A Beginner Strength Training Routine

For a beginner (or even someone who’s been out of the game for a while!), it can be daunting to come up with a plan on how to start strength training. In this article, I’ll share with you why strength training is important, how to create a strength training program and an example routine to get you started.

Always be sure to check with your medical practitioner before beginning any exercise program. If a doctor has ever mentioned that you should avoid particular movements due to a medical condition or injury, then be sure to exclude those movements from your routine!

Why Strength Training?

Maybe you already have a really good habit of going on walks or playing pickle ball for exercise - that’s amazing! So why bother with strength training too? Well, it may help to think about other things that you do throughout the day. Maybe you get that 12-pack of water bottles into your cart. Then into your trunk. Then into your house. You climb in and out of your car. You sit down and get back up. You climb stairs and carry things, often at the same time. Strength training makes all those things easier! Giving you more energy back to keep up with your family, friends and hobbies. There’s also the added health bonus of slowing age-related bone and muscle loss, of course.

The Main Components of a Strength Training Routine

I recommend starting out with training 2-3 days per week for about 30 minutes. To train the “full body” we’ll want to cover the legs, arms (both pushing and pulling) and core. Now, over the long run it’s good to vary the directions of push/pull and muscle groups that you focus on, but first it’s important to build the habit and do the same basic exercises on repeat to give your body the chance to adapt to the new stimulus. It’s when you recover and repeat and recover again that you start getting stronger!

Example Home Routine

All you’ll need for this routine is a chair and some resistance bands. For a complete beginner, use your first session to just find which level of exercise is the right one for you and do only 1 round of each exercise. In the routine, I list regressions (ways to make it easier) and progressions (ways to make it harder). The right level is one that feels challenging, but doable. For the first few sessions, you’ll only do 1 round of each exercise until it starts to feel relatively easy. Then you can add a second round, going through the routine a second time. As the exercises start to feel easier yet again, you can then start to progress with the example progressions listed or even add a third round if you have time. This is all over the course of several weeks or even months, so be patient with yourself :)

Warm up with 5 minutes of walking (or walking backwards is a great warm up too! More on that in a future post!)

1. Sit to Stand

Regression: Use assistance from the chair’s arms or start with a higher chair.

Progression: Hold dumbbells or a resistance band while standing on the band.

2. Standing hip flexor lift - 10-20 repetitions

Regression: Perform this exercise seated in a chair, lifting one knee up at a time as high as you can while sitting up straight.

Progression: Add a mini-band loop around your feet or ankle weights for extra resistance.

3. Chest press with bands - 8-12 repetitions

Regression: Start with a very light band or even no band at all.

Progression: Perform the exercise standing, use a heavier band or even press just one arm at a time.

4. Row with bands - 8-12 repetitions

Regression: Use a very light band. Or, stand with your back against the wall and press your elbows back into the wall with good posture and your core engaged.

Progression: Use a heavier band or row with one arm at a time.

5. Bird Dog - 5-10 repetitions each side

Regression: Perform this exercise standing with your hands on the wall. Reach one arm overhead and the opposite leg back, all while keeping your core engaged and a neutral spine. Similar cues as the video above!

Progression: High Bird Dog - perform this exercise starting in a push-up position, with your knees lifted.

Finally, cool down with light stretching, like this chest stretch at the doorway. It can be especially helpful to use this cool down time to stretch your tightest areas. Hold each stretch for 30-60 seconds.

Where do you go from here?

Once you feel the progress and you’ve been at it for a few months, you may be ready for more and can research some additional exercises to swap in. If it is an option for you, a trainer could also help you to make sure your form is on point and discover where any particularly weak or tight points are. Then you can put more effort into bringing those “weak links in the chain” up to speed with the various exercises in their toolkit.

If you’re looking for more individualized assistance with your strength training routine based on your own goals and limitations, then my 1:1 personal training and coaching services could be just what you need. I’m Annelise, specialist online personal trainer for older adults and cancer survivors. I have lots of experience helping my clients to gain strength and fitness delivering individualized training plans that can be done from their own homes.

If you’d like to discuss your needs and goals, and how I can help you on your strength training journey, please book your free consultation here!