Strength Training for Beginners: Your First Workout Plan
1. Introduction to Strength Training
Strength training is important even for beginners.
When we think of strength training, many of us may conjure a mental image of a
gym filled with heavily muscled bodies, complicated-looking contraptions, and
intimidating weights. With these things in mind, you may even consider strength
training more difficult than it actually is and are too scared of doing
something wrong, ineffective, or dangerous. However, strength training can be a
workout for everyone of all ages, backgrounds, and fitness experiences.
Beginners with little or no experience now form a large portion of fitness
enthusiasts and even casual gym-goers, and it is always good to start with lifting
the right way. Most women would kill for a little more muscle tone, and men are
naturally drawn to programs that will make them stronger.
So even though your immediate goal may have nothing to
do with weightlifting, you shouldn’t overlook strength training. Chances are,
as you increase your strength and improve, you will find that work in the gym
carries over to make everything else you do in life easier. Good strength
training can help you shape your body, build muscle, and lose weight. Just
remember: strength training isn’t only for those lifting competitions; it’s for
anybody who wants to feel better, look better, and live better. And finally,
stay motivated! Any beginning strength training tips will tell you that it can
be mentally difficult to start a workout regimen, especially if this is your
first time in the gym in a long while. Set goals, stay positive, and the more
you do it, the easier it will become.
2. Understanding the Basics of Strength Training
One aspect of strength training to consider revolves
around muscle anatomy and physiology. Understanding these principles can help
facilitate more effective strength training workouts. Muscles consist of groups
of muscle cells or muscle fibers. There are two main types of muscle fibers.
Fast-twitch muscle fibers generate greater force than slow-twitch muscle
fibers. However, fast-twitch fibers play a primary role when performing
repetitive power motions. When greater force levels are required, fast-twitch fibers
are recruited to assist slow-twitch fibers. Additionally, when a muscle’s
fibers increase, its size (cross-sectional area) increases. Thus, strength
training results in greater strength through hypertrophy of individual muscle
fibers and possibly the number of fibers themselves.
Muscles do not grow in direct proportion to weight
loads during strength training. An untrained individual can expect strength
gains of 40-80%, with males generally gaining more than females. Continued
gains are possible but at a smaller percentage above this level. Progressive
resistance is vital for muscle adaptation and growth. Proper technique is
crucial to maximize muscle recruitment and minimize force on joints and
connective tissues. Full range of motion and proper form reduce the risk of
injury. Knowledge of different training modalities is helpful in planning a
program. Popular strength training modes include bodyweight, dumbbells, cable
training, resistance machines, kettlebells, and medicine balls.
3. Designing Your First Workout Plan
The fundamentals of designing an effective training
program are the same, whether you are a seasoned strength athlete or just
getting started on your journey. The first step in your new training journey is
to figure out and set some goals. You want them to be specific, measurable, and
preferably something that you can achieve in six weeks or so. This can be
something related to an exercise, like a new personal record in the deadlift,
or it can be performance-based, like managing to lift weights three times a
week for four weeks without missing any workouts. Your priorities are important
when selecting exercises. Learning to use machines or even your own body as
resistance is great when getting started, but free weights offer the most
return when it comes to strength gains. Here are the exercise types to choose
from: weight machines, resistance bands, body-weight exercises, or free
weights. Find activities that fit your available time and lifestyle, and are
fun or interesting for you. Everyone will benefit from a combination of
strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular activities. But how often you do each
type depends on your goals.
Strength: Beginners should focus on strength training
two to three times per week, with at least one rest day between workouts.
Flexibility: Make sure to include stretching in your workout plan for a minimum
of 5 to 10 minutes. Yoga, Pilates, and other flexibility activities can count
toward your hour of exercise as long as they’re done at moderate or vigorous
intensity. Cardiovascular: The guidelines advise that you spread this exercise
throughout the week, doing it at least three days a week in sessions of at
least 10 minutes. Plan gradual increases in your workout intensity, include
rest days and ways to recover between workouts, such as getting enough sleep
and eating post-workout. Even experienced athletes should see an increase in
workout intensity gradually added to their routine. Rest days should include as
little sitting time as possible.
