When I first started gym and strength training it was very tough for me to even lift a single weight. I was confused and frustrated about how I started my strength journey. I didn’t know if I was doing things properly. That’s when a friend of mine told me to take it slow.
With his help, I learned how to start and what to do next. He showed me the basics and helped me move forward one step at a time. I was lucky to have a friend like him, but not everyone has someone to guide them.
That’s why I’m writing this blog—to help you start your strength training journey just like my friend helped me. In this article, I’ll share simple tips to get you started. But remember, the most important thing is to be consistent. Without consistency, you won’t see the results you want. So, take it slow, stick with it, and you’ll make progress. Let’s begin your strength journey together!
Understanding the Science of Strength Training
Strength training involves many Instances on a physiological level which aims at the development of muscular strength. When one exercises with weights, Their muscles experience micro-tears in the body, which in turn rebuild themselves into stronger tissues. Such changes are regulated by hormones released throughout the body such as testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH). Also, strength training involves enhancing neuromuscular connections and as a result enhancing the intricacy of muscle contractions. Here are some key aspects of the science behind strength training:
Muscle Contractions
Concentric Contraction: This happens when a muscle exercises force while in its shortest position for instance during a weight lifting process.
Eccentric Contraction: This occurs when one tries to set a muscle while in a state of contraction for instance when lowering a weight. There are two types of contraction; both of them are highly significant for muscle mammillate and strength building.
Neurological Adaptations
Improved Coordination: Strength training also involves the camping of muscles thus improving the relay between the brain and muscles hence better movements.
Motor Unit Recruitment: While exercising, your motor units – networks of muscle fibres associated with one nerve – become progressively better coordinated.
Hormonal Responses
Testosterone and HGH: These hormones are important in the building of muscle tissue and their secretion may be something that strength training will affect.
Insulin Sensitivity: Strength training thus helps in enhancing the level of use of glucose in the body and energy coordination by enhancing the level of insulin sensitivity.
5 Basic Strength Training for Beginners
- Squats: Let’s take a closer look at how to fully control the process of training the most effective exercise of all – the squat.
- Take a comfortable stance with the distance between the two feet parallel to each other.
- Tighten your abdomen muscles, pull up your buttocks, and look forward.
- Gradually bending your knees slowly lowers your body down to the squatting position with your weight being in the heels.
- Now take a break and jump with the help of your heels to rise back to a standing position.
- Begin with the movement without weights, and as you gain strength and confidence, incorporate the plates into your routine.
- Bicep Curls: Building Upper Body Strength
- This can be done with your feet spread a little wider than shoulder width, grasping the dumbbells with palms facing in front of you.
- Your upper arms should remain relatively motionless, it is your forearms that should be active.
- Package the dumbbells to chest level, and contract your biceps at the highest point.
- Lower the dumbbells back to the starting position and do not swing or jerk the weights.
- Bicep curls should be done in slow motion to get the best out of your target muscles.
- Push-ups: A Full-Body Exercise
- Take a position on the plank with your hands placed shoulder-width apart from each other, and ensure your abdomen is pulled in and the body along the highest part of the head to the tip of the heels.
- Bend your knees, extend your arms forward and lower your body downward as much as possible keeping your upper arms in contact with your torso.
- Return to the standing position, as far as your chest and head are concerned, don’t allow your hips to drop or your back to bow.
- Try to move down slowly as well as take approximately 2-3 seconds to come down and about 2-3 seconds to go back up.
- Deadlifts: The Compound Exercise for Total Body Strength
- Take a parallel stance with your feet, and grip a weight or barbell with your hands at about the same distance apart from your shoulders.
- Suck in your belly button, tuck your tailbone, and bend at the waste.
- Slowly bring the weight down to the floor with the knees forming a slight bend, and your weight shifted to the heels.
- Slide your heels to the ground and pull yourself up to standing, engaging your glutes while also pressing your hips backwards.
- Slowly lower the weight without swinging or jerking the weight during the entire movement.
- Lunges: Building Strength and Balance
- Place your feet side by side, and move one of your feet forward as if you are going to kick something, this distance should be large.
- Reduce yourself to a nearly parallel position to the ground, front leg’s knee position must be at a 90-degree angle while the second leg’s knee should be almost touching the ground.
- Swing through your front heel to get back to standing, do not let your back knee go past the toes.
- Perform with two legs at a time, and ensure the movement is determined and precise to hit your butt, thighs, and thigh muscles.
Remember to:
- One has to begin with a smaller amount of weight and step up as one gains muscle and self-assurance.
- The volume being rep’d should not be the number of reps or the weight used but the form and technique of the reps being done.
- It is recommended to exercise with warm muscles and it is also important that the muscles are warmed down after the exercise session.
- It is also important to pay attention to one’s body and if feeling tired stop and have a break to recover, but the strength training should be tough.
Conclusion: The Strength Journey is Yours to Own
For those of you looking forward to starting your strength training regime, let me tell you, it is a call for every single step. People need to remember that every great person once began at the lowest point in their career. The key is consistency—don’t rush, take it one step at a time, and celebrate your progress along the way. Every rep you do whether you’re focused on achieving the perfect squat form or gradually increasing your deadlifts is taking you a step closer to your dreams. Always remember that stay patient, stay focused and learn to listen to the body. Again, one thing you have to know is that muscle isn’t only made in the gym but it is also made in the mind.