Why Strength Train?

We don’t need to strength train if we don’t want to. However, the benefits of strength training include:

• Improvement in overall Health and Wellbeing
• Increased bone density
• Increased muscle mass
• Improved tendon and ligament strength and toughness
• Improved joint function
• Reduced potential for injury
• A temporary increase in metabolism
• Improved cardiac function and elevated HDL (good) cholesterol
• And my favorite Strength Training benefit: You can keep using energy even after you have finished your session

How to start Strength Training

The first thing you need to do in order to begin your own strength training routine is procure weights to move your muscles with.  I personally recommend free weight dumbbells, which sometimes come in a set of up to 20kg (about 44 pounds).  The reason I prefer free weight dumbbells is that you are the one who has to stabilize the weights.  If you use machine-assisted weights they can cost you an absolute fortune, and they do not teach your muscles to control the weight.  You may even have 1-2 kg (about 5 pounds) weights lying around somewhere. These will do for the time being until you learn the correct technique and decide whether or not you like strength-training.

Once you have your weights, I would recommend you start with a very light weight so that you can get the technique right first. Only then should you increase the weight.  When you start your routine you will be doing reps and sets.

Reps: A rep is the individual movement being executed. The number of reps done depends on how much weight you are lifting. For instance, you might be able to do 8 reps of 5 pounds but only 3 reps of 10 pounds.

Set: A set is a certain number of reps. For instance, according to the example above, you could do 1 8-rep set at 5 pounds. I recommend that you do 2 sets of each muscle group.

Weight:  The amount of weight you should start with depends on what you want to achieve and what your body can handle.  If you have not done any strength training before, I would suggest starting between 1 and 3 kg (2-6 pounds) per dumbbell.  With this weight your reps should be anywhere from 4-8 per set.

Once you have reached 2 sets of 12 reps on each muscle group, my recommendation is to increase the weight, which will then reduce your reps, allowing you to work your way back up to 12 reps again.  Repeat these steps until you get up to 20 kg (up to about 44 pounds).

Remember, though, that you do not have to get up to 20 kg. That is A LOT of weight to be strength training with and is for experienced strength trainers! My point in sharing that is to show you how much room there is for growth over a lifetime of training and how you can just work you way up very incrementally.

Muscles

The muscle groups I recommend to strength train as a beginner would be:
Upper: Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps, Chest, Tummy, Back
Lower: Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstring

It’s important, though, before over-isolating these particular muscle sets, to have a strong Core.

To perform each muscle group correctly, I would highly recommend you find somebody in your area who is a professional to demonstrate each muscle movement, or you can continue researching this on the internet for correct technique. Remember, these are guidelines for strength training, but they do not substitute for a professional showing you the proper technique for each movement. Safety first!

Before you begin any strength training exercise please see my tips for getting the most out of your session.

If you would like any more advice on Strength Training, please do not hesitate to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) at anytime. Enjoy!

As a personal trainer who's always loved her body, Sue Bary was tired of being classified as 'mildly obese' and wanted to help others experience Enjoyable Body Movement without being subject to the usual verbiage of weight loss and dieting. Thus, she created enarji, a personal training practice steeped in the Health at Every Size approach and attitude. To learn more about Sue, click here. Because you are a special More of Me to Love member, Sue wants you to enjoy a FREE consultation through enarji's Virtual Health Coach services. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to schedule your free consultation today!