Want to boost your energy and get stronger? Strength training is a type of exercise that often gets overlooked when planning an exercise routine, but it shouldn’t! Regular strength training yields unique benefits to your health and daily life. It’s also an excellent way to release stress.
The guidelines recommend that adults of all ages perform muscle-strengthening activities that work all major muscle groups at least two times per week. These are activities that use weight or resistance to challenge your muscles and should be done in addition to your aerobic activities. It’s not hard to get started once you know a few basics.
Strength Training Tips
Warm up. Perform 10-15 minutes of aerobic activity like jogging or using an elliptical machine to warm up your muscles.
Learn proper form. Proper form is key to preventing injuries. If you are a beginner, attending a class focused on strength training or meeting with a personal trainer can help you learn the correct form. For free resources, check out the links at the bottom of the page.
Breathe. It can feel tempting to hold your breath when you’re lifting weights or doing push-ups. Remember to exhale during effort, like when you lift, push, or pull and inhale as you return to the starting position.
Be consistent. Your muscles respond to the stress they are put under. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Aim to strength train at least two times per week.
Progress Slowly. Listen to your body. Don’t push through pain. Exercise should be fun, not overly exhausting or painful!
Stretch. Equally important to the workout itself is the stretch that follows. Take 5 minutes to stretch all major muscles after a strength training session.
With these tips in mind, there are several types of muscle-strengthening exercises you might consider trying.
•Body-weight exercises like lunges or squats
•Working with resistance bands
•Lifting weights
•Using gym machines like a leg press or cable
•Pilates
•Some types of yoga
Workouts should involve the major muscle groups. Those include your legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, and shoulders. After working a certain muscle group, you’ll want to wait at least 48 hours before working those same muscles again to give your body a chance to recover and rebuild.
Before you start a workout, determine how many sets and repetitions you’ll perform of each exercise. A repetition or ‘rep’ is one full movement of an exercise, such as one bicep curl. A set is a group of reps. Perform 8-12 reps and 1-3 sets of each exercise. Be sure to rest between sets. If you are using a weight, you’ll know that it’s the right weight for you if the last rep or two is difficult to finish.
Benefits of Strength Training
•Increased muscle mass & strength
•Stronger bones (decreased risk for osteoporosis)
•More ease in everyday tasks such as lifting heavy boxes, doing yard work, or carrying children
•Improved balance
•Increased metabolism
•Reduced symptoms of many chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, back pain, and depression
Want to learn more? Check out the links below for more helpful resources!
Popular Exercises
Learn proper form for many exercises in ACE's Exercise Data Base & Library!
Exercise Examples & Videos
Find a variety of resources at Nutrition.gov.
21 Day Challenge
Ready to get started incorporating more strength training into your daily schedule?