Imagine there’s something you could do that not only enhances your mood, cognitive function, and energy, but also reduces your likelihood of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and even death.
It’s not taking a pill: it’s strength training.
Strength training provides “a host of benefits,” notes Craig Hensley, associate professor of physical therapy and human movement sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Research keeps revealing these benefits: one published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine linked strength training to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, lung cancer, and premature death. Another, published in Biology, found that adults who engaged in strength training had a —suggesting their bodies were deteriorating more slowly than their chronological age would imply. One published in Frontiers in Physiology discovered that strength training improved metabolic health markers, such as cholesterol, blood pressure, and body fat percentage, in older adults.
Here’s how experts suggest beginners integrate strength training into their exercise regimens.
Prioritize safety
“The top thing we tell patients is that strength training isn’t something to just plunge into, because it poses an injury risk if done incorrectly,” says Dr. Derrick Knapik, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery in the division of sports medicine at WashU Medicine.
If you have the resources, consider working with a physical therapist or personal trainer to establish a strength training plan, advises Dr. Andrew Gregory, associate professor of orthopedics and pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He recommends finding someone certified by a major organization, like the or the . Knapik adds you can also take a strength training orientation class at a local gym or the YMCA.
Social media can be a useful way to generate strength training ideas. But Gregory cautions to only draw inspiration from people with the appropriate credentials. “What I find risky are influencers who work out and give recommendations but don’t necessarily have any training or certification,” he states.
Once you’ve worked with a professional to learn proper form and exercise safety, you can do your strength training routine either at a gym or at home.
Create a personalized routine
Strength training can involve body-weight exercises—such as push-ups, squats, tricep dips, planks, and lunges—weightlifting, or both. What works for you depends on your health, strength, and goals. The type of strength training exercise you do isn’t as crucial as actually doing it; one published in The Journal of Physiology found that people could increase their strength regardless of the weight size they used.
While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to the best routine, there are some best practices to bear in mind.
Experts say three sets of 10 repetitions is a good starting point for most exercises. It’s best to alternate muscle groups. For example, Knapik suggests people do chest and shoulders one day; legs the next day; and back, abs, and arms the following day. This allows each muscle group to rest. “When you become more advanced, 24 hours of [rest] is sufficient,” Knapik says. “But typically when you’re starting out, your best bet is to allow at least 48 hours between strength training regimens for recovery.”
On rest days, consider doing other forms of light exercise. “Strength training has clear benefits, but there are other useful activities too, like cardio and yoga,” Gregory says.
If you’re interested in weightlifting and have access to a gym, Knapik recommends starting with machines, as free weights pose an increased injury risk, especially for beginners. Once you’ve gained experience with machines, you can progress to free weights. If used correctly, Hensley says, they can be an effective form of strengthening.
Start off slow
Anytime you begin a strength training routine, it’s important to ease in, Gregory says. As you get stronger and more comfortable with certain exercises, you can increase resistance and the number of repetitions.
Warming up is essential. Knapik recommends 5 to 10 minutes of cardio or stretching before strength training to loosen your muscles and prepare them for movement.
Don’t overdo it at the start. If you lift weights and do so too much too quickly, you’re more prone to injury and rhabdomyolysis, Gregory says, or exercise-induced muscle breakdown. “That can cause kidney damage, and it can be a medical emergency.”
Listen to your body
If you’re doing body-weight exercises, you might be unsure whether to do 10, 20, or 40 crunches. Or, if lifting weights, you might be unsure whether to use 5-pound, 8-pound, or 10-pound weights. Knapik says the sweet spot is when you feel you’re exerting yourself but not excessively.
Hensley’s guideline is that once you can easily do three sets of 10 of your targeted exercise, whether it’s bicep curls or push-ups, it’s time to either increase your weight or the number of repetitions.
Muscle soreness a day or two after strength training is normal, but pain—especially if it occurs immediately—is not. “If you’re experiencing pain with any specific exercises, I recommend you stop, modify it, or seek medical advice,” Gregory says. Knapik agrees. “Never lift through pain,” he says. “If it hurts, stop right away.”
Remember the added benefits for women
Decades ago, strength training was a male-dominated activity, but this imbalance has narrowed over time. now regularly engage in strength training, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Women are more likely to develop osteoporosis and osteopenia, Knapik says, especially during and after menopause. Strength training can help women and minimize the risk of fractures to their hip and lower back.
You won’t see all these benefits overnight. With strength training, results aren’t immediate. “It really is a marathon, not a sprint,” Knapik says. “You have to give it time.”