No matter where you are in your fitness journey, strength training—which involves some type of resistance to challenge and build your muscles—should be a key component of your workouts.

Among the wealth of benefits strength training offers , it can help you:. Be sure to check with your doctor before you start lifting weights if you have any concerns, medical conditions, injuries, or illnesses.

Many people don't devote as much energy to strength training as it deserves. Indeed, statistics on strength training are grim. Many people have misconceptions about strength training that keep them from doing it.

Learning the realities may help you get started. For beginners, bodyweight is enough to get you started. However, it can be hard to continue to challenge your body without any additional resistance, so to progress, you'll need some equipment.

If you decide to strength train at home, you'll likely want to invest in some basics, such as resistance bands, weights, and an exercise ball. Try to have a range of weights: a light set 1 to 5 pounds for women, 5 to 8 pounds for men , a medium set 5 to 10 pounds for women, 10 to 15 pounds for men , and a heavy set 10 to 20 pounds for women, 15 to 30 pounds for men.

An adjustable dumbbell set will also work. Two key terms you'll want to know are rep and set. Rep, or repetition, is a single instance of an exercise—a dumbbell bicep curl, for instance. A set is the number of repetitions performed sequentially. For example, you can say, "I did 2 sets of 10 reps of bicep curls.

Below is a list of muscle groups along with sample exercises. If you're a beginner, you only need to choose one or two exercises for each muscle group in the upper body and three to four moves for the lower body. If you don't know much about weight training, consider hiring a personal trainer to help you set up your program, going to a class, or following a video online.

Most experts recommend starting with your larger muscle groups and then proceeding to the smaller ones. The most demanding exercises are those performed by your large muscle groups, and you will need your smaller muscles to get the most out of these moves.

However, you can do your exercises in any order you like. Choosing your reps and sets can be the most confusing part of strength training. How many reps and sets you do will depend on your goals. Use trial and error to determine how much weight you should use.

Start with a lighter weight and perform 1 set. Continue adding weight until you feel challenged but can do the desired number of reps with good form. The last rep should be difficult, but not impossible. If you're using a resistance band, keep in mind that one band might not cut it for your entire body.

Different muscles have different strengths, so you may want to buy two different resistance bands in different thickness, which determines how difficult they'll be to use. In general, if you're able to complete 8 reps of an exercise using a band, you'll want to select another that provides a greater amount of resistance.

Your first workout is a test of where your body is and how different exercises feel to your body. These classic exercises are a great place to start to begin connecting with your body on a deeper level.

The idea is to focus on doing the exercises right rather than using a lot of weight or doing a lot of reps. For this workout, you'll need a resistance band, a chair, various weighted dumbbells.

Too often, people skip weights in favor of cardio, especially women, some of whom may worry about building bulky muscles. But that's a worry they can set aside. Many women don't produce the amount of strength-hormone testosterone necessary to build big muscles.

The enormous health benefits of strength training are clear. And regardless of size, muscular bodies are strong bodies—and that's beautiful. Westcott WL. Resistance training is medicine. Curr Sports Med Rep. Gordon BR, McDowell CP, Hallgren M, Meyer JD, Lyons M, Herring MP.

Association of efficacy of resistance exercise training with depressive symptoms: meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis of randomized clinical trials. JAMA Psychiatry. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising.

Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content. Use profiles to select personalised content. But you can also injure yourself if you use poor technique with your exercises. This collection of how-to videos can help you get started with strength training using the best technique.

Healthy adults should aim to do strength training exercises that work all the major muscle groups at least twice a week. If you have health problems, talk with your doctor before you start strength training. One strength training tip: Don't forget to breathe freely when you're lifting the weight.

Most people think that they're breathing when they're doing strength training exercises, but they may be holding their breath. It's important to inhale and exhale fully between each repetition. The key is to avoid straining when holding your breath. You may find it helpful to exhale during the more strenuous phase of the exercise and inhale during the less strenuous phase.

You can do body-weight exercises with little or no equipment. Watch these strength training videos to see how they're done.

