WEIGHT TRAINING FOR BEGINNERS: HOW TO GET STARTED
Regardless of your age, fitness experience, or fitness goals, adding weight training to your exercise routine can be highly beneficial for your health and overall well-being.
Initially, lifting weights might seem intimidating, but don’t worry – it’s a normal feeling. This guide is here to assist you in grasping the basics of weightlifting, so you can step into the gym with more confidence.
Benefits of Weight Training
Weight training offers a wide range of benefits, including physical advantages like enhanced strength and muscle development, as well as mental health benefits such as improved mood and reduced anxiety. These are just a few examples. Discover more about the numerous amazing benefits of weight training. Its positive impact isn’t limited to the gym; it extends to our day-to-day lives, making it highly recommended for overall well-being. The NHS suggests engaging in two or more muscle-strengthening exercises per week that target all muscle groups, and weight training in the gym is an excellent way to meet these recommendations.
How to get started with lifting weights
If it’s your first time lifting weights, the idea of heading to a fixed-resistance machine or the free weights area for a workout might seem a bit intimidating. However, rest assured that as you become more familiar with the gym, the equipment, and practice weighted exercises, you’ll soon wonder why you were so nervous in the first place.
Step One:
We recommend starting by locating the weight training equipment in your gym. At Lets Get Fit locations, you’ll typically find a cardio area, fixed-resistance area, fitness studio, free weights area, and, in many cases, a functional training area. The primary places where you’ll find weight training equipment are the fixed-resistance machines area, free weights area, and functional area.
If you’d rather have someone guide you around our gym, consider booking an induction. During this session, a staff member or personal trainer will accompany you around the gym floor, offering a great opportunity to ask any questions you may have about the equipment or weight training. Knowing where everything is can provide peace of mind as you navigate your way around the gym.
Also, Read THE BEST FULL BODY TONING WORKOUT PLAN FOR WOMEN
Step Two:
Having a strong purpose behind your training is crucial, as it guides your approach and adds meaning to your efforts at the gym. Do you aspire to master the deadlift? Do you seek stronger arms to lift your growing kids? Are you aiming to enhance your body composition? Clarifying your goals helps shape your fitness journey.
Step Three:
Now that you’ve established your goals, it’s time to align them with your gym activities. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to reaching your goals, so don’t stress about creating the perfect plan. The key is to get started and do what feels right for you and meets your needs.
Here are some ways you can get into weight training.
1. Hire a personal trainer: We have personal trainers in each of our gyms who can help you reach your fitness goals. They’ll be able to teach you how to perform weighted exercises safely and with good technique and create a weight training program that’s tailored for you.
2. Try our strength plan: We have a range of workout plans on our app that you can try. This includes visual demos of the exercises and step-by-step guides, so all you have to do is follow along. Whilst this doesn’t provide a bespoke plan like you’d receive with a personal trainer, it’s free and can be a great way to help you get started. We also have over 400 free workouts to try in the app if you want to give these a go.
3. Join a fitness class: We offer a range of fitness classes that are included in your membership. Some of these include using weights such as Pump, Body Tone, and Kettlebell. Our classes are led by qualified instructors who will guide you through the workout so you don’t have to worry about putting a workout together. Booking into a class is easy, just open the Let’s Get Fit website to check out our class timetables. To ensure you can get a safe and great workout we have limited the number of spaces available in classes. We may also need to temporarily suspend them depending on Government instruction
Step Four:
Before starting your workout, remember to warm up, and after you’re done, be sure to cool down. This is crucial for preventing injuries.
During the initial weeks, aim to establish a weekly gym routine while focusing on learning how to perform exercises safely and correctly. Even if you’re not breaking a sweat initially and it feels like you’re not pushing hard enough, prioritizing good technique is crucial in this starting phase to prevent injuries. This approach ensures you get the most out of your workouts in the long run. Quality over quantity is key. Additionally, allow yourself sufficient time to rest between sessions, and you can find out more about why rest days are important in our guide.
It’s completely normal to often wonder, “Am I doing this right?” If at any time you feel uncertain about using equipment or performing exercises and would appreciate some guidance, our staff and the personal trainers in the gym are more than happy to help. Don’t hesitate to ask for assistance.