7 Strength-Training Tips for Beginners

 

Strength training can be intimidating to a fitness newbie, especially if you’ve never operated one of those machines with the pulleys and levers, or you don’t want to go toe-to-toe with that tan, grunting guy. However, strength training is a crucial part of getting fit that just can’t be ignored. Cardio alone doesn’t cut it. I repeat: cardio alone DOES NOT CUT IT! Now I’m not saying you should be able to bench press like Arnold, but even a few days of light strength training each week can do wonders for your health—and not to mention, your physique.

 

 

Not only does resistance training help build muscle strength, it increases your body’s resting metabolic rate, causing it to burn more calories throughout the day. (Yes, please!) It also reduces blood pressure, decreases your osteoporosis risk, and improves your balance. If you’re a strength-training beginner, these 7 tips will get you going in no time.

 

 

1. Do a cardio warmup
It’s important to get your heart rate up before starting your strength-training routine. Begin with a 5-minute warmup of brisk walking, light jogging, or dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching uses controlled movements to loosen up your muscles and increase your range of motion. Try doing some walking lunges or butt kicks.

2. Learn proper technique
In order to prevent injuries, you must know proper form and technique. Proper technique will make sure that you’re working the right muscles without straining. If you’re a true beginner, it can be beneficial to invest in a single training session. A trainer can show you the correct positions, grips, and motions while also helping you create a basic strength-training routine. If you don’t want to spend the money on a trainer, there is a lot of free content online to help you learn proper form. Check out these fitness apps for help, or follow me on Facebook for tips.

 

 

3. Know your options
You may associate strength training entirely with dumbbells, but they aren’t your only option. In fact, there are many modes of strength training at the gym, and even in your own living room! You can use resistance bands, weight bars, kettlebells, medicine balls, exercise balls, your own body weight… the list goes on! You can also take advantage of strength-training classes your gym may offer. Classes are a great way to learn how to use equipment that’s new to you while also keeping your routine fresh.

 

 

4. Determine the right amount of weight for you
Figuring out how much weight you should be using for a given exercise requires a bit of experimentation. Keep in mind that in the beginning it’s better to err on the side of too light than too heavy. If you’re doing 3 sets of 12 reps of bicep curls, your arms should feel fatigued by the last set, and extremely fatigued by the last few reps. Your arms should be working hard, they might even be a bit shaky, but you shouldn’t ever feel extreme discomfort. If you blow through your sets without any trouble, up your weight. If you’re done by the second set, drop down in weight.

5. Work on imbalances
Most people are stronger on one side of their body than the other. For this reason, I’m a big proponent of isolating each side of your body during strength training so that they’re worked equally. For example, single-leg squats will ensure that you’re relying solely on the muscles in your working leg, instead of letting your stronger leg do more of the work. Having balanced strength on both sides of your body is a true indicator of overall fitness, so try out some isolated moves!

 

 

6. Allow your routine to evolve
As you become more familiar with strength training, it’s important to start incorporating new exercises and equipment into your routine. If you’re getting bored with your workout, your muscles are, too. Spicing up your sweat sessions will trick your muscles and ensure that they’re working to their full potential. You should also monitor your weight amounts and raise them as you get stronger.

7. Don’t forget to rest
Strength training causes tiny tears in the muscles, which then heal stronger than before. These tears are good, but only if you allow them time to heal properly. The average person needs 24 to 48 hours of rest to heal in between workouts so make sure you allot yourself that time. People are often more gung-ho at the beginning of their workout program and sometimes overdo it. Listen to your body. Soreness is fine, pain is not.

For more workout tips, check out How to Join the Right Gym for You and 10 Tips to Get Back on Track!

Jennifer Cohen is a leading fitness authority, TV personality, best-selling author, and entrepreneur. With her signature, straight-talking approach to wellness, Jennifer was the featured trainer on The CW’s Shedding for the Wedding, mentoring the contestants’ to lose hundreds of pounds before their big day, and she appears regularly on NBC’s Today Show, Extra, The Doctors and Good Morning America. Connect with Jennifer on Facebook, Twitter, G+ and on Pinterest.

