Strength Training Program for Beginners

New to strength training? Beginner in the gym? We’re excited for you!

Seriously, we LOVE working with gym newbies and those who’ve been away from exercise for awhile here at SOS. It’s our pleasure to show beginners how to strength train and nothing makes us happier when someone new to training falls in love with being strong.

We constantly receive questions from new members about how to improve their strength, conditioning and overall fitness levels. While there are many ways to skin this cat and every individual has different needs, there are some commonalities that apply to nearly every single person, new or not.

Below you’ll see some of our best advice for strength training beginners looking to improve your overall health and fitness.

Make a game plan to help you start and keep taking action.

1. Commit to a schedule and make those times non- negotiable. These are now some of your most important meetings.
2. Ask for support from your family, friends and maybe even co-workers. Tell them what you’re doing and be specific if there are ways they can support you best.
3. Find a program designed to help you improve flexibility, total body strength and overall conditioning.
4. Be consistent! We’ve found 3 days a week is the sweet spot. If you can only do 2, that’s a great start. JUST BE CONSISTENT! While you may have heard you need to shoot for the starts, we disagree when it comes to getting started. Shoot for what you know you’re actually willing to do consistently and then add on from there.
5. Work hard, but don’t destroy yourself.  You don’t need to keep up with anyone and if you’re in an environment that makes you feel that way – ditch it. Expect some muscle soreness, that’s normal.

Next, let’s talk about what you’ll actually want to do during your training sessions.

This template is a general guide on exercise selection and how to organize each training session. You can get all of this done in 60 minutes. Twice a week that means you’re spending just over 1.2 percent of your time exercising each week. Three times a week is 1.8 percent. You can do this!

Step #1 – Warm up and movement preparation.

Don’t rush this – focus! It should take around 15 minutes. This is how you’ll prepare your body to train. Your warmup and movement preparation time should include joint mobility, muscle activation and flexibility work. Plus, you’ll raise your core temperature.

Step #2 – Total body strength training.

You’ll want to focus on larger compound movements – exercises like squats, lunges, rows and pushups. In addition to these exercises, which should be a staple in most training programs (beginner strength training or advanced!), it’s a good idea to add in some core work as well. Planks, bird dogs and deadbugs are all great exercises that are easily scalable. You’ll be able to complete a total body strength training routine in 30-40 minutes.

Step #3 – Joint friendly conditioning.

Finish up with a bit of conditioning. You can improve your cardiovascular health and endurance without pounding on your joints. The best way to do this is via cross training, using things like an exercise bike or rowing machine.

This combination of movement preparation, strength training and joint-friendly conditioning is the perfect recipe for a beginner.

Get Started at SOS or Online for as Little as $29.

If you’re local to Skill of Strength here in North Chelmsford, and you want to learn more about our fundamentals classes, check out the video below of some of our members in action. We’d love to set up a consultation to talk more about your goals and show you around the gym.

This 6-Week Beginner Strength Training Program Can Be Done Anywhere!

If you’re not local or prefer training at home or elsewhere, we’ve got some big news! You can purchase a Skill of Strength 6-week beginner strength training program now for just $29. This is an introductory rate since it’s our first program like this we’ve made available online in this format.

You no longer have to guess if what you’re doing is a good idea. This strength training program will keep you from wasting your precious time and energy thinking about what to do at the gym today. And lastly, you don’t have to Youtube exercises wondering if they’re shown with proper technique.

Instead we’ll tell you exactly what to do for workouts for the next 6 weeks. You’ll see videos right on our SOS app on your phone so you know how to perform each exercise. You’ll track your workouts and be able to see your progress.

10 tips to consider when starting this program.

1. Don’t rush! Take your time and focus on technique.
2. If something hurts, stop! It’s not wise to push through pain.
3. Don’t skip your warm up. Prepare your body if you want to achieve the best results.
4. If something seems incredibly easy, increase the weight so its appropriately challenging for you.
5. If the program asks you to perform 10 reps of a given exercise, the 10th rep should be challenging, but doable. When you feel like you could have done 2 more reps, move up.
6. Expect some muscle soreness. Don’t worry, a little soreness is normal and very different than pain.
7. If you miss a training day, don’t be too hard on yourself. Find some time in your schedule over the next 24 hours and get right back to the training program.
8. Record all of your progress. This will help you understand how far you’ve come.
9. Make sure you are getting 8 hours of sleep each night! Rest is very important. If you’ve started exercising again, you’re asking your body to do something it’s not used to. Reward it with some rest and sleep.
10. Be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Show up, work hard and the results will come.

Why this 6-week beginner strength training program might be right for you.

This beginner strength training program gives you an opportunity to test out our programing and App (available on Android and iPhone) for 1/3 the cost of a customized training program here at SOS. You’ll need access to dumbbells and/or kettlebells and bands (which you can easily purchase online).

This is a great way to get started if you’re new to training or have been away from exercise for awhile.

What happens after the 6 weeks?

If you decide you want to progress beyond this 6-week program, that’s when we’ll talk more about our SUCCEED program with you.

With SUCCEED you’ll receive a customized training program based on your goals, desired training time and equipment available. This will be done in the same format (with the SOS App). Plus, you’ll have a monthly training session (via Skype or in-person) with your coach to learn new skills, assess your progress and ask questions. Your coach will check in with you each week to help you stay on track.