3 Things To Consider When Starting Strength Training
Stop waiting or procrastinating start your journey to getting stronger today.
There is never wrong time to get stronger.
I know you may want to wait until some completely arbitrary date, like next week on Monday, or maybe the first of the month, because somehow these things equate to a "fresh start".
But the truth is--the sooner you start the better.
Still on the fence? Let me give you a few things to consider.
You Can Do LITERALLY ANYTHING and Get Stronger
When you are new to strength training ANYTHING counts.
It doesn't matter if you're running, playing, tennis, gardening, etc. if you are being physically active you are getting stronger.
And this should make sense right? Because if you were never, or rarely, physically active then any physical exertion should result in strength gains.
But speaking to the point of LITERALLY ANYTHING will make you stronger, even if you were just to THINK about exercise and visualize yourself working out, you would get stronger! It's science bro.
by Scientific American
When it comes to strength you don't need to over think it. Just get out and start DOING.
And go out and have fun!
Develop a positive relationship with physical activity.
Go hiking, do a walk and talk with a friend, ride a bike, lace up those old sneakers and shoot around at a local park, do something you enjoy.
And if you can't find something you can enjoy, do something you can tolerate and has the LEAST barrier to entry.
You can start by taking the stairs at work, or doing "walk and talks" for your meetings at work, parking farther away from your destinations, or hitting the gym for 10 mins and then heading home.
The main take away point here is get started. Don't wait. Don't overthink it. Just do it.
It's More About the Habit than the Action
You have probably read articles, watched videos, and listen to podcasts all telling your which methods are the BEST for losing weight, getting stronger, and leaner, but when you are just getting started "best" or most optimal is not the priority.
Easiest and, therefore, "most likely to complete" IS.
Because strategies revolving around creating habits and routines are the keys for long term success.
It's not whether squatting with a barbell or if interval training is the most effective it's whether or not you can honor the commitment your made to yourself to be more physically active.
That may not look like heavy squats and an hour and 15 minutes at the gym, it may look like standing at your desk or jumping on a bike for 10 minutes.
It's the idea that momentum builds inertia, and once enough forward motion is accummulated you will have a harder time stopping or slowing down.
Build inertia by being consistent.
Because success in any endeavor is just consistency over time.
Stick to A Couple Workouts
When it comes to health and fitness I believe too much complexity can be detrimental.
I know elaborate plans, and dutifully thought out strategies seem like the way to go, but more often than not they can halt progress before you even have a chance to start.
So when you get to the point of pursuing conventional strength training it's better to develop a couple of workouts and get proficient at performing the exercises within those workouts, and from there, you can advance by increasing frequency.
For example, you would develop Workout A and Workout B and perform these twice a week. You can do this for some time (about a month) and progress with training variables such as number of sets and reps, and eventually load (weight).
Once you feel comfortable with the movements and training consistently you can increase training frequency to three times a week utilizing the same two workouts to advance your training.
For example on week one it may look like:
- Monday - Workout A
- Tuesday - Off
- Wednesday - Workout B
- Thursday - Off
- Friday - Workout A
- Weekend - Off
The following week may look like:
- Monday - Workout B
- Tuesday - Off
- Wednesday - Workout A
- Thursday - Off
- Friday - Workout B
- Weekend - Off
You can even, on your days off, perform any cardio of your choosing, or assign a "play day" in which you would just plan to be physically active, i.e. rock climbing, browsing the local farmers market, walking the dog.
Don't overcomplicate things. In the beginning, remember EASY is your best friend.