How to Start Weight Training
If you’ve never trained with weights before, it can be intimidating! The machines at the gym look like torture devices for heaven’s sake.
Alas, we need weight (also known as resistance or strength) training! The reason why? The obvious answer is increased muscle tone & strength, but also…
Weight loss & maintenance
Improved cardiovascular system & coordination
Bone density (literally your bones get stronger by bearing weight which is a major long term investment - makes you much more likely to age well).
Decreased bad cholesterol & blood pressure
COOLEST THING EVER - weight training increases insulin sensitivity even for those who are diabetic! “A single bout of exercise can increase insulin sensitivity for at least 16 hours post exercise.”*
So here’s the skinny. Or the bulky? The general guidelines for adults are to strength train all major muscle groups at least twice a week. So basically that looks like a full body workout twice a week, or you could break it up (i.e. upper body one day, lower body another day) and strength train on 4 days instead (M & W upper body, T & TH lower body).
You will want to start your workout with a warm-up of about 5-10 minutes of cardio and 2-3 stretches, and end with a cool down again 5-10 minutes of light cardio and 2-3 stretches. This will reduce your chance of injury.
There is so much variety and flexibility around the exercises you can choose. Orient them around your goals for most effective results, but if you don't know what your goals are and are feeling overwhelmed, keep it simple and just start making a habit of it. Choose about 1 exercise per major muscle group (core, chest, back, arms, legs/glutes, shoulders) and I would recommend completing the entire routine twice (2 sets). A fantastic resource for exercise selection is The Women/ Men's Health Big Book of Exercises, as well as Precision Nutrition’s FREE exercise library. Or there's always Google. Always pay attention to form to avoid injury and ensure the exercise is actually doing what it is intended to do. If you aren't sure if you're doing an exercise correctly, ask someone to watch you, video yourself, or workout in front of a mirror. Practice the movement slowly and unloaded (meaning without any weight) until you have it down. Don’t be surprised if it takes a while to get it right and you look awkward at first. That’s totally normal.
Once you have chosen your exercises, you will want to determine how many times you will repeat each exercise (reps) and how heavy the weight will be. For endurance training (and when first starting) typically choose lower weights with higher reps (like 10-15 repetitions). If your goal is bigger muscles, you will want to use higher weight for lower reps (around 6-12 repetitions). For more detailed information on creating an exercise program, checkout this free resource.😀
Finally, decide where you want to exercise. I exercise at home because getting my littles into the car every day and driving them to and from the gym is just not realistic for me. For that reason, I have exercise equipment at home (mainly a mirror and dumbbells). I won’t deny it though, the community feel of a gym is fabulous! Choose whatever is going to fit most naturally in your life. Happy lifting!