Strength training tips for you!

You may be focusing on cardio and nutrition as a way to maintain body weight and lead a healthier lifestyle. However, do you fully understand the importance of maintaining a regimen that will also help build strength?

It doesn’t take long to start seeing the benefits of strength training, so if you haven’t already added this to your regular workout schedule, now’s the time. Since strength training for beginners is so important, we’ve put together some quick tips to get you started:

Begin with a Simple Regimen

If you’ve never tried a strength training workout before, or it’s been a while, it’s always best you begin with a simple regimen for at least a few weeks. This will help your body get into the groove and avoid potential injuries they can come with pushing yourself too hard, too quickly.

Start with these simple exercises:

• Bench press
• Squats
• Push-ups
• Planking
• Deadlifts
• Rows

Choose the Right Weights

While it’s true increasing the weight you use while exercising will help you build strength more quickly as you add on muscle, it’s easy to overdo it when you’re just starting out. If you’re especially new at strength training, you may want to opt for resistance training instead of lifting weights either with workout equipment or free weights. Rather than a sprint, think of strength training as a marathon.

Be Sure to Warm Up First

Strength training for beginners and experts alike can lead to injuries if you neglect to warm up first. Even if the injury isn’t severe enough to warrant a doctor’s visit, you could find yourself sidelined for several days or weeks while your body heals. Start off by doing some simple stretches to help prepare your muscles and joints, and then be sure to do a warm-up rep for each exercise.

Maintain a Proper Form

If you neglect to maintain the proper form for each exercise, the workout won’t be as beneficial and you could end up injuring yourself. You need to rely on posture, slow movements, and breathing. This can be a little tricky at first, but once you’re accustomed to it, proper form will happen without thinking. If you’re unsure of exactly what proper form looks like, ask a staff member at your local fitness center to show you.

Be Mindful of Muscle Groups

Muscular endurance is a big part of strength training, but overworking your muscles can be a detriment to building lean muscle tissue and may cause injuries. The basic rule is that you never want to work out the same muscle groups two days in a row. When you’re developing your strength training regimen, be sure to schedule rest days for each group.

Challenge Yourself Gradually

With any type of workout, challenging yourself is how you improve. However, it’s important that you don’t set unrealistic goals. Strength training for beginners should always include a few weeks of learning how to do each exercise instead of focusing on the amount of weight you’re lifting or how many exercises you’re able to accomplish. Then, as you push forward, you can give yourself more intense challenges.

Change the Routine’s Intensity

It typically takes approximately six weeks for you to see real improvement after you begin your strength training regimen. At that point, your body has grown accustomed to your current routine, so now it’s time to change it up. Some of the things you may want to do is increase the weight, replace or add in exercises, increase the number of reps, or change the order in which you do the exercises for each workout.

Contact Fitness 360 for Strength Training for Beginners

Strength training for beginners will be a lot easier if you follow these helpful tips, but the workout staff and personal trainers at Fitness 360 can make your regimen even better. If you’d like to learn more about the workout community at our popular Palm Harbor fitness center or have any questions, contact our team at (727) 797-5100 today.