You can do resistance-tubing exercises at home or on the go. These strength training videos will get you started. Wondering how to get the best results from free weights? These strength training videos will show you. Whether you use weight machines at home or at the gym, proper technique is essential.

Brush up on the basics with these strength training videos. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic Press.

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Show references Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Department of Health and Human Services. Accessed Nov. Resistance training for health infographic. American College of Sports Medicine. Physical activity adult.

Mayo Clinic; Liguori G, et al. ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. Wolters Kluwer; Products and Services The Mayo Clinic Diet Online A Book: The Mayo Clinic Diet Bundle. See also Core exercises Core-strength exercises Fitness ball exercises videos Isometric exercise Pregnancy exercises Strength training basics Strength training for kids Weight training: Do's and don'ts of proper technique Show more related content.

Or, stock up your home gym equipment stash and get busy in the garden. Up to you. If, and when, you start lifting heavier weights you might want to get yourself a pair of weightlifting trainers and, potentially, a lifting belt that supports your back and helps you to brace your core during heavy deadlifts.

Another useful tool could be snapping up a good pair of weight lifting gloves — they'll cushion your palms and help you grip the weights better. Good grip is key to good form so don't let slippery paws make you come unstuck.

If you're already a member at one of the best gyms in London , you can rest assured they'll have everything you'll need, too. For many you can begin with using just your body weight, working through press-ups, planks and squats.

By the last rep in any set you should really be struggling, this ensures 'that you fatigue the muscle fully, resulting in your body adapting and becoming stronger to be able to perform the task you ask of it.

Newbie gains quick improvements in strength are a real thing in the weight training world. You need to be consistent with your weight training. But, crucially, this will be different for every individual depending on lifestyle, nutrition and recovery.

You can certainly make strength improvements through bodyweight strength training. From pull-ups and push-ups to using explosive power exercises, you can develop your strength equally to using any weights.

The other benefit of bodyweight strength training is that there are multiple variations to try as you get stronger and your fitness capabilities improve. You can also experiment with power movements such as plyometric movements, notes Maxey.

Take a deep breath, and walk into the strength training section or weights room with pride. Remember most people are either feeling timid like you or they're too focused on their own workout to even notice what you are up to. Aim to be the latter. If you're strength training at home, set yourself up for success.

Block out some time in your cal, cue up a banging playlist and clear enough space to curl, press and push your way to strength-training endorphin-induced bliss.

Start lighter — it's okay to not know what weight you can work with. Choose a lighter weight, try a few reps and adjust from there. The goal should always be perfect form no matter the weight you use. If you're not sure what perfect form is, do a little research before you begin.

There are myriad examples of how to do foundation moves online e. how to squat properly , how to do a push-up , the perfect plank technique and YouTube can be a great place to begin.

If you need a little more attention, consider investing in a session or two with a personal trainer. They'll be able to guide you into the right form. Weight training at home is a tricky business — you're far better off nailing your technique in the long run.

Keep a gym log. One of my top tips is to start a gym log to track your strength training sessions, this could be on your phone or on a fitness app like Strong. Keep track of how many reps, sets and what weight you use for each exercise.

You could also add a note about how it felt. When you next get to the gym, take a look at what you did last time and see if you can go a little heavier, slow the tempo down or increase the amounts of reps you do.

The Strong app also has video examples of how to perform each exercise, brilliant for beginners just getting started in the weights room. Stay consistent. Strength training is not a guessing game, it takes consistency and structure to develop your strength.

Looking for a weight training plan for beginners? This Alice Liveing strength training for beginners programme will get you comfortable with basic exercises and good form.

Keep it simple. To get the most bang for your buck focus on doing classic compound exercises for maximal muscle recruitment. Compound exercises are ones that use multiple muscle groups, e. a squat, deadlift, bench press and rows. These exercises should make up the basis of your workouts — done well with good form.

If you're feeling intimidated about how to structure a workout, consult a PT for a single session or consultation where they can talk you through what to work on. We know you know that weight training is only part of the puzzle. Sure, weight training has myriad benefits and we should all be doing it to support our bones now and in the future but there are other elements to a well-rounded fitness programme that aren't found on the underside of a dumbbell.

