A beginner’s guide to weight training

A beginner’s guide to weight training

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Whether you want to pack more muscle or achieve the figure you desire, weight lifting is always the right way to go.

Weight training, also known as strength training, helps build your body and strengthens your bones and joints, making it easier for you to keep your metabolism in a healthy state and allowing you to burn more even while you are resting.

In fact, lifting weights is suitable for all ages as it not only improves your physical state but can even positively impact your psychological well-being. If you have never considered weight training before, well, it’s never too late to start.

At Champions Gym, you can start off your weight training and start getting results. In this guide, we will walk you through exactly how to get started with weight training and provide good training advice for beginners.

What do you need to start weight training?

Weight training does require you to start lifting weight, and if you have never done that before, you might need a personal trainer to help you do so. 

A trainer will help you achieve the proper specific exercises and help you set up a personalized training program that’s suited to your needs.

At Champions Gym, we offer our introductory programs with diverse pricing plans that also answer any weight training related questions if you have any. 

What to know before you begin?

Before you begin with your weight training program, keep the following things in mind:

Warm up properly Body warm up is important, not just for weight training, but also for any type of exercise or training you do at the gym. A warm up increases blood flow to your muscles and prepares them for a good workout. 

Don’t do the heavy lifting right away – Before you even start lifting any heavy weights, you need to be comfortable with the lower ones first. Let your trainer help you and slowly progress to more sets with more weights.

Take pauses between working out – To prevent muscle fatigue and cramps, you need to take rest of 60 seconds or so in between your sets.

Don’t work out more for more than 45 minutes – 45 minutes is an ideal time to work out and get your body in the high adrenaline mode. While longer sessions seem appealing, they increase the chances of burning out and muscle fatigue.

Stretch before you life – Stretching your muscles always helps boost your flexibility, eases muscle tension and reduces the risk of cramps or injuries.

Take a day off every week – Take a proper day off every day in between workouts. It gives your muscles the time to recover and replenish energy stores before your next workout session.

Start off with Weight Training

Building your biceps or your abs might seem very appealing, but the best resistance program works all the major muscle groups in your body. 

In this case, overworking one muscle group at the expense of another could always raise the risk of injury.

For an overall workout, you need to start off with some the exercises mentioned below. You can add these exercises to your daily routine and work all the muscle groups in your body this way.

1. Sets and Reps

This is one of the most beginner friendly exercises. You can start off by doing 10-15 reps of every exercise where 1 to 2 sets are ideal for starting off. 

As you build your strength, you can also add extra sets and increase the overall weight of the exercise.

 

How to do the exercise:

  • Start off by placing your left knee on the end of a sturdy bench and place your left hand palm-down on the bench for balance.
  • Reach down with your right hand and grab a dumbbell with your palm facing the bench.
  • Next, slowly bring the dumbbell to your chest and squeeze your back and shoulder muscles and bring your arm back to the starting position.
  • As you finish a set, switch arms and switch your knee as well as the hands.


2. Dumbbell shoulder press

How to do this exercise:

  • You need to start off by sitting or standing with a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing forward and your elbows to your side.
  • Without leaning back, you need to press the dumbbells up over your head till your arms are straight.
  • Return them to the starting position next.


3. Dumbbell Chest Press

How to do this exercise:

  • Start by lying flat on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand.
  • Press the dumbbell upwards until your arms are over your shoulders. Don’t lock your elbows at all.
  • Lower the dumbbells slowly back to where you started.


4. Bicep Curls

How to do this exercise:

  • Sit/stand with a dumbbell in each hand in front of you, elbows at your sides and palms facing up.
  • Next, curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders. Bend your elbows.
  • Reverse the curl back to the starting position.


5. Triceps Extensions

How to do this exercise:

  • Start by exercising sitting on a bench or standing with your feet at about shoulder-width apart.
  • Next, wrap your hands around the dumbbell handle and lift it over your head till your arms are straight.
  • As your elbows are by your ears, bend them at a 90-degree angle where you lower the dumbbell behind your head.
  • Straighten your arms till the dumbbell is above your head again.


6. Resistance Band Pull Apart

How to do this exercise:

  • At chest height, stand with your arms stretched out.
  • Hold a resistance band parallel to the ground and grasp it tightly with both your hands.
  • As your arms are straight, pull the band towards your chest by moving your arms outwards and away from your body. 
  • As your spine is also straight, squeeze your shoulder blades together and return them gradually to the starting position. 


7. Lunges

How to do this exercise:

  • At a shoulder-width, stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand (optional).
  • Take a long step forward with either of your legs so that the heel touches the ground first.
  • Lower your body so that the other leg is parallel to the floor.
  • Pause a moment and push off your heel to return to the starting position.
  • Repeat the same with your other leg.


8. Squats

This exercise could be done with or without weights.

How to do this exercise:

  • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees so that your thighs are almost parallel to the floor.
  • Rise to your starting position slowly.
  • You can hold a dumbbell close to your chest with both hands.

Final Words

Weight training involves moving parts of your body against the right weights or machines or even your own body weight.

It actually is one of the best ways to build muscle mass and make your muscles stronger. It can even keep your metabolism well and strengthen your bones and joints to improve your muscle tone and help you burn more calories. 

To also make the most of your weight training, you can start with lighter weights till you master the proper form. Eventually, you can increase the weight or resistance to avoid injury.

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