How To Start A Strength Training Routine
There is no “right or wrong” way to exercise. But when you’re just getting started for the first time with strength training, or coming back to strength training after a hiatus, it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why we made this guide!
This guide focuses on the six core movement patterns of the human body: Squat, Hinge, Push, Pull, Carry, and Lunge. We perform all of these movements on a daily basis , so of course they should be a foundational part of our training. Challenging these movement patterns under load is a great way to build strength, prevent injury and improve overall function and performance not just in the gym, but in our daily lives.
We’ve listed four exercises of varying difficulty (1 = easier, 4 = harder) for each movement. So if one exercise is too challenging for you to start, you will have other options to choose from. Of course, there are many more exercises that you can choose from involving these same movement patterns, but this guide will just cover the basics. You can use bands, barbells, dumbbells or kettlebells for most of these exercises so feel free to try different ones for each exercise to see what feels the best for you.
Squat
The squat is a great representation of function and performance in life and sport. You probably squat more throughout the day than you think you do. The squat is a great way to strengthen your lower body and maintain healthy range of motion in your ankles, knees and hips. It is important to note, that everyones hip and pelvis anatomy is different which means that everyone must squat differently too. If you are having pain with squatting or feel like your training has plateaued, come see us for a proper assessment to determine your optimal squat position and technique.
Everyday examples: going down the stairs, sitting up/down in a chair, picking up your kids, reading a golf putt, etc.
Squatting exercise options:
Bodyweight Squat
Goblet Squat
Back Squat
Cossack Squat
Hinge
Unlike the squat where most of the motion occurs around the knee joint, a hinge is a movement pattern that occurs around the axis of your hips. Learning this pattern is a great way to protect your spine from excess stress and train power and athleticism through your hamstrings and glutes. Squat and hinging gives you a variety of movement options to bend throughout the day which will help avoid overloading your low back muscles and create a stronger, resilient lumbar spine in the process.
Everyday examples: picking up your dropped keys, smelling roses, picking golf ball out of the cup, bowing to your sensei, etc.
Hinge exercise options:
Bridge
Straight-leg Hinge / Deadlift
Dead Lift
Kettlebell Swing
Push
Properly executed pushing exercises like the ones listed below help teach us to generate and transfer force from our lower body into our upper body. As a result, pushing exercises help train motor control, functional strength and joint positioning/alignment of not just our shoulders and upper back, but of our core as well.
Everyday examples: opening a door, putting dishes away in cabinet, vacuuming, stiff-arming runaway shopping carts in the parking lot, etc.
Pushing exercise options:
Push-up
Kettlebell Press
Bench Press
Barbell Overhead Press
Pull
Similar to pushing exercises, pulling exercises help train force transfer from our lower body to our upper body with more of a focus on shoulder stability and back strength. If you’ve ever struggled with doing pull-ups, practicing pull-down movements using bands or cable machines will help you gain the required strength to perform pull-ups effortlessly. For rotational athletes like golfer’s and tennis players, pulling exercises also help build strength and generate power while swinging the club or racket.
Everyday examples: opening a door, starting lawn mower, taking boxes off top shelf, walking dog on leash, pulling weeds, etc.
Pulling exercise options:
Cable Rows
Bent-over Rows
Pull Downs
Pull Ups
Carry
Carries are simple: pick something up and walk with it. This exercise is “self-corrective” meaning that it is challenging to do it wrong because your body naturally figures out how to make it work. Not too much technique coaching necessary, just stand up tall, hold on tight to the weight, and go. Start with manageable loads that you can hold for at least 30 seconds and work towards heavier (but non-threatening) loads over time. Adding carries to your fitness routine will help train motor control, grip strength and spinal stability.
Everyday examples: carrying your kids, carrying bags, moving wheel barrow full of rocks, carrying all the groceries from the car into the house in a single trip, etc.
Carrying exercise options:
Farmer’s Carry
Suitcase Carry
Rack Carry
Overhead Carry
Lunge
Lunges are great for training our legs independently to build a strong lower body and resilient knee joints. Compared to other lower body exercises like the squat, single-leg lunges require additional stability through your foot, ankle, knee and hips to maintain balance through the movement. This added challenge of balance control makes them an especially great exercise for older populations or those with a higher risk of falling. Distance runners and sprinters alike can benefit from adding loaded lunging to their training as it helps train deceleration of the knee joints as well as hip stability endurance for those longer runs.
Everyday examples: walking, hiking, running, Karate Kid crane kicks, etc.
Lunge exercise options:
Split-stance Lunge
Backward Lunge
Forward Lunge
Bulgarian Split Squat
Hopefully you find this guide helpful for starting your journey towards living pain-free. While this guide was made to be simple, it is not a personalized exercise program matched to an individual. The goal is for you to be able to do all of these movements pain-free before progressing to higher loads and more challenging exercises. If you are having trouble with any of these movements, or are apprehensive to start because of limited experience in the past, we recommend booking an appointment so we can create a personalized program that fits your needs!