First up, cardio. Cardio workouts are great for keeping your heart healthy, improving circulation and lowering your blood pressure.

Similarly to resistance training , it's something to make into a lifelong habit. Slightly surprising, perhaps, but cardio workouts don't have to mean hundreds of burpees or sprinting around the park. In fact, gentle cardio like walking, swimming and cycling, is brilliant for getting your cardio fix in, too.

This depends very much on your goal. Here is some advice from the American Council on Exercise :. Here's everything you need to know about cardio workouts at home , what to be aware of when it comes to fasted cardio , how to use cardio for weight loss and when and whether cardio or weights are better for your goals.

Now, what to do when you're not exercising? You guessed it, help your body get back to baseline. All of the hard work we put in during our strength training workouts has the potential to come undone if we're not allowing our bodies to recover in the time in between.

But this doesn't mean you need to lie prone, sipping on protein shakes when you're not repping out squats. Active recovery is a good way to increase blood flow this will majorly help with your muscles repairing themselves and includes everything from walking to hiking, foam rolling , stretching, doing mobility exercises and gentle yoga.

This guide to active recovery tells you everything you need to know about staying active in the right way between sessions. And last but not least, NEAT exercise Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. NEAT is all the movement you do that isn't demarcated exercise.

Think walking the dog, playing with your kids, doing chores, climbing stairs and even fidgeting. All of these things make up a significant part of our total daily energy expenditure how many calories we burn a day — much more so than the minute gym workout we sweat through.

The goal with NEAT is to maintain a level of activity every day that supports every other healthy thing we're trying to do including strength training and weight training. This was much easier when our commute was longer than bed to kitchen table and back again but there are simple ways to increase how much NEAT you're doing a day:.

If you're trying to lose body fat or lose weight well , NEAT exercise shouldn't be shirked. It'll help get you closer to your goals and could give you a much-needed bit of headspace, too. Try these weighted and bodyweight strength training workouts from Kate Maxey.

With the weighted workout, the weight you choose is up to you, just choose a weight that makes the last rep really tough. Do each exercise for up to 12 reps.

Aim for three to five sets of each exercise before moving on to the next. Take a short rest between each set before moving on 1 — 3 minutes. a In a high plank position with your back straight and your core braced move sideways for 3 steps.

b Perform a push-up, drop down to your knees if you need to. Crab walk back to the start position. a Sit on the edge of a bench or chair and place your palms facedown next to your thighs, fingers gripping the edge.

Place your feet on the floor in front of you, knees bent. Keeping your arms straight, scoot forward until your hips and butt are in front of the seat. b Bend your elbows and lower your hips until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.

Push back to start. That's one rep. a With your legs hip-width apart, lower your bum back for 4 counts until it is parallel with your knees or slightly lower. Your knees should not travel over your toes.

Pause for 2 counts. b Now, return to standing taking 4 counts. Squeeze your glutes as you go. Pause for 2 counts and repeat.

a Start with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed straight forward. Step out with your right foot as wide as possible. Engage through the right heel as you drop your hips down and back while keeping the left leg straight, stretching the groin on the left leg and keeping both soles of the feet on the ground and toes pointed straight forward.

Make sure your right knee is tracking over your right foot the whole motion. a Stand in front of a step or bench and place your left foot on the step. Push your body up until your left leg is straight.

b Return to start. Do each exercise for up to 12 reps, depending on the weight you've chosen and how much strong you currently are. Remember, pick a weight that challenges you — the last rep should be a struggle!

a Grab a kettlebell or a dumbbell. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, and toes pointed slightly out.

Grip the kettlebell by the horn, right-side-up. While strength training is often associated with lifting weights, you can also use your own bodyweight as a form of resistance, notes Betina Gozo, C.

One way to amp up bodyweight strength workouts? Adding isometric holds aka holding completely still for an extended period of time, such as a squat hold or eccentric training, which focuses on lengthening the muscle fibers usually during the portion of the exercise that returns the weight to the starting position, such as when you bring the dumbbell back up during a biceps curl.

But if you belong to a gym or have access to a few sets of dumbbells, use the strength training equipment at your disposal for more effective and efficient workouts, adds Groth.

