When you first start strength training, it can be a little bit intimidating. With the right mindset and habits, however, it’s easier than you might expect. There are six basic rules to get you off to a safe start and consistent progress.
1. Learn Proper Form Before Adding Weight
Instead of worrying about how much you can lift, focus on perfecting your form. Performing them with good form is also less likely to lead to injury and will allow your body to move better in daily life, according to the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
The number one rule is you have to establish those leg movements and pressable movements right off the bat, since it’s with those that most workouts begin.
Start by using your body weight to become familiar with each motion. Once you have that down, slowly work in light weights. Don’t go as fast as you can—as you go slower, you’ll challenge the muscles more and take stress off your joints.
2. Warm Up and Cool Down Every Session
In addition, a good warm-up can also go a long way to improving performance. It triggers a surge of blood in your veins, urging your muscles to contract. The Cleveland Clinic recommends a few minutes, five to 10 if possible, of dynamic movement before you begin lifting.
Cool down after your workout with some light stretching or easy movement. This discourages stiffness and assists in recovery.
3. Keep a Balanced Training Plan
Great strength-training routines hit all of your major muscles and muscle groups—legs, back, chest, core, shoulders, and arms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests targeting each muscle group twice a week for best results. This balance maintains the body in a condition of strength, which helps prevent overuse injuries.
You can chop it up by muscle groups. Work the upper body one day and the lower body another. Then the next day, you’re working your strength out evenly over all sectors and also recovering without getting worn down.
4. Make Rest and Recovery Part of the Plan
Recommendations vary, but the American College of Sports Medicine generally advises allowing a single muscle group approximately 48 hours to recover before training it again. Overtraining can lead to fatigue and hinder your progress.
Allow yourself rest days or, failing that, easy activities such as yoga or swimming on the lifting off-days. Sleep is also crucial. Shoot for seven to nine hours a night so your body can recover and recharge. Staying hydrated supports recovery too.
5. Eat to Support Your Strength
The National Institutes of Health recommends obtaining some sense of how much protein is right for you—several experts invoke about 0.8 to 1 gram per pound of body weight if you’re active. After you work out, your muscles need protein to recover and grow.
Incorporate into your meals things like chicken, eggs, fish, and beans. You may wish to add some complex carbs for energy and healthy fats for balance. You eat well before and after workouts so that your body has what it needs to perform and recover.
6. Track Your Progress and Stay Consistent
Recording your workouts can also help keep you motivated and on track, Harvard Health Publishing reports. Track the sets, reps, and weights with pen and paper or a simple app so you can monitor progress.
Go for small lifts though, and just get consistent increases. You could move a little more weight, complete one more rep, or just perform the movement with slightly better form. Every step forward counts.
Building Strength the Smart Way
The idea of strength training isn’t to destroy yourself every day. It’s about building yourself a stable, reliable routine that suits you and makes you stronger. Just stay true to these six rules, and wait and see the magical results. And the more reps you get, the healthier, more energetic, and more self-assured you become.
