Weight Training [Getting Started Guide]

​If you are thinking about getting started with weight training but really have no idea where to begin then this article should be your starting point. You’ll learn everything from its role and benefits to how to get started right now.

What is Weight Training?

It is important to define the key terms at this stage before we get started.

Weight Training – Implies using exercises that involve most commonly, barbells and dumbbells as an external weight to improve physical qualities like strength or endurance.

Resistance Training – Synonymous with weight training, this umbrella captures anything that provides a resistance but is not necessarily a weight so things like cable pulleys or bands could come under this. The idea is exercises that add external resistance to overcome and increase difficulty.

Strength Training – The overarching umbrella term. Implies exercises or activities done in a way to promote getting stronger muscles or more efficient in specific movements. This captures exercises that may be difficult enough to improve strength without the need for added load, it also catches stuff where we may need to decrease difficulty and make things easier before we can actually get stronger.

My preferred term is Strength Training as it doesn’t limit our possibilities and is essentially a catch all term but I’ll stick with the term weight training in this article and really mean it’s synonyms of resistance training and strength training too, not limited to it’s strict definition. 

What are the benefits of Weight Training?

We have established that weight training can be comprised of many more strengthening activities than lifting weights but what are the benefits of doing so?
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There are many benefits to our deep health, but I’ll focus on the physical benefits which are normally more obvious and the less so mental benefits. 

Physical Benefits of Weight Training

The physical benefits of weight training are normally those that are more obvious and commonly known. 

I covered this in detail in a recent presentation, so I'll share the slide rather than re-invent the wheel. You can view the full presentation below embedded within this page.

Well structured Strength Training:

• Improves Fitness
• Increases Muscle Mass
• Strengthens Bones

Which reduces the risk as we age of:

• Osteoporosis
• Slips, trips and falls
• Decline in Energy and Movement (ie. our independence)

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Mental Benefits of Weight Training

I've previously written a short blog about the lesser known benefits of weight training, you can read it by click here but I've summarised the key points below.

1. Improved Body Confidence
2. Better Adherence Through Small Wins
3. Protect Against Age-Related Decline
​4. Improved Ability to Perform Your Hobby
​5. Reduce Chronic Niggles

Click here to read the full blog now on the lesser known benefits of Weight Training

Re-Cap and Dive Deeper

​I recently covered these concepts in much greater detail in a 10 minute presentation which you can watch in the embedded video below. We’ll explore everything in much greater detail

How To Get Started With Weight Training

Now that you understand what Strength Training is and it’s benefits you want to get the ball rolling so that you can experience it for yourself.

Getting started is pretty simple to do. The first thing I’d recommend is building the practice of daily movement and co-ordinating your efforts. If you are already quite active or sporty then this step should already be taken care of.
If not, then download my dynamic warm-up guide now by clicking here.

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This uses some full body mobility exercises to get your muscles, body and mind ready for Strength Training. In some cases, this may be all that is needed to get started on a journey of strengthening your body and mind.

Once these truly become a warm-up then I’d recommend enlisting the help of a coach to tailor your program and fast-track your progress.

You can check out my coaching services from Online Personal Training to Private Coaching in Glasgow.
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A good coach will help you map out our journey so that it operates within your current capabilities which providing enough challenge to stimulate your body and mind while continually improving. 

Setting Goals and Conquering Them

Once you’ve familiarised yourself with the foundations of Strength Training, it’s time to set yourself some meaningful goals.
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If you’d like to find out more about the steps involved in goal setting and making sure you are successful then check out the article I wrote here.

That article walks you through step by step on setting your own goals but if you'd like some further help then check out the amazing offer below.

Click here to claim your free goal setting session with Strength Coach Glasgow.

Taking It Further

​Another great feature of Strength Training is that there are many routes to take it further should you need extra challenge.

Among many others, you can get involved in Olympic Weightlifting, Try to improve your sports performance or enlist the help of a specialist coach to master new skills and movements.

If you are interested in Olympic Weightlifting then check out my blog post on it’s benefits and download my beginners Snatch Handbook to give it a go yourself.
 
Get started now with Strength Coach Glasgow by contacting us with your specific query.