Or for those working out at home, a set of adjustable dumbbells , a suspension trainer such as a TRX, and some resistance bands can help you level up your strength training, says Groth. Once you're ready to add strength training equipment to your routine, you have plenty of options to suit your needs:.

Sure, you'll see some muscle gains once you start resistance training, but there are even more health benefits that will come from consistently performing strength exercises. Here, experts break down the top benefits of strength training.

Quick anatomy refresher: As you age, you start losing strength and muscle mass, and these reductions occur at a faster rate if you're sedentary than if you're physically active. A weaker body with brittle bones is more prone to injury, whereas a stronger body with dense bones is more resilient, says Groth.

One solution? Strength training. By applying tension to your muscles with strength training, you're training your body to stabilize itself under stress think: reacting quickly when stepping off a curb the wrong way or carrying a heavy box overhead with proper form that won't leave you aching the next morning.

Case in point: Consistent strength training programs have been shown to improve bone density in the elderly population. BTW, people with periods see major reductions in muscle mass once they reach menopause, so if that's you, it's probably time to start strength training.

In fact, muscle mass and bone density can start decreasing as early as your 20s, notes Groth. Runners may also benefit greatly from strength training to prevent injury, reduce the risk of running-related pain, and increase power, which can lead to faster paces.

Whether you're an apartment-dweller whose active dog needs plenty of exercise or you're a new mom in the suburbs adjusting to a hectic lifestyle, one of the biggest benefits of strength training is that it helps you with the tasks you tackle in daily life.

Or, put another way, carrying a Facebook Marketplace find up your stairs won't seem like such a grueling task when your body is used to weighted squats, shoulder presses, and farmer's carries.

Elderly populations, in particular, can benefit from strength training, says Groth. And since strength training helps prevent injuries, a regular strength-training routine means you're less likely to be in pain or uncomfortable during your everyday life.

TL;DR: Strength training just might be the thing that makes it more comfortable for you to move a heavy dog food bag or bend over to look under the sofa. ICYDK, muscle tissue is a contributing factor to your resting metabolic rate aka the amount of energy your body needs to continue functioning, or calories burned at rest.

As your muscle mass increases, your resting metabolism increases as well, according to American Council on Exercise. So lifting weights, swinging a kettlebell, or nailing that barbell back squat can contribute to a higher metabolic rate. But heads up: Your metabolism is also affected by several factors that are out of your control think: age, genetics, or gender , so don't expect strength training to completely change your metabolism overnight.

And of course, burning as many calories as possible doesn't need to be and shouldn't be the only focus of your strength training workout routine. Being a beginner to strength training can be overwhelming, from all the equipment at your disposal to the dozens of exercises you can try for each muscle group.

However, you can start with simple, functional movements that mimic your everyday life, advises Groth. Ready to progress your strength-training workout? Try focusing on multi-joint compound movements , which recruit several muscles while also challenging your ability to control your body and improve balance and stability.

Groth suggests breaking your strength-training exercises into these basic categories and choosing an exercise or two from each one to build a well-rounded strength-training workout. Whether you're rocking bodyweight strength workouts, lifting heavy with the barbell, or tackling something in between, there are plenty of ways to build muscle strength with resistance training.

Try these strength training workouts two to three times a week for best results, according to the CDC. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content.

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All you need is yourself and some creativity to get those muscles moving. The push-up is one of the most efficient bodyweight exercises you can do to build strength in your chest and triceps. But it also gives your shoulders, core muscles, lower back, and lower body a workout.

How-to: Lie facedown and place hands on the floor, slightly wider than shoulders. Push up to lift shoulders, torso, and legs until arms are fully extended. Only your hands and toes should be touching the floor. Slowly lower your body until chest almost touches the floor, then repeat.

Pro tip: Push-up variations are nearly endless. Feeling advanced? Give pike push-ups a try. Need a more explosive exercise?

The burpee may be the ultimate bodyweight exercise mash-up, working your chest, core, arms, back, glutes, and legs for a full-body cardio workout. How-to: From a standing position, lower yourself into a squat and put both hands on the floor, just wider than your feet.