4. Key Exercises and Techniques for Beginners
There are some fundamental exercises that anyone can
incorporate into their workout plan, regardless of their level of experience or
the equipment at their disposal. These movements act as a litmus test for core
strength and stability, as well as the willingness to move through a full range
of motion - qualities that can help you get the most out of a resistance
exercise workout.
- Squat: Most beginners squat with the bodyweight
squat, making sure to place their weight in their heels and lead with their
hips as they perform the movement. Squats can vary in depth, whether you're
shooting for a "quarter" or a "below parallel" squat.
- Deadlift: The standard deadlift begins with the
athlete standing in an "athletic position" where the feet are
hip-width apart and the shins are approximately two inches from the bar.
Various movements can be performed while deadlifting, including the Romanian
deadlift, the suitcase carry, and weighted lunges.
- Pushup: Like the squat, lifters can make pushups
more difficult by performing them at inclines or declines. Tricep pushups can
also be completed by narrowing the distance between your arms.
- Bench press: Your lower back should remain arched
throughout the movement to help you maintain proper form and elbow position if
you're lifting weights. Once the bar is as close to your chest as it can get,
drive the bar back up to the starting position. When lifting, maintaining a
neutral wrist is crucial, as a "floppy" wrist can lead to a host of
injuries.
In addition to the best exercises to incorporate into
your strength training workout, there are also several techniques that can help
you make the most out of them.
- Warm up with a light cardio session.
- Follow up with a series of dynamic stretches aimed
at the muscle groups you hope to engage in during your workout.
- A more comprehensive cool down should begin with a
short walk, jog, or light cycling session as well as some static stretches.
- For a greater challenge, add them in between or
after exercises, complete as many or as few reps as necessary, and alternate
between exercises to keep your body guessing. Different exercises can be more
difficult to complete based on the equipment available to you and any physical
limitations you may have.
- To make things more or less difficult, use an
incline on durable equipment or a bench. You can also take a full or half
breath depending on the repetition, which is a good habit to develop. Here you
have a 4-2-4 tempo - you spend 4 seconds moving the weight, pause for 2
seconds, and then you spend 4 seconds lowering the weight back to its starting
position. Your tempo can vary depending on your body's adaptation period, with
"negative" positions increasing in order to see more growth and improvement
in performance.
Finally, you'll be able to use muscle failure
techniques, like gathering amplitudes until you reach failure. Selecting the
movements that will help bring your body to the optimal position in the space
and support the mobility needed for more aggressive strength and conditioning
training can be a confusing process. By incorporating each of these exercises
into our regularly updated programming, there is a lot of variation and
progressions and ideas for how it can be beneficial for athletes.
5. Tips for Progression and Injury Prevention
a- Increasing Intensity and Managing Weight Lifting Progression
Gradually increasing the intensity of your strength workouts is also known as overloading the muscle, and it is what leads to strength gains and muscle increases. This can be done by progressively increasing the weight lifted and/or by increasing the number of repetitions or total volume. Typically, adjustments are made once an individual can perform the exercise with good form for the current prescribed number of sets and reps. An initial loading or transitory phase of exercising for about 10-12 repetitions will help the beginner establish proper form and develop exercise proficiency. Once a movement is learned, a technique is consistent and no longer challenging, the repetition range may be reduced for continued progress. Alteration of exercises, performing exercises in different orders, lifting at different speeds, or adjusting the rest period between sets are other methods of modifying a strength program to avoid plateaus and ensure continued improvement.
b- Listen to Your Body: Injury Prevention and Prehabilitation
The key to any new activity is to get involved in a
way that is safe and enjoyable, allowing you to gradually increase your
activities and spend more time doing them. An excellent method of minimizing
injury risk when participating in resistance training is to increase awareness
of the stress and loads placed upon the body, and be mindful of the warning
signs of overtraining. The body can experience symptoms of overtraining when it
is not afforded enough time to repair and recuperate following workouts. Training
should be adjusted if a person is sore or tired, since working the body too
hard for too long can quickly lead to burnout or reduce the body's function in
sports, work, or activities of daily living.