Do you want to start lifting at home but you're not sure how to get started?
Trying something new can be scary especially when you feel like you have no clue what you are doing or where to start. When I started lifting weights I was clueless about all of it. In many gyms the weight room can be an intimidating place and without ANY knowledge about what the heck you are doing you will most likely feel more than a little out of place. When you are a beginner learning to lift at home definitely has some major benefits.
You will need very little equipment to get started.
- Set of dumbbells.
- Adjustable bench or an exercise ball.
*I would suggest having a set of adjustable weight dumbbells or a variety of light, medium, and heavy weights. It won't be long before you realize that you are capable of lifting A LOT heavier than you thought!
You will also need:
- Pen and paper or the notepad in your phone.
- A workout plan.
See?! Very minimal equipment to get started and see results! Seriously!
Now that we have our equipment let's talk about the workout plan. In order for us to get started we NEED to have a guide. My suggestion when starting out it is to plan to lift 4 days a week for about 30 min. This allows us to take every other day off for rest and recovery. Your off days can be used for cardio, HIIT, walking, cycling, yoga, or other restorative activity. But, no need to overdo the cardio, taking a walk everyday and a few sessions of moderate to high intensity cardio a week is plenty!
There are tons of great strength training programs online but when we are just starting out it can seem complicated, advanced, and a little like a foreign language. There are a lot of unfamiliar terms and the workout may seem very different than what we are used to if we have never lifted weights before.
Most strength training workouts are structured with a sets of exercises like this example:
Exercise: Squat
Set 1- Weight 50 Rep 8-10
Set 2- Weight 50 Rep 8-10
Set 3- Weight 50 Rep 8-10
So here you will perform 3 sets of 50 lb squats.
For each set you will squat 8-10 times, these are the repetitions (reps).
Recording or taking note of the exercises, weight, number of sets, and number of reps is important because increasing the weight over time and/or increasing the number of reps from one week to the next is how we will build muscle.
So now we know what equipment will be necessary for us to get started at home and we have some general knowledge of how our workout will be laid out. And it is also important to know that in between each set we will rest 1-3 minutes.
Ready to give it a try?
It might take a few workouts for you to decide which weights will be best for you to start with. If you are working in the 8-10 rep range and you complete 10 or more reps in a set without too much effort you may want to increase your weight for the next set.
So grab a set of weights and try this simple 20 minute Real Strong Butt Blaster! Remember that we are working to build strength by lifting heavy and challenging our body, so you may see these 4 exercises and think oh this will be easy or this isn't enough. But if you're are lifting heavy and working hard this workout should blast your butt and leave you sore tomorrow.
