How do I start lifting weights as a beginner?
Start by deciding where you'll train, how you'll sort your programme and how you'll record your workouts.
Then focus on learning proper technique and gradually increasing the challenge.
In terms of specific exercises, you should start by addressing all the basic movements and training your whole body.
Begin with weights you can control comfortably, learn how the exercises should feel and then build from there.
You don't need to learn everything before your first session, but you do need a clear starting point and a way to see that you are improving.
We'll run through everything step by step.
Do I need to join a gym to start lifting weights?
No, but I recommend that you do, particularly as a beginner.
There are two main reasons.
First, the equipment gives you more tools to train effectively.
Second, going somewhere specifically to exercise helps with consistency.
When you make an appointment with yourself to go to the gym, you separate training from the rest of your day.
It is much easier to postpone a living-room workout than an appointment you have made to go to the gym.
You can still train at home. My minimum setup would be a good pair of adjustable dumbbells and a bench. But your exercise options will be more limited, and getting a productive workout with that equipment generally requires more skill.
A dedicated home gym is different because it gives you that separation from everyday life. If you are exercising beside the sofa, you need to be honest about whether you will consistently stop what you are doing and train.
For beginners, my preference is to start in a gym and then you can supplement that with home training once you know what you are doing.
Do I need a personal trainer to start lifting weights?
Very few people need a personal trainer, but I think almost everybody could benefit from one.
Even a couple of sessions can help you learn the basics, practise technique and understand how to follow your programme. Critically, a trainer can also help you choose exercises that suit you.
That does not have to mean paying for supervision every time you train. I work with clients who see me periodically, have a programme written for them and complete most of their training independently.
How much help you need partly depends on your experience of movement. Someone with a background in sport, dance or gymnastics may find it easier to watch an exercise and reproduce it.
If you have never been particularly active and do not feel confident copying movements, some coaching can make a much bigger difference.
Can I start lifting weights if I have aches, pains or an old injury?
Yes. Aches, pains or an old injury do not automatically mean you cannot start lifting weights.
Strength training can be beneficial, and I regularly help people choose exercises around the issues they bring into the gym.
If you are concerned, trust that instinct and get appropriate professional help. Rather than choosing exercises and hoping everything will be fine, ask someone to assess your starting point and help you understand what makes sense for you.
The important thing is to find a suitable way to begin.
Should beginners use machines or free weights?
Machines and free weights offer different things. Ideally, I would like you to use a combination of both over time.
Machines provide stability and help control the movement. They usually require less technical skill, which makes them a sensible starting point if you are training independently and feel unsure about technique.
Free weights give you more freedom of movement and opportunities to practise controlling your body through different exercises.
You can misuse a machine, but it is generally harder to get things wrong than with a more demanding free-weight exercise.
If you are confident learning movements, a combination can work from the start. If you are not, there is nothing wrong with beginning on machines.
What is a good beginner weight-training programme?
Here are two straightforward starting options: one using machines and one using dumbbells.
For either programme, do three sets of 12–15 reps per exercise, use a normal controlled tempo and rest for 90 seconds between sets. Start each session with your warm-up and stretching.
Machine programme
Order | Exercise |
1 | |
2 | Plate-loaded machine press or another chest press machine |
3 | |
4 |
Dumbbell programme
Choose the option that suits your equipment and confidence. The machine routine gives you a way to train your whole body with relatively little complexity.
These are starting programmes. Over time, I want you to become comfortable with squatting, hinging, lunging, pushing and pulling. That includes pushing horizontally and overhead, and pulling horizontally and from overhead.
You do not need to master every variation immediately. Get good at the exercises you have, then build your options.
How do I know if I’m lifting weights correctly?
Before starting an exercise, understand which muscles you are trying to work.
Machines often have a diagram showing the target muscles. That gives you somewhere to direct your attention. When both arms or legs are working together, I want you to feel the effort evenly.
My two main cues are the stretch and the squeeze.
As you lift or pull the weight, feel the target muscle tighten. As you lower it, feel that same muscle lengthen into a stretch. Keep your attention on the tension through the movement.
People often judge technique entirely by how an exercise looks. That can be difficult to assess without a mirror, a recording or someone watching you.
Learning how the movement feels gives you useful feedback on every rep. This applies to both machines and free weights.
How much weight should I lift as a beginner?
Start cautiously, but do not stay so light that you cannot feel your muscles working.
In your first session, build the weight gradually, set by set. Initially, I would think in terms of finishing with around five reps in reserve: you could have completed roughly another five repetitions.
As you become comfortable, work towards finishing with one to three good reps left.
That is what reps in reserve means. It gives you a way to judge difficulty without needing a particular number of kilos.
You do not need to finish every set thinking you could not possibly have done another rep. Equally, if you could comfortably do another ten, the weight is probably not challenging enough.
A little resistance also helps you feel the stretch, squeeze and tension discussed above. Extremely light weights can make that feedback harder to find.
How fast should I lift weights as a beginner?
Move smoothly, taking roughly one or two seconds to lift the weight and one or two seconds to lower it.
You do not need an exaggerated slow-motion rep. You should not be rushing it either.
Initially, concentrate on a controlled movement at a normal tempo. More complicated tempo prescriptions can wait until you have more experience.
How long should I rest between sets as a beginner?
My starting recommendation is 60–90 seconds. Use 90 seconds for the example programmes above.
At the beginning, you are unlikely to have the skill or experience to work your muscles as hard as an experienced lifter. You usually do not need to copy someone taking several minutes between sets.
With these higher-rep sets, I also want you to become familiar with the muscles working. Some fatigue carries from one set to the next, which can help you feel that tension and develop your awareness of the movement.
You do not need to spend half the session waiting. Keep the rest straightforward and get back to practising good reps.
How often should I lift weights as a beginner?
My recommendation is two sessions a week to begin with.
You are very responsive to strength training when it is new. Even moderate sessions can leave you sore, so there is no need to pile on more training immediately.
There is also the habit to consider. You may be motivated enough to manage three or four sessions for a few weeks, but can you maintain that alongside work, family and everything else?
I would rather you establish two consistent sessions and focus on improving each time.
Stick with that for the first six months. Then review whether you want or need more.
How do I know when to increase the weight?
Use the 12–15-rep range to guide your progress.
For example, you might start an exercise with 10kg and complete 12 reps. Keep that weight and gradually build towards 15 reps across your sets.
Once you can complete your sets at the top of the range with good technique, increase the weight. If the next dumbbells are 12kg, move up and work towards the lower end of the range again, then build back towards 15.
This is called double progression: first increase the reps, then increase the weight.
Even one extra rep gives you something measurable to improve on next time.
Record the weights and reps, so you have a reference. You should know what you did last time and what you are trying to improve.
How long should I follow the same workout programme?
If you are a beginner training independently, my recommendation is to keep your first programme for around 12 weeks.
You are learning the movements as well as building strength. Constantly changing exercises gives you more to learn and less opportunity to improve the ones you already have.
Take advantage of being able to progress with a simple routine. You may only need two programmes over your first six months.
If you enjoy variety, are progressing consistently and pick up exercises easily, changing things after six to eight weeks can be reasonable.
With new clients, I often review the programme after six to eight weeks but retain many of the same movements. We might change the reps or add a few exercises without replacing everything.
You do not want to spend another two or three weeks learning a completely new routine every time you change programmes.
If you want help getting started, get in touch about personal training in Kentish Town. I can assess your starting point, teach you the exercises and build a programme you can follow with confidence.
