Depending on your goals, there are various ways to approach strength training, but before tackling any of that, it's important to understand the basics first. Using my experience from my days as a personal trainer and connecting with additional experts, we've come up with an easy-to-follow guide if you are new to strength training. Let's make this your strongest year yet.
The basics of strength training
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If you’re unfamiliar with strength training, this form of exercise -- also known as resistance training -- involves using free weights (also known as dumbbells), resistance bands or your own body weight to create muscular contractions in order to help you build stronger muscles. Before you get caught up in the nuances of strength training, it’s important to understand the basics of how to start and what you should be doing.
“If you are new to strength training, the first objective would be to create a plan around your specific goals,” says Jahkeen Washington, a certified personal trainer and owner of Harlem Kettlebell Club. He says this includes how often you plan to work out and what you can physically tolerate. This approach will keep you from overtraining, help set realistic objectives toward your goal and reduce the risk of injury.
Thomas Summers, founder of Summers Method Performance and a professional strength and conditioning coach, agrees with Washington’s approach and adds, “Understanding the basics of form and technique is crucial to prevent injuries and build a strong foundation.”
As far as how often you should strength train, ideally, you want to start with two days a week or however many days you find allows you to be consistent. “The goal would be to ultimately get at least three days of strength training into your routine, accumulating 150 minutes,” explains Sean Pastuch, a certified personal trainer and CEO of Active Life. At least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity is also what the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends. However, Pastuch advises taking your time to get to that point and instead focusing on stack wins along the way. And you can’t forget the importance of rest days because that’s the period when your body is recovering.
“Someone starting out may experience more soreness and fatigue after sessions, and that may result in needing more recovery time built in before training again,” says Washington, adding, “It is much safer to start with less days and safely progress once training tolerance has increased.” Remember, soreness isn’t indicative of a “good” workout. Instead, it’s the effects of delayed onset muscle soreness that occurs 24 to 48 hours after doing a workout your body isn’t accustomed to.
For a program to be most effective, Washington recommends sticking to it for at least four to five weeks before changing it up. This way, you can practice the movements through consistent habits, improve your technique and form and increase your strength and confidence.
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