FAQs for Beginners Getting Into Strength Training
There are many questions or obstacles that might prevent someone getting into strength training.
So below are some of these questions answered.
And if you’d ever like us to go through the answers in any more detail, you can book a call in with one of our coaches by clicking the button below.
How many times a week should I be doing strength sessions?
As with most fitness questions - this depends, on your availability and your fitness levels.
The question you should be asking is - what is feasible to sustain week after week?
We would say 2 sessions / week as a minimum if possible. But 3 would be ideal to help make you a good level of progress.
However, 1 is still better than nothing, and may be the perfect amount for you!
If you’re a beginner, you’ll still be able to make plenty of progression from just doing 1 per week.
Check out this blog post for more detail on how often should you be working out.
What if I don’t want to get bulky?
One of the biggest misconceptions of people starting the gym - but it’s actually incredibly hard for this to happen.
Having a ‘bulky’ physique takes time and a lot of patience, building muscle is hard and a slow process.
So this is not something that will happen overnight. You’re going to get hugely positive changes to your body, not just in how you look, but how you feel!
Getting bulky, however, should not be a worry.
Can I tone specific areas such as my legs or my stomach?
In short - no.
Becoming ‘toned’ in a certain area is caused by having less body fat, and more muscle mass. You can create more muscle mass in different body parts, but dropping body fat in specific areas is not possible.
Some people will hold more body fat in certain areas compared to others, this may be due to genetics, hormones, or gender.
How many recovery days should I have in between each session?
In an ideal world, there would be at least 1 day of recovery in between strength sessions.
But we very rarely live in an ideal world, and occasionally you might have to group your sessions back to back as that’s the only time you’re able to fit it in. This is absolutely fine, you just might have to manage how hard you push it in the second session.
Do I need to follow a specific programme?
Following a programme is going to help hugely with how quickly you progress.
It will help you to have a suitable amount of structure, instead of just picking random exercises.
It will also help you to have a suitable quantity to progress, without allowing the quality to drop off.
What is more important is your adherence to the programme, turning up and working hard consistently week after week, and not expecting amazing results just after 2 sessions!
Am I too old to start strength training?
No - definitely not. Strength training is going to be hugely beneficial for you regardless of your age.
And a good strength programme should be adaptable for all levels.
If you’re concerned because you think your joints might not tolerate the load, or you’re worried about getting injured, then start with the complete basics, over time it will make your joints more robust and reduce your risk of injury.
How quickly before the results of strength training start to show?
If you’ve just started a new programme, it might be as little as 4 weeks before you start to notice the benefits.
You may already start to feel stronger, like you have more energy, or perhaps your aches have reduced.
But if you have a long history of strength training, then that’s when it becomes more difficult to get improvements. And it becomes more important to focus on certain factors such as your recovery, your nutrition, and the training programme you’re following.