 

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Cassey Ho Created a Timeline of ‘Ideal Body Types’ to Show the Ridiculousness of Beauty Standards

The Kardashian family is, arguably, the collective royalty of social media—and the onslaught of butt workouts, waist trainers, and detox teas promising to score you Kim and Khloé’s genetic hip-to-waist ratio is proof of just how potent their influence has been. Though curvy figures like theirs are in vogue now, they haven’t always been the “to-die-for” body type. In fact, it’s easy to forget how much beauty standards have changed over time.

For the last few decades, the “ideal” female body has continuously changed—like fashion trends—to reflect pop culture. And, although chasing this changing beauty standard is totally fruitless, many women still feel like they need to look a certain way to feel beautiful.

RELATED: The 20 Best Cassey Ho Exercises You Can Do Anywhere

To draw attention to just how ridiculous that is, Cassey Ho, the fitness diva behind Blogilates, recently took to Instagram to serve up a reality check. In two photoshopped photos of herself, Ho morphs her body (with the help of some sort of editing app) to fit the ideal body standard of today and that of various times through history. “If I had the ‘perfect’ body throughout history, this is what I’d look like,” she wrote alongside the photos.

RELATED: How a Bikini Competition Totally Changed Ho’s Approach to Health and Fitness

She continued by breaking down exactly how society’s aesthetic ideals have changed over the decades, starting with the 2010s era (aka right now). “Big butts, wide hips, tiny waists, and full lips are in,” she wrote. “There is a huge surge in plastic surgery for butt implants thanks to Instagram models posting ‘belfies.’ Even cosmetic surgery doctors have become Instagram-famous for reshaping women. Between 2012–2014, butt implants and injections rise by 58 percent.”

Related: Cassey Ho Opens Up About Her Past Eating Disorder: ‘I Thought I Had to Be Super Skinny’

Take it back a decade (to the mid ’90s and 2000s) and, “big boobs, flat stomachs, and thighs gaps” were in, Ho noted. “In 2010, breast augmentation is the highest performed cosmetic surgery in the United States,” she wrote.

The ’90s, on the other hand, were all about being “thin,” and “having angular bone structure,” wrote Ho. Hop back a few more decades, and you’ll notice the ’50s were the age of the hourglass shape. “Elizabeth Taylor’s 36-21-36 measurements were the ideal,” she wrote. “Women were advertised weight gaining pills to fill themselves out.”

RELATED: What I Wish I Knew Sooner About Losing Weight

Rewind to the ’20s and, “appearing boyish, androgynous and youthful, with minimal breasts, and a straight figure” was the trend. During this time, women were choosing to hide their curves by “binding their chests with strips of cloth to create that straight figure suitable for flapper dresses.” Finally, if you go as far back as the Italian Renaissance, Ho points out that, “looking full with a rounded stomach, large hips, and an ample bosom” was the status quo. “Being well fed was a sign of wealth and status,” she wrote. “Only the poor were thin.”

While what is considered attractive has changed considerably over time, one thing has remained the same: the pressure for women to fit the mold. But by breaking things down, Ho hopes that women will realize that the pressure to conform is often unrealistic, not to mention unhealthy.

RELATED: Iskra Lawrence Just Posted the Same Photo Before and After FaceTune: ‘The Real You Is Good Enough’

This is true, not only in relation to the decade you live in but also where you live. As we’ve previously reported, the “perfect body” ideal is actually different all around the world. While Chinese women feel pressure to be stick thin, those in Venezuela and Columbia are celebrated for their curves and even prefer a body type that would be in the “overweight” BMI range.

The takeaway: Trying to fit an idealistic aesthetic is a lose-lose situation for women. (Check out these inspiring women who are redefining body standards.)

As Ho puts it: “Why do we treat our bodies like we treat fashion? ‘Boobs are out! Butts are in!’ Well, the reality is, manufacturing our bodies is a lot more dangerous than manufacturing clothes. Stop throwing your body out like it’s fast fashion.” (Related: Where the Body-Positivity Movement Stands and Where It Needs to Go)

At the end of the day, regardless of what your body might look like, it’s far more important to practice healthy habits and take care of the skin you’re in. “Please treat your body with love & respect and do not succumb to the beauty standard,” says Ho. “Embrace your body because it is YOUR own perfect body.”

No matter the time or place, self-love is always ~in~.

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Get Stronger in 18 Minutes With This Full-Body Routine You Can Do at Home