I haven’t always been a weight lifter, I fell into the hype that if I ran and did more cardio I would tone up and be super skinny without changing my diet or doing any other form of exercise. I never gave lifting weights a chance because it seemed boring and pointless to me. I had no clue where to start, what exercises to do or even how much weight to use. Instead of researching strength training I just stuck to the usual treadmill or elliptical because I knew how to do that.
I ran the Houston Chevron marathon for the first time in January 2016 and burned out from training leading to my runners strike! Thankfully, my best friend was a runner and a weight lifter and convinced me to start strength training with her at the gym. She told me about the Bodyspace app through Bodybuilding.com and we both chose to challenge ourselves with the Jamie Eason Livefit fitness program.
The program had everything spelled out for us from the exercises to do, what day to do them, rep count and nutrition. I LOVED it! After we completed the plan, it was a no brainer to continue with strength training because my body had such a positive response not only physically but mentally. In the past I struggled a lot with balancing exercise and nutrition. I focused on eating very little and was forced to see the errors of my ways when my fitness performance and daily energy suffered. I always felt tired and I thought that was normal!
Strength training has been proven to increase bone and joint health, naturally boost your energy, improve your mood, burn more calories, cardiovascular benefits and shaping and toning your physical appearance. All these benefits add up to maintaining a healthy lifestyle so you can have a long and good quality of life because in the end isn’t that what we all really want?
Without further ado here are my 5 tips for beginner strength training!
1. Don’t be intimidated! I get it, this is much easier said than done BUT honestly, you really shouldn’t feel intimidated by the number on your dumbbell or how much you can squat. Walk into your gym knowing you are there to work and whatever people think of you or your workout has nothing to do with your ability or right to workout. Yes, there are some serious bodybuilders at the gym but I will say majority of people there are rooting for you and you don’t even know it. There is an unspoken camaraderie amongst gym junkies, why do you think there are so many IG pages with a ton of positive comments? We all start from somewhere and if that means you walk in doing bodyweight only exercises then so be it, you are at least doing more than everyone else on the couch!
2. Choosing the right weight. When you have your workout plan each set will have a certain amount of reps. For example you may have a plan for 4 sets of 8 reps of bicep curls. Pick a medium sized weight to complete your first set of 8 reps. If that first set of 8 was really easy to complete and you felt you could have continued on with my reps, increase your weight for the next set. Continue to increase your sets by 5 pounds until you feel you maxed out on your set. Feeling maxed out on a set means you really struggled to continue your reps while keeping your form. Never lose your form, if you feel like you were swaying and using your whole body to complete a bicep curl, take down the weight, or, if you couldn’t complete all 8 reps, take it down!
3. Find or build a plan. There is a saying that goals without a plan are just a wish. It’s true, my goal of getting toned up without weights was truly just a wish. I didn’t know how to work for it so why didn’t my wish come true? I had no plan. Full body plans are best because you most likely want to see full body results. I would suggest looking online for a plan before creating your own if you are a true newbie. There is a ton of free or inexpensive but informative plans out there; I personally used bodybuilding.com so that would be my first recommendation due to experience. I have not used these ladies plans but they have a high rating by their users; Emily Skye and Heidi Powell. Look for a well known company that allows you to enter your information to guide you to the best plan for your body type and fitness goals. This will allow you to pick a plan based on being a beginner to build a strong foundation.
4. Eat like your life depends on it. (Because it does) This is a biggie for me because I learned this the hard way in my teens and twenties because I just did not know any better. You have to eat enough calories every day to not only lose weight but to build muscle. This really goes for any exercise plan but is especially important for strength training. Eat non-processed nutrient dense meals and never starve yourself or cut too many calories. The workout plans listed above usually come with nutrition plans as well. They do have a fee associated with them but think of it as an investment in your health.
5. Quality over Quantity. When you do any form of exercise it is important to focus more on the quality of your workout than the quantity of your workout. Do not overlook your form during an exercise just to increase the amount of weight you are lifting. Think of working each muscle group in sections to avoid burnout and creating potential setbacks due to injury. Always make rest days a priority to allow your muscles to repair to increase your muscle growth. Most importantly get a good night’s rest; you should be sleeping at least 8 hours a night.
If you read these tips and still have questions, reach out to me and I will do my best to guide you in the right direction. I hope these tips help you with your fitness goals! Happy lifting my friends!
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