Best Strength Training Workout Routines and Exercises for Beginners

Strength training is aimed at providing better stamina and endurance to the body for attaining personal or professional fitness goals. If done regularly, you will note that these exercises will help your body muscles to get more toned up, and you will get better core strength, agility, flexibility, and stability. With all the hype associated with strength training, it is not a wrong thing to say that strength training exercises have become a necessity for nearly everyone hitting the gym or doing exercises at home.

Types of Strength Training Exercises

However, there is a misconception that strength training routines are hard to do. Strength training workouts for beginners can be done by breaking the whole pattern into simple exercises – dumbbell chest press, one-arm dumbbell row, are some of the activities that require a weight other than the body and are therefore termed as resistance or endurance exercises.

 On the contrary, there are some strength training exercises that involve the body’s own weight as the ultimate resistance. In formal terms, we will call these exercises calisthenics. Both endurance and calisthenics come under the umbrella of strength training exercises, as both are aimed at providing strength to the body.

Strength Training Exercises for Beginners

Before checking out some simple exercises for beginners regarding strength training, it is essential to note down the total number of sets and reps involved in each movement.

As a rule of thumb, you are required to do two sets of each exercise we will discuss here. 10 to 15 reps are adequate for each activity. Pick alternate days of the week for the practices. It is recommended you do these exercises two to three days a week.

Equipment

While calisthenics can be done using your body weight, you can use equipment like dumbbells ranging from 3 to 5 pounds and another one ranging from 8 to 12 pounds. You are also required to get a set of resistance bands. Proper gym clothes with the right fabric and fitting will make the whole experience much comfortable for you. You also need to get a yoga mat if you are a total beginner so that you don’t get undue stress on your feet.

Top Strength Training Exercises

Let’s see some of the ultimate strength training exercises for beginners:

1. One Arm Dumbbell Row

The one-arm dumbbell row is excellent for building strength in the upper body region, particularly in the arms, back, and shoulders. Doing this exercise while standing is a sure way to add more power to your core, and don’t hurry while doing any movement as the more stable and slower you are, the easier it gets to build the muscles in the designated area. Just stand with your legs hip-width apart and place a hand on a bench with the other arm holding the weight; continue to draw your elbow towards the rib and keep your back flat having a 45 degree bent at the hips.

• Chest Press Dumbbell

The chest is the largest region of the upper body muscles, and doing the chest press is the best exercise. It is a compound exercise, which means that it is also influencing your anterior deltoid muscles, which are in front of the shoulders and the triceps in the exercise. For doing this, lie on the bench and elbows that are bent 90 degrees to the sides; straighten up your arms and then return to the normal position. Keep your weights around the middle of your ribs. Do the exercises on the floor rather than a bench to avoid your arms from hyper-extending which can place undue stress on the shoulders.

• Bicep Curls

Biceps curl is probably the ideal isolation exercise for the biceps. An important thing to do is to mix up the momentum and do not swing for the dumbbells. You can pin up elbows at the sides and then lift the dumbbells up through your biceps. Stop before the elbows are moved towards your sides. It means that your shoulders should not be touching your weights. For doing biceps curl, you need to extend the arms in front of your thighs and place a dumbbell in each hand with your hands in front of you. Gradually curl your weights towards the shoulder and then gradually go down to the initial position.

• Triceps Extending

The triceps extension exercise is an amazing isolation exercise where you would not need too much weight for feeling the burn. The thing you will need to consider about it is to consider the elbow as the hinge, which will be pinned at the side. You should be moving your elbow to straighten your arm and then squeeze the triceps upward and then return. Stand with your legs with hip-width distance and then lean towards the waist, bend your elbows at 90 degrees at the sides while straightening your arms behind you.

• Lateral Raise for Shoulders

Lateral deltoid muscles, which are the sides of your shoulders, give your shoulders a good appearance. In this regard, doing a lateral raise will be the best exercise for isolating these deltoid muscles. Just like any isolated exercise, it is more about controlling for executing the move right. You need to stand with your arms relaxed by the sides with your palms facing inward. Then, raise your arms towards your shoulders.

• Squats

Squats are among the trendiest exercises of the lower region, especially when you are looking to build lower body strength and build stronger glute muscles. However, you need to keep in mind the right position and form to avoid any muscle injury, especially in the lower back region. This exercise can be done using bodyweight as well as external weights, but for beginners, it is recommended to use one’s own body weight. Make sure to work on becoming more flexible by the second as you do the exercise. Gradually, there will come a stage when you are able to drop low without having to drop your chest forward.

• Lunges

Front lunges are excellent for lower limbs and the glutes. However, if done wrong, they can cause a strain in your leg joints, especially the knee joints. Therefore, taking care of not going too far while practicing it is a thing to consider for beginners. Stand with your feet together and carry a dumbbell in each hand. Now extend your dominant foot and step forward while lowering down until your knees form a straight angle, and the knee of the leg behind is hovering off the floor. Use the front heel to return to the initial position and repeat the movement using the other side.

• Bicycling Twists

Bicycle twists are amazing for engaging different areas of the core, especially the oblique muscles. However, some make a mistake during the exercise that they pull on their neck. To avoid this error from happening, place the fingertips behind the temples and then keep the elbows open rather than closing them inwards the head. If you think there is a strain getting in your neck, then it means you are trying to lift it much higher than your ability to do so, and you are putting an additional strain on your neck. Lower the range and do not lift more than your potential; also, make sure to slow down the twists. Lie face up on the ground and then bend the opposite elbow towards the knee. Switch the sides after that.

• Superman Pose

It is an amazing exercise for the lower back that is good for preventing lower back injuries. When setting up the stomach, imagine planting the toes into the ground and do not let them come off the floor at any time. It will assist you in engaging your glute muscles as well. When you lift the chest off the ground, you do not have to lift much more than your potential. You need to only focus on squeezing the glutes as you are lifting while also engaging your lower back muscles. You will need to lie facing down the floor and lift the other limb. Then, switch the sides and keep gazing down for maintaining the right posture alignment.

Final Word

While you are doing these exercises, make sure that you pay attention to be consistent and positive. The results might not be instant as you would expect, but the key is to focus on moving forwards. Also, take care of the position and form so that you avoid getting any muscle injury or strain in the process. Moreover, it is essential you take care of your diet and hydration status as these are rudimentary in getting the results you desire. Be it for a professional purpose or just for fitness goals, making sure that you follow the aforementioned guidelines to help you start the process, and as you progress, you can up the game by including more weights and movements.