Strength Training Basics for Beginners


When starting to train with weights for the first time specifically to increase strength there are a few basic requirements that need to be met if you want to be successful. The first of these basics is the food you eat, without giving your body the required protein to repair the damaged muscle that you got from training, you will be over-training and will not gain strength or muscle.

You should do some research on carbs, protein and fats so that you can plan you strength gaining objective correctly. The next step is drinking plenty of water and make sure that you get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. The final step is planning your workouts which should include free weights with barbells and dumbbells found at any decent gym.

Before planning exactly what sets and reps you will be training you need to get someone who knows what they are doing to show you exactly how to perform the four basic movements. The form you use to do a movement is of paramount importance and cannot be over-estimated.

Find a qualified instructor you trust or get a bodybuilder who has no injuries to show you how to complete the Big Four compound movements. You will not be lifting heavy weights when you start as training with correct form is vital, using just an Olympic barbell is good enough when starting, your muscles will be sore 48 hours after you train no matter how little weight you actually lift.

The sample routine listed below is only trained every second day so that you are getting fully recuperated before you go back to the gym and hit the same moves again with a little bit more weight. Strength and muscle comes from progressive resistance and you should always aim to increase the weight lifted on every workout.

3 X week full-body workout
Barbell squats 3 sets of 12 reps
Barbell deadlift 3 sets of 12 reps
Barbell bench-press 3 sets of 12 reps
Seated barbell military press 3 sets of 12 reps
Plank until failure X 3

The routine listed above is a good start when starting out lifting weights for the first time. As you get stronger the reps you do will get less so that you can lift a heavier weight. The time rested between sets should also decrease as you start to get stronger which increases the intensity that you train with.

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