4 Weight Training Tips Beginners
A strong body is a healthy body. Strength training has many benefits and is an incredible way to lose weight, build muscle, reduce the risk of injury, increase bone density and improve posture. If you're new to the scene, it can also be a daunting and intimidating project to begin, specifically knowing where and how to start.
I get it- I've been there too and I want to tell you that you’re not alone. I share my top four tips you should consider before jumping into strength training.
1. You can’t master weight until you master your body weight
Until you are comfortable doing exercises with just your body weight, you should hold off on adding weight to your movement patterns. Start with basic body weight squats, lunges, pushups, and planks before thinking about adding weight to the mix.
Form is the most important thing you need to master and making sure you develop a strong mind/body connection is vital. Synching your movement with your breathe is key. Making sure the exercise form is correct is imperative before holding any kind of weights.
Take your time during this process and do your research or consider hiring a coach. Adding dysfunction to function is a recipe for disaster and will cause injuries down the line.
Consider this body weight circuit to try HERE.
2. Be Consistent!
Consistency in your routine means scalability. Staying consistent is key in making improvements and to also measure progress. Being able to track your progress on a week to week basis will ensure that you are gaining momentum and making progressions in strength and form every week. Consistency is key especially when it comes to a weight loss or muscle gaining goal.
3. Stick to a progressive strength training program
Progressive overload is when you gradually increase your muscle mass through repetitions, weight, or frequency. The goal is to get stronger by increasing at least one of these variables week to week. Following a progressive strength training program is necessary if you’re looking to get stronger or lose body fat. The body adapts quickly and it is very good at adapting.
Making sure something is changing up in your program (whether that be weight, reps, rest time or pairings of exercise) is vital if you're looking to make long lasting changes and results.
If you need a progressive strength training program, check out my beginners SHRED program HERE.
4. Challenge yourself
If something is too easy, you should be willing to increase the difficulty level by doing one of the following:
Increase weight
Increase reps
Decrease rest time
Add an “active rest”
Change pairings of exercise
It will be difficult in the beginning, yes, sometimes very difficult, but I promise it does get easier. Start slow and pace yourself. Learn the mechanics right and tune into your body and breathe.
Mastering these basics in the beginning will go a very long way.