Strength Training Advice & Tips for Beginners

If You’re a New Strength Trainee…

This video is for everyone who recently began barbell training – to provide strength training advice for every new lifter. This realm may still feel completely new to you. Or, maybe you trained with barbells before, but this is the first time they have become the core element and staple of your gym routine.

A lot will be new to you. You’ll sometimes have a million questions and at other times you’ll feel lost and wonder where to start. Questions like “How many times should I lift? Can I do more than that? How much should I eat? Am I gonna have to buy new clothes? Why does everything feel so awkward? You want me to WHAT with my knees? Why are you so loud??”

This is all okay. It’s part of the process of learning something new.

For sure, there is a lot to learn about training and so much information out on the internet. You’ll also hear “advice” from friends and trainers at your gym that make you feel overwhelmed and will wonder “Am I doing this right?” “Someone told me to incorporate more lunges to help my squat.” “Is this the right program for me?” Stuff like this can create a lot of doubt that just gets in your way.

To avoid overthinking yourself into what we call “paralysis by analysis,” keep these three things in mind to simplify your priorities and use as a guide to learning how to train.

Be Consistent with your Training

Don’t miss training days! You’ll learn so much more about lifting from actually lifting than anything else, especially from the fitness interwebs. Train 3 times per week and do the program your coach writes for you. It’s that simple. Show up. Work hard. And stick to the plan.

Listen to your Coach

Your coach has a big picture view, and she can actually see the future sometimes! Getting strong is a journey, and it’s okay for you not to know everything about it right now. So you have to give in a little bit and trust the process, just be sure to stay curious and learn from both your successes and struggles.

Use your log book to write notes when your coach gives you instructions and cues. This will help you stay focused on what is important for you right now. It’s okay to put earmuffs on to quiet all the other information noise for a while.

Finally, Trust the Process

Trusting the process can be difficult. We all want to be stronger right now. But the process of getting stronger is a process of building, muscle, bone and tissue. This is actually easier when you first start lifting, but pretty soon getting a little bit stronger takes a lot more work. When things get hard, sometimes we get tunnel vision and are not able to see each workout as one step of a larger process. But if you keep showing up, stay consistent with your program and listen to your coach, it does work, every time.

Without a doubt, you’ll find that the more consistent you are and the more you listen to your coach, the better you’ll become at executing the lifts, asking the right questions and knowing what to prioritize as your training advances each week, month and year.