Jump feet back into a plank position. Do a push-up, returning to the plank position. Draw your legs back up into a squat, then jump up explosively with your hands above your head.

Start with just a few reps and work your way up as you get stronger. How-to: Grab the pull-up bar with an overhand grip, wrapping your thumbs around the bar. Squeeze the bar with your hands and engage the muscles of your upper body and core.

Pull up until chin clears the bar. Slowly lower yourself back into the dead-hang position. Pro tip: For pull-ups at home, you can buy a portable pull-up bar that fits in a doorframe. Doing any type of plank exercise will make your arms stronger, but doing plank-ups is especially effective for strengthening the triceps and biceps muscles in your arms.

How-to: Start in plank position, with elbows and toes on the floor, core engaged, and torso elevated. Raise yourself into a push-up position by extending one arm at a time, keeping your body straight.

Lower onto your elbows one arm at a time. This move will quickly strengthen your triceps and your pecs! How-to: Start seated in a chair or on a step, etc. Grab the edge of the chair with hands on either side of hips. Lift up and out into a hovering position beyond the chair edge.

Extend legs until mostly straight. Slowly lower yourself toward the floor until elbows are roughly parallel with shoulders. Push down into your hands to raise back up until your arms are straight again.

This bodyweight move is almost as much fun as it sounds. This is one creepy-crawly exercise that will have you feeling like a little kid again while building your triceps, shoulders, chest, abs, glutes, and quads. How-to: Stand with knees slightly bent. Bend at your hips and slowly reach down and touch your toes.

Take insect-size steps forward until feet meet hands. Got a staircase? Or a box? Then you can do this leg workout. Step-ups are a simple beginner exercise that can give you stronger quads, glutes, and hamstrings. Just take one step at a time. Step up onto the box or the first stair with your right foot, then your left.

Reverse, stepping back down with right foot, then left. Repeat, switching the leg you start with each time. Pro tip: For added difficulty, raise your knee toward your chest when you take the second step onto the box or stair.

There are dozens of lunge variations you can do, but even just a classic lunge builds up your quads and glutes. Plus, it strengthens your hamstrings. How-to: From a standing position, take a big step forward with one leg. Lower your body toward the floor until upper thigh of front leg is nearly parallel to the floor and back knee is just above the floor.

Raise up by putting pressure on the heel of your front leg. Repeat by taking that big first step with the opposite leg. Squats are popular with weightlifters, which can lead to the misperception that they can be done only with weights.

Physical activity adult. Mayo Clinic; Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Department of Health and Human Services. Accessed March 4, American College of Sports Medicine.

Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: Guidance for prescribing exercise. Four types of exercise can improve your health and physical activity.

National Institute on Aging. Real life benefits of exercise and physical activity. Brown LE, ed. Types of strength and power training. In: Strength Training.

Human Kinetics; Laskowski ER expert opinion. Mayo Clinic. March 11, Products and Services The Mayo Clinic Diet Online A Book: The Mayo Clinic Diet Bundle. See also Core exercises Core-strength exercises Fitness ball exercises videos Isometric exercise Pregnancy exercises Strength training: How-to video collection Strength training for kids Weight training: Do's and don'ts of proper technique Show more related content.

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About this Site. Contact Us. Health Information Policy. Media Requests. News Network. Price Transparency. Medical Professionals. You should feel the effort in the back of your thigh and bottom.

Stand at arm's length from the wall. Place your hands flat against the wall at chest level, with your fingers pointing upwards.

With your back straight, slowly bend your arms, keeping your elbows by your side. Aim to close the gap between you and the wall as much as you can.

Hold a pair of light weights filled water bottles will do and stand with your feet hip-width apart. Keeping your arms by your side, slowly bend them until the weight in your hand reaches your shoulder.

This can also be carried out while sitting. Attempt 3 sets of 5 curls with each arm. Page last reviewed: 14 January Next review due: 14 January Home Live Well Exercise Strength and flexibility exercises Back to Strength and flexibility exercises.

Strength exercises. Wear loose, comfortable clothing and keep some water handy.