What IS strength training? New at exercise.....

Rosiered2

I love cardio....I do 2 tapes a day, 1 hour each. My morning tape is always the same Richard Simmons sweating to the oldies and I do sweat....have about 100 to lose so it gets me sweating. My lunch tape changes daily....one is a 3 mile walk in 45 minutes, with an exercise band.
I'm used to the cardio now and I hear everyone talking about strength training....I think its probably time to integrate that in to my schedule....
BUT what exactly is strength training and how do I get going on it? Do I have to go to a gym? Can I do it at home? How do I come up with a routine?
Thanks for the input!

ldalbello

I'd like to know as well.

holthaus30

Strength training is done with weights and you can do this at home, just buy some dumb bells. As far as routine you could always look online for home workouts, I go to a gym tho/

alt1268

I just started ripped in 30 today. It combines cardio with strenght training. I got a couple of those little weights from Walmart to help me on my way.

misticache

Bumping this for later. Very good question and I'd like to do the same!

lilRicki

it's lifting weights or doing calisthenics. You can do body weight exercises like squats, lunges, bird dogs, crunches, burpees, mountain climbers, bike crunches, etc...or you can do a 'jailhouse" work out where you get 5lb bags of flour and lifting them lol there's a website you can go to where you can find household stuff to strength train with. I lift at a gym and use a combo of free weights and pully weights. just do some googling and see what works best for you.

Taylerr88

its pretty much how it sounds.. you are training for strength.. some programs consist of SL5x5 , Starting strength etc.. the programs are designed to have you on a liner progression path to really overload your muscles and aid them in growth.

ST programs are pretty much designed around squats deadlifts and bench.. therefore you can pretty much do them anywhere as long as you have enough weight to support it and the proper equipment.

meshashesha2012

strength training means you are working close to your max 1 rep weight with enough resistance that you cause rips and years in your muscles that will force them to repair and rebuild stronger. eventuslly you get to the point that you are continually increasing your max rep weight and therefore increasing your strength.

typical strength workout can be something like 3 sets of 8 reps or 5 sets of 5 reps. the lower number of reps, the more weight you should be lifting and the more you are actually doing strength training.

some people also use resistance training as a synonym but this isn't necessarily the same especially if they are doing lots of reps with light weights. also the burn people feel when they do a zillion reps of light weights is NOT building muscle.

so basically strength training is always done eith weights but it's done with enough weight to continually
tax your muscles.

at the moment im doing new rules of lifting for women. i have to work out in a gym because it's the cheapest way for me to strength train since im constantly increasing weights. plus i don't have space for squat rack, olympic bars, dumbbells and weight plates.

chachita7

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/strength-training/HQ01710

the above is some reading for you

jcstanton

Strength training, also referred to as weight lifting, resistance training, etc... Cardio exercises are designed primarily to improve your cardio vascular (heart/lungs) performance. Strength training exercises are designed primarily to build muscle, improve muscle endurance (i.e. your legs won't get tired as quickly when you are running), and to reduce the risk of injury during physical activity. All exercise burns calories and is, therefore, beneficial to weight loss. You can design a strength training workout that effectively raises your heart rate, but most health and fitness professionals will still recommend that you continue to implement cardio routines at least 2 or 3 times per week...expecially when trying to lose weight. There are routines you can do at home, but I prefer to do it at a gym because, as someone else has already mentioned, it usually ends up being cheaper to pay a monthly gym membership than to keep buying equipment as your strength/fitness level improves. Also, unless you have an extra room in your home to house all of that extra equipment, it can tend to clutter up your house.

columbo1

Strength training is building and toning muscles. I was doing some training and found I was getting big around my knees. Too muscular. So now I am focused on cardio, upping my resistance and RPMS, on the bike and treadmill. When I lose a desired amount of weight and my knees look 'normal' again, I will restart my strength training. I was using weight machines, I guess I felt strong enough to bear too much weight.
Hope this helps.

