7 Best Strength Training Exercises for Beginners

Strength training is useful and beneficial for beginners. It comes with multiple benefits like higher calorie burn, more muscle, stronger bones and joints, reduced risk of injury during other workouts and better endurance. Pairing resistance workouts with cardio in one's exercise routine will further strengthen one.

Are you a beginner wondering where to start from? Keep reading this article on strength training for beginners to know more.

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What Are the Best Strength Training Workouts for Beginners?

Given below is a list of the best strength training workouts for beginners.

1. Squat

Squats are one of the purest forms of strength training, and it exercises almost all parts of the core and leg muscles. Once one understands how to perform squats, one can add weights by holding dumbbells on a bar in front of one's shoulders. This is a front squat. One can rest a barbell on his/her back to perform a back squat. One can hold it in front of his/her chest to perform a goblet squat.

Benefits of Doing Squats

Here are the benefits of squats.

Helps in strengthening one’s core muscles
Helps in reduction of risk of injury
Aids in crushing more calories
Strengthens one’s lower body muscles
Promotes strength and athletic abilities
One can do this anywhere, anytime

Who Should Avoid Squats?

Although the squat is an efficient workout for beginners, it should be avoided by some individuals.

Individuals suffering from back injuries must avoid doing squats as it puts a lot of tension on one’s lower back and can lead to serious injuries if performed improperly.
Anyone suffering from joint pain or has weak knees should avoid doing squats because it can aggravate the pain.

2. Deadlift

It is one of the most efficient strength training workouts for beginners in which one lifts a loaded barbell or bar off the ground till it reaches the level of one's hips, keeping the torso perpendicular to the floor and then placing it back on the ground.

There are varieties of deadlifts like the traditional barbell, where one pulls the weight from the floor.

Benefits of Doing Deadlift

Here are the benefits of doing deadlifts.

Provides more strength
Aims to build stronger legs and a strong back
Helps in burning more calories
Enhances endurance
Boosts in developing a better posture
Activates the full body
Improves athleticism
Enhances grip strength

Who Should Avoid doing Deadlifts?

Here is the list of individuals who should avoid doing deadlifts.

Individuals with a poor spinal posture should avoid deadlifts
Ones with pre-existing lower back injuries should also avoid it

3. Glute Bridge

Glute bridges which are also known as hip bridges, target the glutes, which is one of the largest muscles in the lower body. It also contributes to building core stabilisation and leg strength.

Benefits of Doing Glute Bridge

Here are the benefits of doing glute bridge.

Glute bridge helps in reducing lower back pain.
This exercise works for the lower abs and hamstrings other than the glutes.
Individuals who are unable to perform squats due to hip, knee or back pain can perform this. Since it is done by lying down, it does not put much pressure on the joints.

Who Should Avoid Doing Glute Bridge?

Even though glute bridge is an efficient strength training exercise for beginners, here is the list of individuals who should avoid doing it.

Individuals who are healing from any form of surgery must avoid this exercise.
Pregnant women who are in their final stages of pregnancy should also avoid doing this exercise.

4. Push-up

A push-up is an exercise which is a push or press movement that works for all the pressing muscles in one's upper body. It exercises the chest, triceps and shoulders. It enables one to move one's own body weight, and it is one of the best signs of strength.

If one finds a regular push-up very difficult, one can modify it by elevating one's hands on a table or step.

Benefits of Doing Push-Ups

Here are the benefits of doing push-ups.

Helps in burning more calories
Protects one’s lower back and shoulders from injuries
Aims to improve body flexibility
Improves one’s posture and body balance
Improves one’s performance in athletic and sports activities

Who should Avoid Doing Push-ups?

Here is the list of individuals who should avoid doing push-ups.

Individuals with weak knee joints or have issues in their ankles should avoid doing push-ups.
Individuals with weak neck muscles should also avoid doing push-ups.

5. Hollow-Body Hold

A hollow body hold is an isometric exercise which is great for maintaining core stability. By doing this exercise, one can achieve evenly strengthened glutes, abdominal muscles and hip flexors which will help keep the spine in proper alignment and prevent stress on the discs and vertebrae.

Benefits of Doing Hollow-body Hold

Here are the benefits one can derive by doing hollow body hold as a strength-building exercise for beginners.

The hollow-body position improves spinal stability
It also stabilises the core strength in one’s body
It acts as a base of many advanced callisthenics movements

6. Reverse lunge

The reverse lunge is a leg and bodyweight exercise which works throughout one’s lower body. It is a single-leg physical activity which exercises the legs, glutes, and core muscles. People find it easier to perform it on the knees than do a forward lunge.

It becomes easier to do it on the knees in terms of stability and balance since one has better control of momentum when one is pushing off from the back foot to return to the starting position.

Benefits of Doing Reverse Lunges

Here are the benefits of doing reverse lunges.

It helps in exercising and strengthening the hamstrings, glutes and core muscles.
It requires less stress on one's joints and improves flexibility in the front leg.
It is beneficial for individuals with less hip mobility, difficulty in balancing, or knee concerns.

7. Bent-Over Row

A bent-over row is a weight training exercise which primarily focuses on back muscles. It is used for both powerlifting and bodybuilding. This exercise is a pulling exercise which uses all the pulling muscles in one's upper body. This includes the shoulders, biceps, and back muscles, and it also involves the core and leg muscles to maintain a strong position.

Benefits of Bent-over Row

Here are the benefits of bent-over row.

It provides overall strength to one's upper body.
It improves the grips in one's hands and increases stability in the body.
This exercise is beneficial for preventing problems like back pain and improves one's posture.
It becomes easier to perform lat pulldown and pull-up workouts.

Safety Tips for Beginners to Perform Strength-Training Exercises

Now that individuals have a list of best strength training exercises for beginners, they should also know the safety measures before doing it. Some of the things that they should consider for safety while doing strength training exercises are listed below -

One should use only well-maintained and safe equipment to avoid the risk of injury.
Beginners should be extra careful to perform only with the proper technique. If one is not sure about the proper technique, one should seek professional help and then only begin the exercises.
One should start slowly and remember that it is okay to start with a few kilograms only. Once his/her body- specifically his/her muscles, ligaments and tendons get used to the weight training exercises, one can gradually increase the weights and intensity of the workout.
Beginners should control the weights at all times and not use momentum to swing the weights through their range of motion.
One should remember to breathe normally while lifting. One should not hold his/her breath. Instead, one should exhale during the harder phase and inhale during the relaxation phase.
Beginners should also maintain a strong form while lifting weights to prevent any kind of injury. One should also stop or pause if he/she feels the weights are too heavy or are getting out of control.
One should wear proper and appropriate clothing to ensure that movements are not restricted or let one sweat profusely.
After finishing one set, one should remember to gently place the weights on the floor and not drop them. Dropping it can cause serious injury to him/her or anyone nearby.
If one is sick or feeling over-tired, one must not continue to exercise and give the body some rest instead.
The muscles need ample amount of time to grow and repair after a workout. Thus, one should rest the muscle group for at least 24 hours and then start working on the same muscle group again.

To sum it up, these are the top strength training exercises for beginners. This training is extremely useful for increasing metabolism, managing and losing weight, and also for burning a good number of calories. However, if one suffers from any medical condition, he or she should always consult with a doctor before starting strength training.

Frequently Asked Questions

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For how many days per week a beginner should do strength training?

Beginners can try doing strength training for 2 to 3 days per week.

How many strength training reps should a beginner have?

A beginner can start with 3 sets having 10 to 12 reps for each set.