I’ve been lifting weights for more than 25 years.
Looking back, I knew almost nothing about strength training and made nearly every mistake a beginner could make, some of which led to injuries that cost me years of progress.
Here are five tips I wish I knew when I first started lifting weights:
- Start light: Use light weights, ideally an empty barbell, so you can focus on proper technique. This reduces your risk of injury and limits excessive soreness that can interfere with recovery.
- Stay consistent: Getting stronger is a cumulative process. Focus on building a routine you can stick to because without consistency, you won’t gain much size or strength.
- Train the whole body: Full-body training is generally more effective for beginners than training one muscle group at a time. It allows you to train more frequently and practise more often.
- Focus on the fundamentals: Deadlifts, Squats, Benches and Presses train the most muscle, through the largest range of motion, with the most weight – make them the foundation of your program.
- Apply progressive overload: Linear progression, adding around 2.5 kg to the bar over time, is one of the safest, simplest and most effective ways for beginners to build strength consistently.
Put these principles into practice and you’ll build muscle, get stronger and dramatically reduce your chances of getting injured.
How a Personal Trainer Can Help You Build Strength, Muscle and Confidence In The gym.
Working with a personal trainer you’ll get an structured program to follow, expert coaching on how to perform the key exercises, and the support you need to push yourself safely in the weights room.
Ready to take the first step and start lifting weights?
Check out Healthy – my 12 week health and weight loss program designed specifically to help busy professionals working in Law, Banking and Insurance in the City of London.