koneil83

Today was Day 8 for me with the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred on level 1. She combines strength training with cardio and there are 3 levels of intensity. It was my first time doing the strength training when I bought the dvd. I also bought 2 three pound weights to go along with it. It is a awesome workout I love it!

iqnas

Ahh...have to buy weights and a jump rope now! Ready to tone!

lisa28115

bump

KeriA

I like this question too. I have been weight training at they gym but I feel I need to add some strength training like planks, push ups squats etc. and wanted to know what was a good step for someone who is just beginning. I have heard about alot of DVDs but not sure which is best for the beginner so I think the suggestions here may work for me too. Good luck to the OP and great question.

antoniosmooth

There are literally hundreds of strength training workouts and exercises you can do at home without a gym.

Personally I suggest resistance bands and body weight exercises as a perfect start.

For body weight Push Ups are a perfect start. Pushups work your chest, shoulders, triceps, stomach (if you keep it tight), and buttocks (if you squeeze them in). If you can't do a regular push up you can easily train up to doing at least 10 - 20. You can do push ups on your knees or my favorite way of training people beginning pushups is to place your hands on a bench, back of couch, or standing wall pushups. Once you become more advanced or have the ability of doing more than 10 pushups at a time you can add in different hand placements to work different parts of you chest and shoulders.

Reverse crunches are great for the abs when conducted in a circuit after pushups

Chair dips, Chair Squats and Chair curls are GREAT for adding them into a circuit for at home strength training.

Using Resistance bands for an at home workout can closely mimic machines in the gym.

lilRicki

I like this question too. I have been weight training at they gym but I feel I need to add some strength training like planks, push ups squats etc. and wanted to know what was a good step for someone who is just beginning. I have heard about alot of DVDs but not sure which is best for the beginner so I think the suggestions here may work for me too. Good luck to the OP and great question.

you can do any type of body weight exercise...tonight I do 2 sets of 15 squats...but because i've been doing them awhile, i hold a 20lb dumbell at about waiste level to give me extra umph. planks are super effective, and not easy at all. if you can't do a full pushup, don't do a girlie one, it totally takes away from your core muscles...do them at an angle (i'm at 45 degree angle right now) because you're still engaging your core. NO KNEES! Lunges are great, if you're not ready for walking lunges, just lightly place your hand on a wall and do 15 on each leg twice (30 all together)...steps are great too, just find something to step up on, hold onto weights if that's to easy. finish it off with some seated rows and call 'er good

lisa28115

a good place to start....

Strength training routine
3 times per week


Use 5 to 8 lb weights


1. Bicep curls 3 to 5 sets 12 to 15 reps
2. Shoulder press 3 to 5 sets 12 to 15 reps
3. Tricep extentions 3 to 5 sets 12 to 15 reps
4. Deadlifts 3 to 5 sets 12 to 15 reps
5. Squats 3 to 5 sets 12 to 15 reps
6. Push Ups 3 to 5 sets 8 to 12 reps

Once this is mastered move on to 10 and 12 lb weights.

Rosiered2

Thank you to everyone, I feel so much better about this. I "googled" per someone's suggestion and I've taken everything suggested and I have a plan now! I appreciate your time answering the question and I hope it helped some other people too!!

***I really thought it was much more complicated than this (I know this is just the beginning) but this is doable to start out.

THANK YOU!!

nutandbutter

a good place to start....

Strength training routine
3 times per week


Use 5 to 8 lb weights


1. Bicep curls 3 to 5 sets 12 to 15 reps
2. Shoulder press 3 to 5 sets 12 to 15 reps
3. Tricep extentions 3 to 5 sets 12 to 15 reps
4. Deadlifts 3 to 5 sets 12 to 15 reps
5. Squats 3 to 5 sets 12 to 15 reps
6. Push Ups 3 to 5 sets 8 to 12 reps

Once this is mastered move on to 10 and 12 lb weights.

Chest? Back?

lisa28115

Pick a muscle, any muscle!

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/WtFemale.html

If not for fat loss, but body balance, make up your own program targeting what you need.

Warmbloodwear

bump