How To Get Started With Strength Training: 6 Beginner-Friendly Tips

If you’re new to strength training, then you’re making a great decision for your health! Strength training is one of the best things you can do for your body, and it’s easy to get started. Here are six tips to keep in mind:

1. Start small and progress slowly.

When you’re starting out, it’s important to start with a weight or resistance that’s light enough for you to complete all of the desired repetitions. As you get stronger, you can gradually increase the weight. Progression is key when it comes to strength training – you don’t want to overload your muscles and risk injury, but you also want to challenge yourself so that you continue making progress.

2. Use proper form.

It’s important to use proper form when strength training, so you’re working for the target muscle group effectively. If you’re unsure about the correct form for a given exercise, you can search online to find video demonstrations or ask a personal trainer.

Proper form will:

– Involve using the target muscle group and not other muscles (e.g., doing biceps curls with your arms bent so that you’re curling your wrists in addition to lifting the weight)

– Involve moving through the entire range of motion

– Be smooth, without any jerky movements

3. Always warm up first.

Warming up before you strength train is important to help reduce the risk of injury. A simple warm-up could involve marching in place or doing jumping jacks for a few minutes.

4. Drink plenty of water.

Water is essential for good health, and it’s especially important when you’re strength training. You’ll need to drink plenty of water to help replace the fluids that you lose as you sweat, so be sure to drink plenty before, during, and after your workouts.

5. Take a break.

It’s important to give your muscles time to recover between strength training sessions. Depending on your goals, you may want to strength train 2-3 times per week. However, you don’t want to strength train every day, so be sure to give your muscles at least one day of rest in between workouts. Ultimately, you should listen to your body and take breaks when you need them.

6. Be patient – you won’t see results overnight!

If you’ve been strength training for a while, then you probably know that it takes a long time to see results. Make sure that you’re keeping your expectations realistic – again, be patient and enjoy the process of getting stronger. Often, the best reward is knowing that you’re doing something good for your body, and the results will come in time.

These are just a few tips to help you get started with strength training. Be sure to consult a personal trainer if you have any questions or need help designing a program that’s right for you. You can also drop in to the Health and Fitness Denver center for a variety of strength training classes and programs for all fitness levels.