TThe gym weight room can be an intimidating place. It seems like the equipment could crush you if you use it incorrectly. People grunt as they carry heavy things up and down. And why don’t these machines come with instruction manuals?
Figuring out how to start strength training as a beginner can be difficult, but it’s worth the effort. Modern exercise science shows that strength training offers a number of benefits, such as stronger bones, decreased inflammation, lower risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseasebesides better to sleepmental health and cognitive function. And, of course, stronger muscles. “We start to lose muscle tissue as early as the age of 30 if we don’t [work to] keep it up,” says exercise physiologist Alyssa Olenick. That’s why current federal guidelines I recommend that adults work all of their major muscle groups with strengthening activities two days a week, in addition to doing aerobic exercise.
Fortunately, getting started is simpler than you might think. “You definitely don’t need a personal trainer to start strength training,” says Kristie Larson, a New York-based personal trainer who specializes in working with beginners. Many of the basic moves you probably learned in elementary school gym class can be the foundation of an effective routine.
The best exercises to start
So what exactly counts as strength training? “Any type of exercise modality that puts your tissues under load with the intention of increasing strength or muscle tissue over time,” says Olenick. This may include bodyweight-only exercises like planks, or work with resistance bands, dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, or resistance machines.
A good place to start is with exercises that simulate the activities you do on a daily basis. “Things like squatting on a bench, which mimics sitting in a chair, or a lunge where we lift ourselves off the floor using one leg,” says Larson. “It’s easy to feel how this will benefit your life.”
To target all the major muscle groups, you’ll want to check out each of the four basic movement patterns: pushing (like pushups or bench presses), pulling (like rows or biceps curls), squatting (like lunges). , leg press or squat) and articulation (as in the deadlift, where you lift a weight from the floor to hip height). “[Make] make sure you have one of these every day so you have a little bit of everything,” says Olenick.
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Also add some targeted core work. Larson likes to give beginners moves like planks, bear holds (planks with bent knees hovering just above the floor), heavy marches (marching in place while holding weights), and heavy carries (where you just pick up a heavy weight and walk with him). ).
Feel free to skip the bars if they seem too intimidating. Instead, you can start with dumbbells, resistance bands, or just your body weight. “Just get comfortable in the gym doing these new movement patterns,” says Olenick.
If you’re not sure how to put together a complete program, you can find structured exercise plans for beginners online. (Larson, for example, offers free simple guides for starters.) Just avoid any plans that offer unrealistic promises. “It should be scalable and modifiable – something where you can customize it,” says Larson. Each exercise should come with a suggested rep range (the number of reps to do before taking a break), sets (how many rounds of those reps), and information about how long to rest between sets.
Don’t be surprised if you start to feel stronger quickly. “In the first six to eight weeks of resistance training, you get a lot of neuromuscular adaptations,” says Olenick. “Your nervous system is getting better at recruiting and contracting muscle fibers. They call them rookie swag.”
How to choose the right weight
Newcomers are sometimes perplexed by which weights to choose from the rack. “For a beginner, you want to feel like you can do 10 to 15 reps without pausing,” says Larson. “If you get to the end of 10 reps and feel like you could do 10 more, the weight is too light. If you’re struggling to get the last one or two reps in and you’re a true beginner, this weight is a little too heavy. (While you may see videos about “training to failure” on social media — that is, lifting weights until you reach your absolute limit — Larson says this is an advanced method that beginners shouldn’t worry about.)
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Olenick likes to choose weights based on their rate of perceived exertion: On a scale of one to 10, where one feels super easy and 10 feels like the heaviest you can lift, she suggests aiming for around six or seven. Over time, as you get stronger and more comfortable with the movements, you can start picking up heavier weights.
How much strength training to do
While the federal two-days-per-week guidelines don’t specify how much time you should spend on strength training, Larson recommends dedicating 30 to 60 minutes per session. For each move, she says a good range to shoot for is two to three sets of 10 to 20 reps. “I would say 10 to 15 for exercises with weights and external load, and 15 to 20 if we are talking about body weight [exercises],” she says. Then, between each set, rest enough to allow your muscles to recover so you can put in another quality effort.
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No matter how excited you are to get started, remember to keep your workouts doable. “Start with less than you think and then build from there,” says Olenick. “Make it sustainable for life.”
How to start strength training without hurting yourself
In almost every strength training exercise you do, you’ll want to focus on maintaining a neutral spine—a tall, open-chested posture with your ribcage stacked over your pelvis. But Olenick stresses that form exists on a spectrum, rather than simply being good or bad. “Most things you do in the beginning won’t be perfect,” she says, adding that that’s okay. “You’re not going to automatically hurt yourself just because you’re doing it imperfectly.”
The truth is that most beginners are not really the beginners they think they are. “Many people are afraid of strength training. But we lift heavy things in our everyday lives all the time: we carry heavy grocery bags. We’re bringing the dog food. We’re opening heavy doors into the wind,” Larson says. “Most people underestimate what they can lift.”
No matter how you start or what your technique is, you will still be building muscle. As long as you keep things manageable, “you can’t screw it up in the beginning,” says Olenick. “Everything you do is beneficial.”
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
