How to start Strength Training

Have you heard the story, that there are two types of frogs?

One type of frog leaps before it looks and the other type looks before it leaps.

The same is true for humans, some people just do other want to know details and the road ahead.

For those who leap before they look, they decide to start strength training and just go. The ones who look before they leap, they also decide to start strength training, but they have questions that need to be answered before they are fully confident on deciding on a course of action.

This article and video discusses

How to start strength training
The importance of a medical check-up.
How to select the right training frequency (strength training sessions per week)
How to select the right training volume (sets & reps)
How to select the right training intensity (resistance)
How to select the right training mode (free weights, body weight, strength training machines, etc)
How to manage expectations and set realistic goals, when you start strength training.

Why do you need a medical check-up when you start strength training?

The first thing, that should go without saying is, that you need to do a medical check-up to decide, whether you are able to participate in a strength training program.

The reason is fairly simple, it’s to eliminate risks.

Of course, most people are able to participate in strength training workouts and reap the benefit of strength training, but some people simply aren’t.

How to start strength training? Begin with the end I mind

As Stephen Covey described it in his book The 7 Habits of highly effective people, the 2^nd habit is to Begin with the end in mind.

Not only is that true for effective people, it is as well true for training.

I have outlined that principle in the article

The Ultimate Guide to Strength Training for Beginners

The basic idea behind this concept is, that you need to outline the goal you want to achieve first and then decide on the appropriate course of action on how to get to that goal.

The training goal dictates

training intensities, how heavy you need to train
training volume, how many reps and sets
training frequency, how often you should train or how many strength training workouts per week you should do
training duration, how long your strength training workouts should be
and the training mode, whether you should train with free weights, strength training machines, body weight resistance, etc

For more information on training intensities, check out

For more information on training volumes, check out

The Holy Grail of Strength Training – Sets and Reps

For more information on training frequency, check out

How Many Strength Training Workouts Per Week

For more information on strength training duration, check out

How much Strength Training do I need?

For basic understanding of training modes, check out

For more in-depth understanding how training modes are interrelated with training goal and training intensity, check out

3 Steps to Develop your own Power Training Method

Understand training principles, when you start strength training

In my opinion, one of the most important things, when you start strength training, is, that you need to have a basic understanding of training principles.

If a training doesn’t align with training principles is a surefire way to make hours in the gym without seeing any results.

So, what does that mean?

One of the most basic principles is the so-called ‘overload principle’, which means over time you have to lift heavier and heavier loads to see adaptations or results. Please note that heavy is subjective to the individual and needs to be treated like that. What is a heavy load for me, is a light load for my athletes.

The best way to explain the ‘overload principle’ is to remember the story of Milo of Croton who wanted to become the strongest man on earth and decided to lift a young calf every day. Over time the calf grew into a bull and he was able to lift the full bull.

I have explained that story in more detail in the articles

However, the bottom-line of this story is that it doesn’t matter where you start out, as long as you train regularly and progressively.

Start with a load external resistance that is manageable and then increase the load over time in small increments and you will see progress.

How to start strength training and avoid common rabbit holes

I have seen over and over again, that people and athletes fail by setting unrealistic expectations and time frames.

Strength training is a marathon, not a sprint.

What does that mean?

It’s an analogy, that it takes time until you see results, I am talking about months to years, not weeks.

Another tip I can give you is, that you should seek out for advice or professional help.

If you can get someone with a track record of results, that can fast track your journey to success.

And with a track record of success, I mean preferably bringing other people to success, not only himself or herself.

Why is that important?

I have seen too often, that some people are genetically more gifted that other people and they make progress with anything they do. But the same intervention wouldn’t work for the majority of other people.

You don’t believe me? Well I am working with Olympians I get genetical freaks delivered to me – just joking…

Final words on how to start strength training

One last piece of advice, which I normally put at the beginning of everything, is that if you want to succeed with your strength training efforts and you want to lift heavy loads at some point, you need to master the basic techniques first.

I have outlined the necessity for technical mastery in the articles

Concluding How to start strength training

As the Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher said ‘Plan your work for today and every day, then work your plan.’

The same is true for starting strength training, you need to plan your strength training program and consider a series of few events and then simply work the plan.