The Beginner's Guide To Strength Training At Home

The Beginner’s Guide To Strength Training At Home : If the pandemic was good for one thing, it was showing us that it is possible to work out at home. There are so many effective home workout routines you can do with only your body weight or even with items around your house.

For those who are serious about strength training at home, then a few pieces of gym equipment can go very far. Today we are going to look at all that is possible at home, with a beginner’s guide to strength training.

Buying the right equipment

Just because you use a lot of equipment at your commercial gym does not mean that you cannot still work those muscles with just a few pieces of equipment. Anyone with a home gym will tell you that the greatest investment will be in adjustable dumbbells for weight training as they can be used for your arms, chest, back, legs and glutes. Don’t be tempted by cheap equipment at Kmart or even on Facebook Marketplace. Think of your gym equipment as your health and wellness tools and choose wisely!

Design the workouts

Now that you have the space and you have the equipment, you need to have a plan for what you are doing. There is a general consensus that you work a certain area of muscles at a time as you are pushing your muscles to the point of fatigue and then attacking another muscle the next day. There are so many apps, YouTube clips and even blogs that outline step-by-step workouts, so pick the exercises you like and compile a routine for Legs Day, Chest Day and so on.

If you are someone who loses interest in things quickly if you grow bored, then you might want to have a couple of variations in the mix. Keeping things exciting and different is going to make you more accountable and interested in your strength training goals.

Safety first

Whether you acknowledge trainers at a commercial gym or not – they are there to ensure everyone is safe. They are always in hand to spot you, walk you through how to use a piece of equipment and even conduct a more formal personal training session. At home, it is just you so you need to be acting safe at all times. You may find some peace of mind in texting a friend of a family member when you are about to start an intense session, or you may only feel comfortable approaching those heavier weights when there is someone in the house or you have invited a friend over to train with you.

Resists the temptation to go hard and hurt yourself – because then there is no strength training for a while!

Dress for success

Just because you are training at home does not mean you can be training in your pyjamas. You should be getting into apparel that is not going to catch on your gym equipment or your moving arms and legs, and you should be wearing active footwear so you can move quickly and safely with the right foot support. Getting dressed to go to the gym, even if it’s only 50 meters from your bedroom is all about the mindset of accountability. If you are really starting from scratch with not only strength training but working out in general, start with clothes that are tight, supportive and moisture-wicking for sweat.

It’s not a race

It’s incredible how we all have different bodies and carry our weight and strength in different parts of our bodies. We all begin our strength training journeys at different levels so it is important to remember that you are only running your own race. It is more beneficial to do more reps at a medium strength than it is to go very heavy and only be able to do a couple of reps. Think methodically about your workouts and try not to let the ego take over. You may also find value in keeping notes of what weight you used for each session and workout so you have better visibility over your progress.

The warm-up and cool-down are just as important

Do not rush your warm-up and do not skip your cool-down. This happens all too often at the gym and in fitness classes, and your muscles will not thank you for it. You only need to assign an extra five minutes before your strength training and another five minutes at the end of the session. If you are cringing at buying another piece of equipment, you will find that foam rolling exercises include so many different stretches for your warm-up and cool-down and it is affordable and easy to store.

Think of this portion of your workout as signalling to your body and muscles that work is coming, and that the hard work is over. Our muscles are so tight when we enter the gym, especially as most of us are sedentary throughout the day. You will absolutely be able to tell the difference in sessions where you prioritised stretching compared to those in that you did not.

Your new strength training regime starts today, so make sure you start strong! Like anything, the results will speak for themselves but only if you give these exercises the respect they deserve through safely training and routine planning.