How to train your muscles to support your body during strenuous physical activity.
Before you hit the gym for your first big workout, you might want to do strength-training exercises to condition your body. In addition to making you stronger and better capable of doing different types of physical activities, it also increases the chances of you keeping weight off for good. If that wasn’t reason enough to start training, lowering the risk for and alleviating the symptoms attributed to chronic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes and Arthritis is!
What Does Strength Training Entail?
Strength training is also known as weight training or resistance training. It’s advisable for people who have never lifted weights or engaged in strenuous exercise to strengthen their muscles before hitting the gym to rigorously workout. Strength training is also something that the elderly is advised to do by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) because it improves balance and coordination as well as helps them better manage their weight.
The process entails overloading muscles so that they respond accordingly by getting stronger. That way, when you go to do harder exercises, you’re able to do them without the risk of pulling or tearing the muscles. A bad injury is all it takes to keep you from exercising long-term.
Want to find out more about workouts foe beginners? Then consider checking: HIIT Elliptical Workout for Beginners.
Benefits of Strength Training
As Healthline points out, there are numerous reasons to engage in strength training. Among the most obvious is that it makes you stronger and better able to handle heavier loads while lifting at the gym. Other benefits include an improvement in bone density and muscle mass as you age, better body mechanics, easier weight management, more calories burned, increased energy levels, and better stress management.
Having a personal trainer assist you with strength training isn’t necessary. You can easily train yourself by emphasizing safety. That way, you don’t overdo it, have an accident, and injure yourself. In fact, many training videos show you the proper way to do resistance training so that you’re stronger and better able to work out over longer periods of time.
Some of the best exercises for newbies are highlighted below. That way, you don’t need to wait to start training. In fact, you’ll be able to pick up resistance bands, kettlebells, or a set of hand weights and start conditioning your muscles right away.
Best Strength Training Exercises to Start With
Strength training is all about building up muscle strength. That’s why it’s something that you’ll do overtime. Don’t expect resistance training to improve your condition overnight.
It takes time. The more you exercise, the stronger you’ll become. Then, you’ll be able to bench press greater amounts of weight or run for even longer on the treadmill without getting winded or feeling fatigued.
Pushups
Pushing movements using your own bodyweight help build muscle strength quickly. Best of all, this type of exercise can be done anywhere, even in the comfort of your own home. Make sure that you use proper form when doing pushups, however, so that you do them correctly and benefit from the repetition of your workout.
Once you’ve mastered doing the perfect pushup, you’ll be able to move on to more strenuous forms of pushing movements.
Pull-ups
A pull-up is classified as a pulling movement and one that increases your upper body strength quickly. You can invest in a pull-up bar and install it in your home if you want to work out the moment you get out of bed. You can also go to the gym or an area park and use the bars there to complete repetitions of pull-ups.
If you’re serious about weightlifting in the future, you’ll want to make this form of resistance training something you do regularly.
Want to learn more about pull-up bar workout? Then consider checking: Pull-Ups.
Walking or Running
Among the easiest way to strengthen your muscles is through gait training. Walking and running fall into that category. If you have no idea where to start with strength training, make it a point to walk or run daily.
Invest in a pedometer or map your runs using your smartphone so you’re able to see your progress on a daily basis and up your regimen once you start to feel capable of walking or running longer.
Squats
Working your knees helps strengthen the muscles in your legs and condition your upper body. They make you be able to stand or move longer. Squats take determination to complete because you aren’t necessarily used to moving your body from a standing to a seated position quickly.
Aim for 15 to 20 repetitions per workout session for best results. Experts call this form of strength training “the banger” because you get a lot of conditioning for very little time commitment.
Deadlifting
This hip-dominant exercise is one you can work up to. It requires you to lift from a single-leg or standing position. It helps strengthen your muscles and provide support to your lower back.
Benefit your ankles, knees, and hips with each lift you complete. Work with lighter weights to start until you feel capable of lifting heavier weights.
Make Strength Training a Priority in Your Schedule
Now that you know how to start with strength training, you’ll accelerate your progress in the gym physically. You’ll be able to work your way up to more strenuous forms of exercise and improve your stamina and endurance in the process. Part of the transformation you make when improving your physique is learning how to exercise safely and effectively. Let your brain do some heavy lifting by exploring different strength training exercises to find the ones that work best for you and your lifestyle.
The above suggestions serve as a starting point for you as you learn more about strength training or resistance training. You’ll then be better able to complete harder workouts with greater ease. If getting into shape was one of your resolutions this year, stay on track to meeting your goals by starting out slowly and building up resistance until your muscles are strong and better able to handle the strain you put on them exercising.