YOUR 5 FOUNDATIONAL STRENGTH TRAINING EXERCISES
Master these moves on your way to strength.
MUSCLE FEELS GOOD.
Muscle is your key to longevity. Not only does it feel good, but it’s also great for your health.
Building muscle:
Improves your metabolism
Improves your bone density
Improves your balance and mobility
Reduces aches and pains
Reduces your risk of injury
Muscle is considered the fountain of youth for a reason – it will keep you mobile, and it will keep you functional so you can run around with your family as you get older.
So, how do you do it?
Rest assured, you do NOT need to invest hours at the gym to build muscle. You also don’t need a long, complicated, fussy strength training routine.
If you ’ re not sure where to start, or if you want to be sure that you ’ ve got the essentials mastered, keep reading.
This guide reviews the 5 foundational weight training moves that will help you build muscle. Master these moves and you will be well on your way to getting stronger. Why these 5 exercises?
They are compound, multi-joint moves that involve multiple muscle groups, so you get the most out of your workout
They are functional and mimic many of the common movements that you do at home (picking up boxes from the floor, sitting on a chair, reaching into an overhead cabinet)
The combination of these 5 exercises will work most every single muscle group in your body
These are your go-to exercises.
In the following pages, you will learn how to properly execute the 5 foundational strength training exercises. Practice these moves regularly, and you will not only feel stronger, but you’ll have the muscle to show for it.
The time to start building muscle is now. I’ll help you do it.
Let’s get started.
E Q U I P M E N T
WHAT YOU NEED
If you plan to exercise at home, you will need a few pieces of equipment:
Dumbbells - consider a set of dumbbells so that you have a range of weights to choose from for both upper and lower body exercises.
Bench - Some benches fold for easy storage. Some remain flat while others are adjustable. An adjustable bench gives you variety so that you can do exercises at an angle (ie, incline chest press). This is per your preference.
T H E M O V E S
1 3 2 4 5 SQUAT CHEST PRESS DEADLIFT ROW OVERHEAD SHOULDER PRESS
SQUAT
A
Hold dumbbells at your sides, palms facing. Stand with feet about hip width apart.
Brace your core, keep back straight, and lower your body as if you are sitting until thighs are parallel to floor. Look forward. Push through heels to return to standing.
DEADLIFT
Hold dumbbells in front of thighs using an overhand grip. Stand with feet about hip width apart, knees slightly bent.
APush your hips back as if you ’ re shutting a door with your bootie. (Think about your hips moving back and forth in the horizontal plane.)
BLower your torso until nearly parallel to floor before raising to start position.
A CHEST PRESS
Lie on your back holding dumbbells over chest so they are almost touching. Arms are in line with shoulders. Feet flat on the floor. Palms face out, with slight inward turn. Pull shoulder blades down and together.
Keeping wrists straight, slowly lower dumbbells to the sides of your chest, without letting arms dip below shoulders.
BPause, then push weights back up to start.
ROW
Start with left hand and left knee on bench. Torso is parallel to floor.
AHold dumbbell with palm facing inward, arm in line with shoulder. Do not round your back.
BKeep elbow close to your side as you row the weight upward, without rotating your torso. Slowly lower weight to start.
SHOULDER PRESS
A
Start with dumbbells outside shoulders, arms bent, palms out. Feet flat.
Exhale and push dumbbells overhead until they are directly above shoulders (not touching). Do not lock elbows. Slowly lower weight to start.
T R A I N I N G T I P S
TRAINING TIPS
1. Aim to do these exercises at least once per week, allowing at least 48 hours before repeating them. You can add accessory exercises such as biceps curls, triceps extensions, etc, but practice these foundational exercises on at least a weekly basis.
2. Make sure you are properly warmed up first. Jog, jump rope, bike, walk at a fast pace...choose something to get your body warm before strength training. Perform lighter sets before you start your main/working sets of the strength exercises.
3. Choosing an appropriate starting weight for each exercise will be trial and error. You should be able to complete all the reps in each set while maintaining good form. The last ~2 reps of each set should be challenging, but you should be able to finish them. When in doubt, always start lighter, and increase your weight if it's too easy. If you finish the last rep and feel like you could have done more, bump up your weight.
4. Take your time. Time under tension = ripping up muscle = need for repair = building muscle. Find a good tempo for each rep. Momentum does not build muscle. Slow, controlled movement does.
TRAINING TIPS
5. Your rest time will also be trial and error. General rule of thumb is 1-3+ minutes between sets. The heavier you go, the more rest you should take (this could be up to 4+ minutes). Speeding through your workouts without allowing your muscles to recover does not help you build muscle.
6. Form over pounds, every time, all the time. If it doesn’t feel right, it’s not. Lifting with proper technique will keep you from getting injured and ensure you are training the appropriate muscle groups. Review these photos. Watch video demonstrations to ensure proper form.
7. Keep track of how much weight you are lifting and how you feel during your workouts. You may want to have either a notebook or a spreadsheet to keep track of your workouts, so you can try to beat your previous personal best. This is essential.
8. The core principle of building muscle is progressive overload. This means you put your muscles under increased stress over time in order to make them stronger. This can be done by lifting heavier weight, but this is not possible every time you strength train. You can manipulate other variables to achieve progressive overload (cont):
TRAINING TIPS
Increase your reps with the same weight (instead of 10 reps, do 12)
Increase your sets (if you normally do 3 sets, add a fourth)
Aim for a wider range of motion with the same weight (deeper squats, for example)
Decrease the rest period with the same weight (as long as you do not sacrifice form!)
Increase your muscle's time under tension - slow down the negative (lowering) portion of the move
9. Cardio is an important part of your fitness routine and general health. Ideally, you would do your cardio and strength training on separate days. If you prefer to lift and do cardio on the same day, choose the order. If building muscle is your priority, do your strength training first. If increasing your cardiovascular performance is your priority, do cardio first. There is no one right way to do this.
10. Soreness is not a determinant of a good workout, but it is a byproduct of an effective workout. If you are never sore, consider going heavier. If you are always sore, step it back.
11. Have fun! This is a learning process; be patient with yourself and with the process. It will be worth it!
4 A B O U T Y O U R C O A C H
CARRIE HOLLAND, MD, CPT CEO
AND
COACH, FIT LIFE WITH CARRIE HOLLAND
Carrie is a board-certified family physician with additional certifications in personal training, health coaching, and life coaching. She is the CEO of her full-time life coach practice where she helps smart women build strong habits: Eating, Moving, and Thinking.
Women who work with Carrie have taken care of everything and everybody at the expense of taking care of themselves; Carrie helps them change that. Using habit psychology, mindset management tools, and nutrition and exercise expertise, Carrie helps overstretched, high-level working women prioritize themselves and feel better, mentally and phsycially.
She is also the host of the weekly podcast, Strong is a Mindset. Find her at carriehollandmd.com.