The growing demand and curiosity around strength training is undeniable. According to an industry report, women’s use of free weights increased by 150% between 2011 and 2021. Adopting this type of workout is incredibly beneficial for your long-term health, though it can also be overwhelming. If you’re a strength-training newbie, it’s important to know that these workouts don’t require fancy equipment or complicated routines. All it takes are some fundamental moves, consistency, patience, and a set of dumbbells.
When you first start strength training, the exercises can be hard—which might have you scrambling to figure out how to build muscle ASAP, so your workouts don’t feel like punishment. After all, if every move is a struggle, it can be tough to motivate yourself to even start a workout routine, let alone give it a solid effort.
The key to creating an effective and sustainable workout routine is starting with a solid foundation of exercises that work each part of your body. If you focus on a handful of foundational moves, you’ll notice that they’ll start to feel easier with time. And once that happens, you can start progressing the moves by using heavier or different weights, trying advanced variations, or experimenting with completely new exercises altogether.
If you want to get stronger but don’t know where to start, we have you covered. Below are some impressive benefits of building muscle, along with fundamental exercises that every beginner strength-training program should include.
What are the benefits of strength training for beginners?
Building strength doesn’t just help you in your workouts—it can make day-to-day life easier too.
“Resistance training, whether it’s moving your body weight or external weights, is a great way to help your body stay functional and healthy in the long run,” Sivan Fagan, an ACE-certified personal trainer and owner of Strong With Sivan in Baltimore, tells SELF.
Increasing muscle strength can help make everyday movements less of a struggle, whether you’re carrying a week’s worth of groceries up the stairs, placing a bulky object on an overhead shelf, or simply getting up off the floor. And building balanced strength—by making sure you’re focusing on all muscle groups—is important because it helps prevent weaker muscles from overcompensating, which can lead to injury.
As you get older, maintaining muscle mass and strength becomes even more important for overall health. Resistance training can help older adults improve balance, build bone density, reduce the risk of falls, preserve independence, and even boost cognitive well-being, according to a 2019 position paper from the National Strength and Conditioning Association.