How to Start Strength Training at Home
Investing in your current and future health is essential, and building strong muscles is one of the best ways to ensure a return on your investment. But if strength training has ever felt like something that required a gym or, even more expensively, a personal trainer - you might be surprised by how easy it is to do your own. So we’ve put together a straight-forward guide on why you should think about strength training and how to do it at home!
BENEFITS OF STRENGTH TRAINING
Strength training boasts a multitude of benefits including increased lean muscle mass, muscle tone, and mobility. It also amplifies your metabolism, helps manage weight, strengthens bones, improves posture, and fosters confidence.
WHY TRAIN AT HOME?
While fitness centers and gyms offer valuable amenities, including access to a wide variety of equipment that many homes and budgets could not accommodate; strength training at home can be just as efficient depending on your goals and your lifestyle.
Skipping the gym can help mitigate any time constraints that may stand in the way of your success. It not only cuts out the extra efforts it takes to get ready but also eliminates two ways of transit (to the gym and back), so you’re freeing up an easy 30 minutes or more that can be better allotted to training instead of driving.
If you’ve decided that strength training at home is the right path for you, here are some tips for getting started.
CARVE OUT THE TIME
Dedicate blocks of time in your week to working on your health and fitness. Consider them standing appointments with yourself and be accountable for showing up, just as you would to a meeting at the office or a visit with the dentist. Choose the portion of your day when you’re normally most available and most likely to have a positive energy level. If you know you’re often drained in the evenings and more liable to forgo a sweat session, try rising with the sun to check exercise off your list early in the day. You know yourself best, so choose a time that’s realistic for your lifestyle and you’ll be more likely to stick with it.
When you’re first starting, a commitment to training 2-3 days per week and 30 minutes per day is reasonable. Setting smaller, more manageable goals gets your foot in the door and makes your workouts seem less daunting. You may find after reaching your target of 30 minutes you feel energized and inspired to continue for 30 more!
CHOOSE A PROGRAM
If you’re not sure which moves to start with, you can find boundless online resources for at-home workouts including exercise charts, instructional videos, progressive programs, streaming services, and accountability groups that offer support and nutritional advice. All of these options can be tailored depending on your fitness level and goals. The key is to find exercises that keep you interested and looking forward to your workouts.
EQUIPMENT
If you’re a strength training novice, your body weight may be enough to start with. Calisthenic exercises like planks, squats, lunges, and push-ups will challenge your muscles enough to initiate change and build strength even without added resistance. As you quickly become stronger you can expand your repertoire to include equipment like hand weights, resistance bands, and kettlebells, or if your budget and space allow, strength training machines.
Once you’re ready for hand weights or kettlebells, start with an amount you can comfortably lift 10-15 times. The same goes for fitness bands, start with less resistance, and work your way up. Resist the urge to go big or go “home.” (See what I did there?) Lifting too much for your current fitness level will compromise your form and could potentially lead to injuries.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Eat something light, or at least be sure you’re not running on empty. Your body needs fuel to perform, so having a small snack like some fruit or a handful of granola will help keep your energy up through your workout. But you’ll want to avoid anything too heavy or hard to digest. A plate of fried chicken won’t sit well once your heart rate is up.
Keep a tall glass of water (or two) nearby. Hydration is key to replenish lost fluids due to perspiration, while deep breathing can dry out your mouth leaving you parched for a drink.
Have a towel handy. You’ll need it to wipe that hard-earned perspiration from your brow. And if you’re working with hand weights, you’ll want to keep sweaty palms dry, ensuring a firm grip to avoid accidentally dropping or throwing your weights during your workout.
DON’T SKIP THE WARM-UP
Going from zero to Billy Blanks without warming up could increase your risk of injury. Easing into your session with a quick warm-up, like some jumping jacks or swinging toe touches, will help lessen the risks. The prelude to your workout should get your heart pumping and increase your body’s core temperature while priming and activating the muscles you’ll be using for more intense movements to come.
PUT IN THE WORK
When arranging your strength training sessions, be sure to include all 5 major muscle groups in your workout rotation. — Chest, Back, Arms & Shoulders, Abs, Legs & Buttocks.
Determine a schedule for each muscle group depending on how many days you’ll be training. The more days per week you add to your routine, the more you can break down your workout to hone in on specific muscle groups.
For example, if you’ve committed to 2-3 days per week you can do full-body workouts including every muscle group on each of your active days, then sandwich your workouts with rest days on either side.
