Strength Training for Beginners [Best Practices]
What is strength training? What are some of the benefits? Can it be done without weights? Find out the answer to these questions and more by reading this.
If you’re looking to learn more before you find a Trainer or, if you’ve decided that you might want to become one, this is the place for you to start.
A Trainer is a fitness professional who combines exercise science and experience to sherpa you towards your goals.
Have you been spending a lot of your time focus on other things, other people? If so, it might be time to make yourself a priority.
Is it necessary to hire a personal trainer? Nope, it's not.
That being said - If you weren't motivated, you wouldn't be here.
Let's channel that spark into a flame.
Reach out by filling out the contact form. You'll get a call the moment it's seen.
A pt can help guide you towards your fitness goals of feeling strong and confident.
Each trainer will have their procedures but, the process might look something like the following.
After you sit down for an initial consultation, you’ll both be clear on:
After you get clear on your goals, budget, and some logistics, you’ll meet with your trainer to carry out your fitness plan. Most trainers can give you general nutrition advice or will refer out when necessary.
You don’t need a pt if you’re comfortable teaching yourself a skill.
You can learn to workout using:
Over time, your results will compound. If you're making consistent progress, it's all a matter of staying in the game.
You might want to hire a trainer if you feel that you would benefit from socialization or having someone Sherpa you along your journey.
Your rate of progress will slow down with strength training. The key will be in knowing what you need to try next to keep making progress.
Explainer articles like these four can help get you started:
A fitness trainer needs to have the ability to ask questions, listen, and communicate.
You want to feel like a human is listening to you and considering your needs.
Some basic functions of a training business include:
Once these basic expectations are met, you can look to make things more personal to each client.
This includes modifying exercise routines, using names, asking for feedback, and celebrating milestones.
Most pts work with clients for 30, 45, or 60 minutes. If you’re an endurance athlete or play a sport, a session may be as long as 90 or 120 minutes.
The length of a workout depends on the way that your program and schedule are laid out.
Let’s say that you’ve figured out that you want to build strong legs. There are many ways to follow a routine aimed at that goal.
For example:
Each of those answers can affect how long your training session lasts.
You could train four times a week for 30 minutes or two times a week for 60 and still do the same total amount of exercise volume.
Yes, a trainer can bill insurance if it is prescribed by your primary care physician.
I have worked with a few clients who pay for training using their HSA after receiving the all-clear.
Talk to your healthcare provider to find out if this is something you have the option of pursuing.
Fitness trainers do not work out with their clients.
Trainers supervise clients as they perform exercises.
A trainer is looking to:
Group fitness instructors may workout with their clients. Some trainers work as fitness instructors. Fitness instructors are not trainers.
You don’t need to tip your trainer. It would be incredibly helpful if you gave your trainer some feedback.
Feedback can be worth its weight in gold if you’re willing to do some listening.
Often, it can be really hard for businesses to get feedback from customers. You’re the expert on your body. Your trainer can do a better job of helping you when you take the time to talk about yourself and how things are going.
If you cannot work with a trainer for more than a few months, you might consider another fitness option. To benefit from exercise, you will need to work out with some consistency and frequency.
Aim to lift weights at least twice a week for four to twelve or so weeks.
In a month, you might notice some changes - nothing that will break the internet. Over time, your results will compound, if you’re on the right track.
You might find a trainer that is willing to be flexible with you on scheduling. Some trainers write programs and check in with clients as frequently as they see fit.
You do not need a degree to become a fitness trainer.
The first step to becoming a trainer is getting some experience. One of the most interesting things about this industry is the sheer number of paths that people have taken to get to it.
Training can be a first, second, or part-time career for some of the most influential trainers in the market.
I had the pleasure of contributing to two articles you may want to read about in-person and online training:
In the interviews I conducted for the online training article, almost every trainer mentioned a different origin story:
Learn more about getting started as a personal trainer in this guide.
Can you be a personal trainer without a certification? Yes.
Personal training does not require a license or certification. While you don’t need a certification to become a trainer, it’s viewed as a liability to go without.
Depending on the cert, your trainer may or may not have an educational standard.
Expectations for trainers also vary depending on who they work for (or don’t).
A college degree is beyond the educational requirements of most training certifications.
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) requires that trainers:
(I suspect COVID-19 will have some effect on CPR/AED certification requirement)
The NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Certification is considered the best.
The CSCS is hard to get and requires a bachelor's degree - just to take the test.
In actuality, there isn’t a way to objectively compare personal training certifications. I’ve held a couple, right now a CSCS. I firmly believe in the NSCAs mission.
The NSCA offers a personal training certification, CPT. It seems to be easier to test for than the CSCS. In 2018, 58% and 78% of candidates passed the CSCS and CPT exams respectively.
While I have no experience with it, the ACSM-CPT carries a high level of regard within the industry as well.
If you didn’t learn to lift in high school or it’s been a while, a weight room looks like a maze of weights, switches, knobs and bros.
Do more than just go pick up a dumbell; let’s create a plan to build strength, get sustainable results (and look like you know what you’re doing).
We’ll start with the basics of strength training and you’ll walk out with (a starter amount of) confidence.