Strength Training for Beginners

I'm sure everybody has been interested in strength training at some point in their life, looking to look better or to improve in their sport. However strength training can be a daunting task for beginners with the multitude of conflicting information available on how to strength train, many beginners soon drown in it, not knowing what to believe or to follow. However strength training doesn't have to be as complicated as it is made out to be.
They should first decide on their goal. Whether it is to lose weight, gain muscle or to gain strength. All these goals can be obtained but there are some differences in the ways to achieve them as well as the steps to get them. Goals should be planned out before starting and should be measurable to keep the motivation to do strength training going whether it is weight, body fat or muscle size. For a beginner a number of basic factors need to be considered which I will break down below.

1. Frequency
Unless you are a genetic superior who recovers quickly, beginners should not train two days in a row without taking a day off. If the same muscles are worked two days in a row without insufficient rest, the muscles may be unable to repair the fiber damage which could cause injury or lack of progress.

In strength training recovery is more important than the training itself, your muscles grow when your outside the gym recovering not during the training. For beginners a good frequency to start off with is three workouts per week on non-consecutive days. As you progress, this can increase to 3-5 day splits but this should be taken slowly to prevent injury.

2. Sets, reps and weight
Although there has always been a large debate about sets and reps in the strength training field. Fortunately for beginners, this is not as important as when you have been strength training for a year or more. A good number of sets to start with are 3 sets since 1 set does not put the muscles under enough pressure to grow since you won't be lifting very heavy weights when you first begin, and if the weight is heavy enough, the muscle will usually be fatigued by the 3rd set.

The number of reps will mainly depend on the goal of the beginner. If their goal is to increase strength for their sport, the rep range should be kept in the 3-5 rep range but if they are looking to build size and tone then the rep range should stay in the 6-12 rep range. Using a rep range, it becomes fairly easy to know when to increase the weight, as you can start at the bottom of the range and when you can do the top easily you should increase the weight.

Weight should be heavy enough that you can comfortably reach the middle of the rep range or just make it to the top of the rep range. For beginners it is better to start slow though to avoid injury. Beginners are usually better off starting with a lower weight and increasing it linearly to get the best result as technique improves and the weight increases.

3. Exercises
The number of exercises for a beginner should usually be one exercise per muscle group. This is because a beginner usually has difficulty remembering too many exercises when they first begin. Generally compound exercises like squats and the bench press should be focused on as they involve the most muscles. For a beginner they will stimulate the most muscles and allow maximum growth. Isolation shouldn't be forgotten but large muscle groups should be stimulated with compound exercises that use a large number of muscles. The basics are usually harder but they are also the most efficient although proper technique should always be learned before doing them.

4. Rest between sets
The rest between sets can differ depending on the goal. A good general guideline is one minute between sets but if training for strength or power, the rest interval could be increased to 2-4 minutes. If training to decrease body fat, 20-45 seconds between sets would increase the aerobic effect.

5. Lifting and lowering of weight
All repetitions should be performed under control. A good rep speed range is 2-3 second to lift the weight and 3-4 seconds to lower the weight. This puts more stress on the muscles as you resist gravity while lifting and lowering the weight. Some athletes lift explosively for sports but for beginners, it is better to keep the rep speed controlled to avoid injury.

6. Motivation
Stay consistent and use measurable ways to mark progress. As your body weight or body fat goes down, the beginner is usually motivated to continue. Gains in muscle size usually also motivate beginners to keep going. Everybody has bad days; the key to strength training is to keep going even if you make mistakes here and there like eating too much during the holidays or similar things.

7. Diet
No strength training will work without a suitable diet. A suitable ratio for someone trying to lose weight and gain muscle would be 50% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 20% fat. Carbohydrates should be kept to complex carbs including brown rice and wholegrains.White bread, white rice and other similar simple carbohydrates should be avoided when possible. Protein should be kept to high quality fresh protein like unprocessed pork, beef or chicken, processed meats like sausage, burger and bacon should be avoided although they can be eaten once in a while. Fat is good but trans-fats should be avoided when possible. If these diet tips are followed, it will be easier to gain muscle and keep your body type.

8. Beginner routine
A good beginner routine is a full body workout 3 days a week. A sample workout would involve one exercise for each body part done for 3 sets of 12-8 reps.Proper technique should be learnt before doing each exercise, preferably from a trainer in a gym or someone knowledgeable about exercise. If unavailable, proper technique can be learnt through books and a friend or relative can watch to correct errors in technique. A sample workout with exercises is shown below

1. Bench press (chest)
2. Shoulder press (shoulders)
3. One arm dumbbell row (upper back)
4. Triceps extension (triceps)
5. Bicep curl (biceps)
6. Squats (thighs)
7. Standing calf raise (calves)
8. Lying leg curl (hamstrings)
9. Crunches (abs)

Information on the exercises and techniques involved can be found online or at bodybuilding.com.It is usually better to watch videos of the techniques to get a general idea of how they are done. After 2-3 months, the beginner can decide whether they want to progress to more advanced routines. No routine is ideal for everyone though, so exercises can be switched in or different rep ranges may be used but these are good general guidelines for a beginner. However strength training should always be included with cardio and nutrition to get optimum results. For beginner, these general guidelines should be followed but they can be varied based on body types and goals