How To Begin Meeting Your Health Goals With Strength Training
No matter where you are in your fitness journey, strength training should be a key component in your exercise routine. There are many exercises you can do to improve your health and overall strength of your body.
Start with Your Basics by Using Your Body Weight
To start strength training, you may first want to use your own body weight. For example, squats, push-ups or sit ups. This is great for beginners! Always remember to stretch before any exercise and consult with your doctor before beginning any new exercise routine. These basic exercises, done with proper form can result in strengthening your chest, arms, and legs both anteriorly and posteriorly. Most classic exercises like lunges, pull ups and squats help many people strengthen their entire body and mind.
Begin by Working out Twice per Week
The current recommendation for beginners interested in working out to begin strength training is 1-2 days. Start easy and slow at your own pace for about 30 minutes each session. Assuming everything is done correctly, and if you are comfortable, you can add an extra day of exercise to your routine and so on. It is important to start with low reps and focus on proper form and breathing techniques.
When you feel that you are no longer being challenged by your routine that is the best sign to move on to a more advanced intermediate exercise routine.
It could take days, weeks, months or even years to comfortably find your routine and what works best for you! But do not feel rushed or pressured, as this could result in stress, mistakes or injury during an exercise. Low and slow is the way to go!
Align Your Diet with Your Goals
It is important to be sure you are taking in the correct amount of calories daily to align with your health and fitness goals. The amount of calories depends on your weight, age, and body mass index. One pound equates to 3500 calories. Caloric deficit is when the body mass decreases due to the amount of calories that we consume being lower than the amount of calories we burn.
A caloric surplus is when the body mass increases due to the amount of calories that we consume being higher than the amount of calories we burn. Choose a method to track your calories and progress towards your goals.
Make Sure to Rest and Recover
Rest and recovery is an essential part of any exercise routine and has a big impact on your fitness goals and health. This allows you to train and exercise more effectively. Resting after exercising can help with strength building and muscle and tissue repair. A muscle needs between 1-2 days to repair and rebuild. Working out too soon before resting can result in muscle and tissue damage.
A few steps to help with rest and recovery could include:
- Replacing fluids during and after exercising (the body loses water while exercising)
- Eat healthy foods to refuel – carbs and high protein preferred
- Stretch or perform gentle movements to improve circulation
- Get a massage or take an ice bath for circulation and to reduce injury
- Avoid over training
- Get plenty of sleep
If you have any additional questions about how you can begin meeting your health goals with strength training, contact us today for a free consultation at (832) 460-6468.
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