Here are some examples of what your weekly schedule might look like depending on how many days you’ll be training:
2 DAY WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Day 1- Full Body (all 5 muscle groups)
Day 2- Rest/Stretch
Day 3- Rest/Stretch
Day 4- Full Body (all 5 muscle groups)
Day 5- Rest/Stretch
Day 6- Rest/Stretch
Day 7- Rest/Stretch
3 DAY WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Day 1- Upper Body (arms, shoulders, chest, back, & abs)
Day 2- Rest/Stretch
Day 3- Lower Body (legs and butt) & Abs
Day 4- Rest/Stretch
Day 5-Rest/Stretch
Day 6-Full Body (all 5 muscle groups)
Day 7- Rest/Stretch
4 DAY WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Day 1- Upper Body (arms, shoulders, chest, back, & abs)
Day 2- Lower Body (legs and butt)
Day 3- Rest/Stretch
Day 4- Upper Body (arms, shoulders, chest, back, & abs)
Day 5- Lower Body (legs and butt)
Day 6- Rest/Stretch
Day 7- Rest/Stretch
5 DAY WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Day 1- Lower Body (legs and butt)
Day 2- Chest & Back
Day 3- Arms, Shoulders, & Abs
Day 4- Rest/Stretch
Day 5- Lower Body (legs and butt)
Day 6- Upper Body (arms, shoulders, chest, back, & abs)
Day 7- Rest/Stretch
As your strength and endurance increase, you can gradually move up to 4-5 active days per week (depending on the type of program you choose) with longer sessions, more sets and reps, and more weight or resistance.
USE PROPER FORM
Exercising with correct form is crucial for success in your fitness goals. You’ll make more efficient use of your energy, help avoid injuries, and yield better and quicker results. You may want to consult with a trainer or physical therapist for advice on working with proper form, then you can continue to check-in by watching your movements in a mirror.
REMEMBER TO STRETCH
Stretching is an important and often overlooked component of strength training. Ending each workout with a few minutes of stretching helps to enhance flexibility and retain a good range of motion. It relieves tension in muscles, decrease soreness, and prevents injury. It’s a simple step, so it’s easy to neglect it for the sake of wrapping up your training a few minutes sooner, but stretching should be considered a non-negotiable staple of every workout.
POST WORKOUT & RECOVERY
Strength training creates tiny tears in our muscles, and our muscles grow bigger and stronger by repairing those tears. So working areas of the body that are already trying to repair themselves is counter-intuitive. Try to stagger your workouts to allow one muscle group to recover while you work the other well-rested groups. This is not to say you can’t exercise if you’re experiencing some lingering soreness. But if walking down stairs makes you feel like one of those toys with the collapsing limbs it may be best to hold off another day or so.
Be sure to get at least 2 full days of recovery each week. Your rest and recovery days may include practicing “active rest” in the form of restorative movements like stretching, yoga, or Pilates. Continuing some form of physical movement on days you’re not training will help keep your efforts consistent.
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
Be conscious of how you’re feeling. Your body will tell you if you’re overdoing it. Soreness is expected, and a welcome sign that your efforts are effective. But the saying, “No pain, no gain,” does not always apply. If you feel actual pain rather than soreness something is wrong. You may need to adjust your form, lower your resistance, or consult your physician.
Likewise, you’ll know if you’re under-doing it. Your workouts should feel challenging and your muscles should feel fatigued. The old adage rings true. “If it doesn’t challenge you it doesn’t change you.”
EAT WELL
It’s recommended to nourish and refuel your body within 30 minutes of finishing a strength training session. Your post-workout meal should include lean protein (which supplies amino acids to help rebuild and repair muscles) and complex carbohydrates (to help your body utilize those amino acids). Some examples of good meal options are grilled chicken with broccoli, an omelet with veggies, or kidney beans with quinoa. Try to avoid anything processed or sugary.
STAY MOTIVATED
Let the small victories fuel your fire, whether it’s adding another training day to your schedule, advancing to heavier weights, noticing an improvement in your endurance, or beginning to see some muscle definition. Every positive step you take is elevating your health and moving you closer to your goal. Through consistent efforts, you should feel stronger fairly quickly, and you’ll likely notice small but visible changes within a few weeks.
Don’t allow yourself to get bored and switch up your routine if it’s starting to feel stale. Changing the nature of your workouts will keep your sessions fresh and help avoid a stall in your progress while preventing discouraging plateaus.
REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED
Whether you want to feel stronger, look better, or ultimately (and most importantly) improve your overall health, remember why you started and keep moving enthusiastically toward your goals. With commitment and consistency, strength training at home will have you well on your way to reaching them.
