Weight training is often a misunderstood activity by those who do not do it. It is associated with weightlifting or even bodybuilding however they all have different purposes yet do involve the “lifting of weights”.  Weight training involves the use of resistance in order to make the body stronger, have more endurance, possibly reshape the body and very importantly increase bone density. All of which are essential components of general fitness. Bodybuilding and weightlifting have these benefits also but different goals are targeted than just overall fitness. 

For most people general overall fitness is the goal and weight training is one activity that can be used to cover a lot of the components of overall fitness. For the purposes of this article I will focus on weight training and some basic principles. 

Weight training is a great activity to include in your lifestyle to achieve and maintain a better healthier body. The purpose of resistance (weight) training is to train the muscles so that over time, they will become more efficient at handling the daily stresses we subject our bodies to. Therefore the body becomes stronger, developes more endurance and even more flexibility resulting in  more efficiency. A more efficient body not only performs better physically but also remember it  becomes healthier on the inside. Metabolic rate, cardiovascular health, digestion, fat versus muscle composition and of course mental health are all improved. When your body feels good YOU feel good. Both physically and mentally! 

For someone just starting a weight training program it can be a daunting or even intimidating challenge. It doesn’t have to be. It should actually be something that very quickly becomes enjoyable; just give it some time. Time for your mind to realize, “hey, I kinda like this. This feels good.” Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. This activity is all relative; what benefits someone else might not be beneficial to you. Way too many factors are involved to be  comparing your program to other people. Too many to even list. Just stick to your program and the level that is comfortable yet challenging for you. 

The nice thing about weight training is that it can be performed in the privacy of your home or it can be in a gym setting. Both have their advantages and whatever works for you is the right setting. Important to keep in mind however is that there are a lot more wrong ways to be weight training and performing a specific exercise than there are correct ways. So a trainer is helpful but also there are very good instructional videos on YouTube and other social media if a trainer is not for you. 

One important principle to follow in weight training is to make the body stronger, it must be subjected to work just above the threshold that it can already do. In other words, if I only use a weight for an exercise that I can already do for 10 repetitions and I keep using the same weight, there will be no training effect. No improvement. The adaptation (or improvement) in the muscle manifests when the load is increased to a level where it becomes harder to do the same 10 repetitions. As you become stronger you can increase your intensity by either increasing the load or increasing the number of repetitions or decreasing the rest time in between sets. 

I’m starting to get a little technical so I’ll stop there. The main thing is to get started. The program itself will evolve as you go and become more tailored to your body type, your current level and to your overall goals. Remember this; no one program is engraved in stone. As you become more knowledgeable and develop a “feel” of what’s right for you, your program becomes more finely tuned to you. 

A basic principle that must be understood is that recovery is as important as the workout itself. The body must be allowed to recover in between workouts in order to achieve progress. This is a common mistake among many weight trainers which leads to overtraining. Trying to keep this principle simple, I’ll simply state that a muscle group when trained should have at the very least 48 hours recovery so if one is training their whole body all in one workout (in other words training all the muscle groups),

3 days per week would be the maximum with no consecutive days of weight training. Another activity on those “off days” would be fine such as running, walking, swimming or biking for example. I mentioned muscle groups; what are they? Basically most weight training programs group them as chest, back, shoulders, triceps, biceps and legs. 

Below I’ll leave you with a very basic full body workout designed for 3 days per week. This will get you started and remember it is not engraved in stone by any means. The sky is the limit when designing a program as they are very individualized depending on goals, number of days you want to train and current level you are at. 

Assuming that you have the apparatus necessary for a home workout; the following could be a starter program. 

Perform each exercise for 10-12 repetitions (reps) which would be 1 set, rest approximately 90 -120 seconds and then repeat the set again for 10-12 reps for the second set. As you progress and if you have time then add a third set. Perform all 2 or 3 sets of one exercise before moving on to the next exercise. For instructions on form for each exercise I would recommend checking in with YouTube or even Google. 

Bench Press or Flat Dumbell Press. 

Bent over rows or Dumbell Rows

Shoulder press or Upright Row

Tricep press downs or one arm tricep extension 

Bicep curls (barbell or Dumbell)

Dumbell squats 

Leg extensions (if you have the apparatus)

Leg curls (if you have the apparatus)

This program will suffice in getting you started if you are new to weight training. After about a month or so you could start making changes. Hopefully your interest will be peaked enough and your mind “likes this activity” enough that you will be encouraged to start researching what changes/additions to make to your program to make it a fit for you. 

Good luck! Happy body, happy mind.