If you’re new to exercise, finding 'what you enjoy’ and ‘something you can stick to’ is a good recommendation... in the beginning
If you want to improve your health and functionality, strength training is a must.
Studies show long term health benefits and weight loss benefits of strength training.
Let’s dive into:
- What is Strength Training or Lifting Weights
- The Starting Seven categories for Strength Training
- Sample 1 Month Program for Strength Training or Lifting Weights
What is Strength Training or Lifting weights
Strength is technically described as the ‘ability to exert force’ or ‘ the ability to overcome resistance’.
Your nervous system and muscles lift, move or resist your body weight or external objects.
Most people imagine the world’s strongest man or olympians lifting a ton of weight above their heads.
Though you won’t need to lift that much weight, the types of exercises they do are useful for people of all ages.
“Can I do cardio or lift light weights and get the same benefit?”
In the beginning, to a degree.
For someone with a sedentary lifestyle, walking is enough resistance for your legs.
But as your body adapts to that resistance (your body weight), you need to introduce more resistance to become stronger.
Similarly, if you’re new to weight lifting...
Just 5 to 10 pounds is challenging for your muscles but your body will soon get used to that weight.
Strength training usually involves lifting a weight 1-30 times, that takes 5-60 seconds to complete. (i.e. 1-30 Repetitions ‘reps’)
You repeat the 1-30 reps after taking a break ranging from 1 to 5 minutes, 3-5 times that's 3-5 sets
Increasing resistance is one way to increase intensity to build strength
But we’ll keep it simple for today!
The Starting Seven categories for Strength Training
Most exercises break down into these basic movements/exercises categories
- Squat
- Hip hinge
- Single leg
- Upper body Push
- Upper body Pull
- Core
- Cardio
I coined these movement patterns, the Starting Seven
The hundreds of variations for each category use similar muscle groups..
Making them more than enough stimulus to build strength for a beginner!
Squat
The best place to start for a beginner is the Box Squat.
The difference from plopping down into a chair is your intention to:
- Keep your midsection/”core” tight to help your spine remain neutral
- Bent at your knees and hip to use the muscles surround both joints
- Keep balance on your feet so you don’t shift too much onto your toes or heels
Hip Hinge
It can be more simple for beginners to start with the Romanian Deadlift.
A fancy way of saying the lowering part of the exercise
The most important part of this exercise is learning how to:
- Keep your midsection/”core” tight to help your spine remain neutral
- Maintain a slight bend in your knees
- Bend at your hip and push your butt back to cause your torso to lean forward
Single Leg
Single leg exercises put more weight on one leg compared to squats and deadlifts.
So we use gymnastic rings or a stable post to help assist your body weight for the Split Squat
- Stand with one foot about 2-3 feet in front of the other
- Use one or both hands for assistance
- Keep your midsection/”core” tight to help your spine remain neutral
- Bend both knees and lower your back knee as close to the floor as possible while being able to stand back up
Upper body Push
Most common pushing exercise without equipment is the Push Up.
The easy version is doing the push up against a counter top or high box so you lift less of your body weight.
- Place hands a little wider than shoulder width with your arm straight
- Take one or two steps back so you’re leaning against the counter top
- Keep body straight and your midsection/”core” tight to help your spine remain neutral
- Slowly lower your chest to the edge of the counter while bending at your shoulder and elbow
Upper body Pull
This exercise is hard to replicate without a piece of equipment unless you can do a pull up.
A Band or Cable Row is a simple place to start.
Either standing or sitting:
- Keep your midsection/”core” tight to help your spine remain neutral
- Grip the bands or handles with both hands with arms straight in front of your shoulders
- Pull your hands towards your body at your ribcage level
- Think about pulling your elbows back as well as pulling with your hands
Core
Lying Single Leg Raise
- Lie on your back on the floor or a bench
- Knees bent and feet flat of the ground
- Lift one knee towards your chest and slowly lower back to starting position
- Repeat with the other leg
This is a simple version of the leg raise, which can cause lower back discomfort if you don’t yet have strong enough abs
Cardio
“I want to lift weights to avoid cardio…”
We get it, the breathlessness, burning lunges and feeling of panic when you can’t catch your breath sucks.
That is not the cardio we’re suggesting you start with
Just like you start with 5 rather than 100 pounds
Start cardio with what you can manage, then gradually build intensity.
Walking is perfect for most beginners. They're
- easily accessible
- don't require complex technique
- just enough intensity to get your heart rate up
This might blow your mind
But most cardio should come from lower intensity that you can sustain for 20-40 minutes
In the exercise science community, we call this Zone 2 Cardio
Start with 20-30 minutes, 3 times per week
You’ll realize you can do this daily without much soreness or need for recovery
This actually gives you more energy and helps recover from strength training sessions!
Sample 1 Month Program for Strength Training or Lifting Weights
Remembers, the number of times you perform an exercise is REPS..
The number of times your do these groups of reps are SETS
If you’re 40+ years old, start the program below one or two times per week.
If you’re 20-30 years old, you can do this program 2-4 times per week.
- Box squat
- Romanian deadlift 5-15 pounds
- Assisted Split squat
- Counter top push up
- Band Row
- Lying leg raise
Week 1
Week one is about introducing the movements/ reviewing the technique for each exercise
Program
- 2-3 sets of 5-15 reps of each exercise
- Rest 1-2 minutes between sets (go for a walk, breath, sip some water)
- Finish all 2-3 sets of one exercise before moving onto the next exercise
Cardio - Walk 20-40 minutes x 2-4 times per week
- If walking is difficult, find an alternative like a stationary bike.
Week 2
You’re now in the practice phase with the exercises
Program
- 2-4 sets of 10-25 reps of each exercise
- Rest 1-2 minutes between sets
- Finish all 2-3 sets of one exercise before moving onto the next exercise
Cardio - Walk 20-40 minutes x 2-4 times per week
- Either increase time from week one or cover more distance in the same time
Week 3
You’re still practicing the movements but also building muscular endurance
Program
- 3-4 sets of 15-30 reps of each exercise
- Rest 1-2 minutes between sets
- Finish all 2-3 sets of one exercise before moving onto the next exercise
Cardio - Walk 20-40 minutes x 2-4 times per week
- Either increase time from week one or cover more distance in the same time
Week 4
This is where the program can stay the same as week 3 or you can progress to the Muscle Building phase
Time for Action
The purpose for this post is for you to take action.
Week 1 Day 1 can start as soon as you finish reading this post.
If you feel hesitant to start on your own, you can benefit from the guidance of a coach.
And that’s exactly what we do at Dare Strength, check out our programs and contact us while your motivation is high.
If you’re not local to Dare Strength, I can help you remotely with online coaching.
