I don’t even need to get facials anymore.
If you’re new to strength training, the gym weight room can feel intimidating or even like a recipe for injury. When everyone else seems to know what they’re doing, whether it’s slinging thick metal plates onto a bar for squats or shimmying into a resistance band for floor exercises, let’s face it: A lot is going on in the free weight zone, and it’s hard to know where to start. Not to mention, nailing the perfect form to avoid injury while doing weightlifting exercises for beginners isn’t always as straightforward as the regulars make it look.
However, there’s plenty of scientific evidence that ties strength training and maintaining muscle mass to longevity. And with more women lifting weights to build muscle, boost confidence, and reap serious mental health benefits, know that you’re not alone. The good news is that building an effective strength training plan that makes you look like a pro in the gym is easier than you think.
Use these six expert-backed weightlifting exercises to build muscle and confidence in the gym, even if you’ve never touched a kettlebell before.
5 weight lifting exercises for beginners
1. Deadbug
Grab a mat for this exercise from certified trainer Sarah Saunders, CPT, which targets your core and helps build the mind-body connection.
How to: Lie on your back with your knees bent at 90-degree angles, legs lifted, and shins parallel to the floor. Reach toward the ceiling with straight arms—start with bodyweight, then work your way up to holding a dumbbell in each hand as you get stronger.
To begin, breathe in deeply. As you exhale, extend your right arm over your head toward the floor until your bicep aligns with your ear. At the same time, straighten and lower your left leg toward the floor, keeping your foot flexed and squeezing your quad. Inhale as you return to the starting position. Repeat the same movement on the other side. Be sure to keep your black flat on the floor for the duration of the exercise and to engage your core.
Do: three sets of five reps per side.
2. Squats
Squats are a fundamental lower body exercise that involves bending at your knees and hips to lower your body closer to the ground while keeping a neutral spine and proud chest, according to Molly Ertel, lead trainer at DogPound in New York City.
This is a compound move, which means it recruits several different muscle groups: your quadriceps (the front of your thighs), hamstrings (the back of your thighs), and glutes (your butt). “You’ll also activate your calves and core, especially when you add weight to the exercise,” says Ertel.
The quads, hammies, and glutes are the largest muscle groups in your lower body, so squats offer a lot of bang for your buck.
How to: Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes slightly turned out or straight forward (try both stances and stick with whichever position feels most natural to you). Keep your knees pressed out in line with your second and third toes as you send your hips behind your heels and begin to lower your butt toward the floor with the goal being to get your thighs parallel to the ground and knees bent 90 degrees or as far as your mobility allows.
As you squat, keep your chest upright and spine neutral—so don’t overarch or tuck your tailbone under. “Especially for taller folks, it is okay to let your knees travel over your toes as long as you don’t experience pain when doing so,” notes Ertel.
Do: Start with three to four sets of eight to 10 reps. You can begin with body weight, and as you feel more comfortable with the motion, add a dumbbell in each hand.
3. Reverse lunge
This lower body exercise isolates one leg at a time to challenge your balance and target your quads and glutes.
How to: Keep your hands on your hips or hold a light dumbbell (eight to 12 pounds to start) in each hand. Step your right foot backward, then bend both knees to 90 degrees at the same time—the back heel stays elevated. “Ensure that your forward knee stays over your shoelaces,” says Saunders. Pause for a second at the bottom, then step your right foot back in line with your left to stand up straight for one rep. You can repeat the exercise on the same side or alternate sides by stepping your left foot back next. Focus on maintaining your balance and not swaying from side to side as you lunge.
Do: three sets of eight to 10 reps per side.
4. Overhead press
This is an upper-body exercise that works your pectorals (chest muscles), deltoids (shoulders), triceps (back of the upper arms), and trapezius (muscles that connect your neck and tops of shoulders). Saunders recommends this to beginner clients, as it’s
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