Strength Training At Home – All you need to know!
Does strength training at home work?
One of the biggest fitness myths is that one needs to go to a gym to improve physical strength but this is not true at all. Strength training at home has now changed the game completely. You can actually build muscles and improve your strength with the right kind of training at home. You can indulge in calisthenics, which involves next to no equipment, or go for a training plan that requires some equipment like kettlebells, dumbbells, resistance bands, medicine balls and so on. Strength training at home just requires you to have enough floor space for your body to move freely.
Why is strength training important?
Strength training is something that everyone should take part in, irrespective of their age, as it improves your overall physical health and the ability to perform in all kinds of physical activities. It helps you improve your quality of life. As you age you lose bone density, which puts you at risk for weak bones and even osteoporosis. Your metabolism also slows down making it harder to maintain your weight. Strength training allows you to reverse this. It protects your bone health and helps improve your muscle mass.
Your body mechanics is also affected by age. Strength training helps prevent this. Moreover, it also helps you tackle chronic diseases or instead keep them at bay.
Guidelines and benefits of strength training
at home
The guidelines of doing strength training at home are simple as you just need a few things – a big enough space for you to workout, enough equipment, the right personal trainer and the right mindset. The rest of the guidelines depend on the type of exercises you do and our trainers will be there to provide instruction and demonstrations for proper form.
There are many benefits of strength training at home besides looking and feeling your best, such as:
- You do not have to travel to a gym or share your space with multiple people. Working out with a huge group of people can be intimidating.
- You do not have to wait to use equipment that someone else is currently using.
This is where the choice of working out at your home becomes much more efficient and appealing for you. You can do everything according to your preferences. To get the best training program, you can always contact our personal trainers.
How to start strength training
To begin a strength training program you need to decide what your fitness goals are so you can choose a program design that is best for you. You then need to make sure you adequately warm up your muscles before you start working out to avoid injury. To do this you can jog on the treadmill for 5-10 minutes or do some dynamic stretches. Start with a weight that you are comfortable lifting with proper form and gradually work your way up in weight over time.
We service Manhattan, Brooklyn and certain parts of Queens for strength training and for those residing elsewhere we also offer virtual 1-to-1 and small group training.
Types of strength training
Total Body Circuit Training
This is one of the most effective training programs where your whole body is engaged. Here the focus is on targeting every muscle in your body through a combination of dynamic compound movements and muscle-specific moves. You move from one exercise to the next until you’ve completed one circuit and then you will rest and repeat as many times as needed. This style of exercise also keeps your heart rate elevated so you’re improving your stamina as well. Do keep in mind that for this type of strength training at home, you will most likely need a certified personal trainer.
Push-Pull Training
Push-Pull Training is a modern strength training program that focuses on splitting your workout into different muscle groups. This style of workout is typically split up over three days: push, pull and legs. On a push day you target all the muscles of your upper body that are involved in a push motion, which includes your chest, triceps and shoulders. On a pull day you target all the muscles of your upper body that are involved in a pull motion, which includes your back, and biceps. On your third day you target all the muscles of the legs.
The other option is you can split this training into two days by combining the push muscles of your legs (quads) with your push upper body workout and combining the pull muscles of your legs (hamstrings and glutes) with your pull upper body workout. The benefit of this style of training is it allows you to train your muscles without overstressing them, it isolates specific parts of your body for maximum gains and it saves you time because your workouts are shorter.
Powerlifting Training
Powerlifting Training is a style of exercise which involves training to lift as much weight as you can for one rep. These exercises include squats, deadlift, bench press and overhead press. The benefit of this style of training is that it makes you strong.
Explosive Dynamic Training
Explosive Dynamic Training is ideal for athletes or for people who love to have athletic bodies. This kind of training combines strength and speed to increase your power output. The focus here is on maximizing the number of repetitions you can do in a certain amount of time. Explosive exercises help improve an athlete’s physical performance in many fast-paced sports and may reduce the risk of injury for activities that involve high power output with quick acceleration.
Muscular Isolation Training
Muscular isolation training is another style of strength training at home. In this, you focus on a single group of muscles at a time that involve only one joint. Examples of these exercises are curls, chest flies, dumbbell side raises, tricep press-downs, tricep kick-backs, quadriceps leg extensions, hamstring leg curls and calf raises. This style of training is ideal for both beginners and experts, as it allows you to contract muscles of a single muscle group. You can use this method to counter muscular imbalances by targeting the opposing muscle groups. You can also use this method to concentrate strength development in one area.
Strength training focusing on weight loss
Strength training is effective for losing weight because you burn more calories in a shorter period of time and it helps speed up your metabolism. Total body circuit training is a great program design for this because it targets your entire body while getting your heart rate elevated too.
To start with the best possible program for strength training at home, you need a personal trainer as well and that is where we come in to help you.
Contact us to connect with certified personal trainers who are well-versed with all kinds of training programs.
5 best strength training exercises for beginners
- Lunges
- Squats
- Push-ups
- Pull-ups
- Planks
Time to cool down..
You are advised to either stretch or walk at a slow enough pace that you can hold a conversation. Doing this can help reduce muscle cramping and stiffness.
If you are looking for a certified and experienced personal trainer in NYC for your strength training, contact us and let us help you have a fit and healthy body.
Another option if in-home personal training is not feasible for you is online personal training. Get personalized training services to suit your needs.
Some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You first need to identify the goal you are aiming to achieve – be it losing weight or gaining it, improving a specific muscle group or trying to compete in a powerlifting competition or other sport. You then can discuss your exercise program with one of our personal trainers who provides strength training at home.
You should start with a weight that you can comfortably lift. Once you can easily perform over 15 reps you should increase the weight by 5 pounds.
This is exactly why you need a personal trainer while doing strength training at home. You can watch all the online videos you want but only a personal trainer can actually fix your posture and help you with the right form. In strength training, form is key so that you don’t injure yourself and so you maximize your results.
Your strength training routine should begin with a 5-10 minute warm-up doing either a light jog or dynamic stretches to avoid injury. You then should choose a weight you can comfortably lift with good form for 10-15 reps.
No, in order to get better results, it is necessary to maintain consistency. With any kind of training, you cannot get the desired results with just one day of training per week. You should be training at least 2-3 times per week for optimal results and with a recovery day in between each session.
Yes, you can have an effective strength training program that lasts 30 minutes or an hour. The key is to limit the amount of rest you have in between sets and circuits.
Lunges, squats, planks, push-ups, pull-ups, single leg squats and weighted squats are examples of strength training exercises. You can increase the amount of resistance with any exercise simply by adding weight.
It depends on the program design you choose. For example, the push-pull strength training program typically involves two or three workouts per week. We recommend having a recovery day in between workouts so you can feel strong and fresh for each workout.
Both kinds of trainings have their own benefits. Weight training is generally more effective at helping you speed up your metabolism by increasing the muscle mass on your body. With weight training you can also burn more calories in a shorter period of time because you continue burning calories even after your workout is over. Cardio is great if you are training for cardiovascular endurance.