Introduction to Strength Training

Lifting weights can be intimidating if you've never done it before. All those hulking, sweaty men grunting at their dumbbells, flexing for themselves in the mirror can make for a nervous novice. Strength training is an essential component to any exercise program - it helps build lean muscle which is what burns calories when our body is at rest. Having more muscle can increase your basal (or resting) metabolic rate, the rate at which your body burns calories. Excess fat does nothing for us when our body is at rest, except hang out and make our jeans tight.

There are many avenues to choose from when assembling a strength training program, but they all have one thing in common:  resistance. Some different types of resistance are body-weight, elastic resistance, free weights, machines, and plyometric resistance. For now, I will cover three of the most common:  body-weight, dumbbell and elastic resistance.

Body-weight training is the basis for weight training, and perhaps the most convenient because it doesn't require equipment. Some exercises that fit into this type of resistance training are squats, push-ups, abdominal crunches, and lunges. Unfortunately, when body-weight training reaches a certain point in terms of strength and endurance, it can lose its effect. As with any practice, to improve, you must increase difficulty. You can increase your repetitions of each exercise, but this will quickly turn from strength training to endurance training. For building size and strength of muscles, it is more effective to increase weight.

Additional resistance, or the use of free weights/dumbbells is an extension of body-weight training. It allows you to gradually increase the difficulty and push the muscle. You can add as little as 1 pound of additional weight, or as much as 20 pounds.

Elastic resistance is different from using dumbbells in that you only have a couple of choices when varying the amount of resistance. You can play with the tension of a band - the more you stretch it, the more resistance you encounter. Or, you can use different bands that offer different resistance. This can be a less expensive option if you're looking to invest in some equipment for your home.

If you're just starting to experiment with weight training, I would suggest adding some of the most common body-weight exercises to your routine. If you can work with a trainer once or twice to make sure you have proper form (I have tried to outline below), that is ideal. Before beginning your cardio, and after a 5-10 minute warm-up, do 15 repetitions of each of the following:

• Squats:  Feet about shoulder-width apart, toes facing forward. Push through the heels without putting any weight in the front of your foot (make sure you can wiggle your toes). Sit your hips back as if sitting back into a chair, until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Stand back up. Repeat 15 times.
• Push-ups: Palms slightly wider than shoulder-distance apart. You can be on your knees or your toes; keep a straight back and lower your chest to the floor. Push back up to starting position. Repeat 15 times.
• Forward lunges: Begin standing with feet together, hands on hips. Step forward with your right foot, you will come up on that toe slightly. Lower your body down until your right thigh is parallel with the floor, pushing through your heel (no weight in the front of the foot). Look for a 90 degree bend at the knee. Stand back up, pulling your right foot back to your starting point; repeat with left foot stepping forward. Repeat 15 times on each side.
• Basic crunch:  Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Fingertips are placed gently on the back of your head, imaginary tennis ball under the chin, eyes on the ceiling. Keeping your elbows wide (they should be out of your peripheral vision), lift your shoulder blades toward the ceiling as you pull your belly button in towards your spine and push your lower back into the floor. Lower back down without letting your abs lose their contraction. Repeat 15 times, or more if you feel like you can (abs can usually take a little more of a beating).

These exercises should be done slowly and carefully, but with little to no rest in between. Once you have completed one set of each, take a short break (1 minute or less) and do another 1-2 times. These can be done 2-3 times a week on non-consecutive days.