Kickstart Your Fitness Journey: A Beginner's Guide to Strength Training
Have you ever thought about getting into strength training, but feel overwhelmed because you don’t know where to start? Or you don’t have a lot of time or know how it could possibly fit into your current training program? This program is designed to help you get started in a way that feels manageable, allowing you to start incorporating it into your routine with ease.
Strength training will allow you to improve the capacity of your muscles, making sure you’re not just sitting below your threshold. As a result, the reactivity of your muscles will greatly improve allowing them to handle more pressure without risk of injury.
Something to keep in mind is the importance of proper form, you don’t want to risk injury during strength training. Be sure to consult the photo and video guides of each exercise to ensure you are doing each exercise correctly. You don’t want to push yourself too hard either, the key is to go until you feel volitional fatigue. You want the last few reps to feel challenging but attainable. If you injure yourself, adjust the intensity accordingly and make sure to see a physical therapist or other medical professional to see if there are any underlying problems that need to be addressed first.
Full Body Beginner Strength Training Workout
This is a push-pull training program that targets the upper and lower body all at once, along with the core. 3-4 days/week, 5-6 exercises, 3-4 sets of 8-16 reps
Upper Extremity push(ex: Chest press, Shoulder press, Chest Flies)
Upper Extremity pull (ex: Standing row, Bent over Row)
Lower Extremity push (ex: Leg press, Squat, Lunges, Romanian Deadlift)
Lower Extremity pull (ex: Deadlift, Hamstring Curl, Hamstring rollouts, Goblet Squat)
Core Front/Back (Plank variations, Standing march with weight overhead, Bicycle Crunches)
Bonus Exercise: Add one that you get excited about or that may help you progress towards your goals!
If you need some additional guidance on how to do this routine, I will have one outlined here step by step. We included instructions on how to do Shoulder Presses, Bent Over Row, Romanian Deadlifts, a Goblet Squat, and a Plank.
How to do: Shoulder Presses
Pro tip: Grab a weight that is challenging. We want it to be something that by that last rep, you feel like you're running out of steam and you need to take a break.
So for a shoulder press, you bring those weights up to your shoulder. You start in this front rack position, all the weights in your arms. Hold the elbows out at about 45 degrees away from midline.
And then from here, keep your core nice and tight while pushing straight up and then back down.
What you don't want to see is a lot of arching or leaning back to try to get the weight up.
Pro tip: You can do what people call a superset, where you go from a pull to a push, then you alternate back and forth. That saves you even more time, gets your heart rate up a little bit faster for a longer period of time.
How to do: Bent Over Row
I'm going to use a weight bench when demonstrating this exercise. You can use a table or a counter, whatever you have at home. You want to rest your knee and palm on that surface. Keeping your other leg straight and one of your arms should hang down to the floor.
Then go into a rowing motion using our lats and the back of our shoulders. You want to make sure your waist is bent over while doing this. My goal is to maintain a strong core and a neutral back position while switching sides.
How to do: Romanian Deadlift
Pro tip: You want the weight again to be challenging. Don't go really light on this weight here. You end up kind of spinning your wheels with that. We need it to be pretty heavy, to target those muscles.
To start, you should hold your kettlebell, barbell, or weights in front of you.
Next, tip forward and send your butt back behind you. You want to make sure that you are hinging at the hips. This means having a slight bend at the knees, keeping the back straight, all while leaning forward and pushing the hips back. Imagine that you are trying to shut the car door with your butt.
How to do: Goblet Squat
To start, you can hold the dumbbells in a front rack position or hold it right on the chest.
Let your trunk stay up nice and tall, while engaging your core. You want to make sure your hips and knees are moving together while sitting down into a squat.
When coming back up, you should tip forward a tiny bit at the bottom to get the hips back into position.
How to do: a Plank
To perform a front plank, start in a hands-and-knees position, then lower down onto your elbows and plant your toes on the ground. Lift your hips up.
You're gonna pull your core in, tuck your butt a little bit and hold. Try not to sag or arch, but stay right here in the middle.
You can start holding it for about 20 seconds. Try to work up to a minute, and then you can go from there.
Final exercise: whatever your heart desires!
This one can be a fun exercise or a glamor exercise. If you want big biceps, you can do bicep curls. If you want big calves, you do calf raises. If there's something that's kind of been nagging you, then you work on those areas. It’s all up to you and your personal needs.
Get ready to feel the burn and lift those weights!
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This August, we’re focusing on the transformative power of weightlifting and strength training!
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We’re thrilled to offer a Free Strength Training Assessment this month, which includes a movement assessment and review of your lifting mechanics, an opportunity to get answers to any questions that you might have, and an exploration of the options available to you
It's the perfect opportunity to ensure your technique is on point and discover new ways to incorporate strength training into your routine.
Don’t miss this chance to enhance your fitness journey with expert guidance. Book your free assessment today, and let’s start building a stronger, more resilient you!
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