A Beginner's Guide to Weight Training: How to Get Started

More often than not, we come across situations when people boast about their strength training routine. Listening to people talk about their fitness journeys motivates us to have a workout routine. But every time a beginner makes their mission to start their weight training journey either at home or the fitness center, they often face hurdles that hinder the process of fitness goals achievement. For example, some do not know how to begin, while others get confused about the glossary and fitness terms. Much to everybody's dismay, opening YouTube and playing a video for a guided weight-training routine would also not suffice. So, what to do to achieve fitness goals without losing focus? The answer is simple! Start from the basics. The awareness of the foundational terms, basics, and exercises of weight training can help beginners make the most out of their weight training routine. 

What is weight training?

Weight training is the most common type of exercise routine that utilizes weights to gain resistance. Weight training, also sometimes called strength training, helps build muscle endurance and prevents joints from injuries. As complicated as it may sound, weight training is easy to do, even in the most basic of settings. To begin with, you need a pair of dumbbells, a mat, and plenty of water. And if you are not comfortable with the equipment, many physical exercises would produce the same effect.

In addition to the young, older people should also invest their time in strength training exercises. It is because as we age, the need of the body to keep our muscles in good shape increases. The reason is that losing body muscles affects our metabolism and leads to health-related issues like obesity, constipation, mood swings, fatigue, etc. Thus, many fitness experts and medical practitioners recommend regular exercises to tone muscles, build muscle strength and keep metabolism and body weight in check.

Benefits of weight training

1.     Fat Loss

A consistent weight training routine facilitates the process of burning calories even in a resting state. It is because weight training exercises improve metabolic rate by augmenting lean muscle mass. It leads to a significant decrease in body fat and maintains the overall physiology.

2.     Regulation of Blood sugar levels

Weight training increases the muscle's ability to take in glucose by improving the overall insulin levels. As per research, people with Type 2 diabetes can benefit immensely from high-resistance strength training or weight training. However, a consultation with your doctor before starting the exercises for health-specific considerations is recommended. 

3.     Strong Bones

Weight-bearing exercises are effective in strengthening the bones. Numerous research display that these types of workouts make the body work against gravity and make them strong. They also play a role in delaying bone loss by making them dense. Moreover, weight training exercises slow down the onset of age-related issues like osteoporosis.

4.     Increased Flexibility

Indulging in strength training workouts improves the ability of the body to move by stretching the muscles to greater degrees. It makes the body less stiff and escalates the blood flow to the muscles. There are many beginner workout routine at home for strength training that can help increase flexibility and mobility of the body.

5.     Lesser injury risks

As we age, our body becomes prone to muscle and bone-related injuries. Strength training must be a part of everybody's workout routine to prevent the occurrence of disorders. The main reason is that resistance exercise maintains a good muscle base and results in better coordination and balance.

Best Weight Training Exercises 

Having a dedicated gym routine is a goal that can be strenuous to achieve. But what if you can savor the benefits of weight training workouts at your convenience? In addition to cables and dumbbells, there are equipment-less workouts that you can do at home.

Engage your stabilizing muscles in some sweat-breaking strength training exercises to tone and define your muscles. Here are some weight-training activities that every beginner should include in their workout routine. 

1.      Push-ups

These define and tone the triceps, pectoral muscles, and shoulders.

2.      Glute Bridges

This exercise works the hamstrings, lower back, abs, and glutes.

3.      Chest Press

Chess press impacts the pectorals (chest), deltoids (shoulders), and triceps (arms).

4.      Lunges

Lunges enhance your glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings.

5.      Squats

This exercise impacts plenty of body portions, such as the buttocks, quadriceps, hamstrings, hip flexors, calves, etc.

6.      Deadlift

Deadlifts work upper and lower back muscles, hamstrings, trapezius, glutes, quads, etc.

7.      Single-arm dumbbell row

This exercise works the shoulders, biceps, upper and lower back, core, etc. 

6.      Curtsy lunge

This type of workout targets the quadriceps and glutes.

7.      Floor Press

With floor press, the main muscles that are worked upon are the triceps and chest.

8.      Kettlebell swing

Kettlebell swings work the glutes, hamstrings, upper back muscles, shoulders, core, etc.

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