No matter what your fitness goal is, you should do strength training.
Click here for our previous article on all of the benefits of strength training.
Now we know it’s important, but how do we do it?
Strength training will look different for everyone. At BridgeFIt Personal Training, we believe in a personalized approach that meets you where you are at.
Below are three tips you should make sure to do, so you can get the most out of your strength training without banging up your body in the process.
1. Do more than the time before
Your goal for each workout should be to do more than the previous workout. In trainer talk, this is called increasing volume. You can do this several ways by increasing repetitions, weight used, and/or more total sets for a specific exercise.
Increasing volume is one of the most important drivers to increase strength and maintain/build muscle.
This doesn’t mean you should max out every workout, but it does mean that in order to make progress, you should be tracking and being intentional about doing a little bit more than the time before.
At BridgeFit we use our My BridgeFit Plan (click here to see the app our members use) app to track everything from reps, sets, weight, habits, and any other metric you use to track your progress.
Our app makes it easy to know if you’re actually making progress.
2. Train at the right intensity
A big mistake often seen in strength training is not training at the right intensity. This happens for two reasons:
People are worried they will get hurt
People don’t know if they’re doing the exercise correctly
When talking about intensity, this doesn’t mean you need to listen to loud music and make noises.
If your goal is to do 10 repetitions of an exercise, but you choose a weight that is too light for you and you could have done 30 repetitions but stop at 10, this may not provide enough intensity to build muscle, maintain muscle, or gain strength..
You shouldn’t go too far in the other direction either! We don’t usually recommend you go to absolute failure. (This means you can’t do anymore at the end of the exercise.)
What we recommend is stopping 2-4 repetitions shy of failure when the goal is to gain strength and build muscle.
3. Pick the right exercise for YOU
This is the most important tip of the three.
At BridgeFIt Personal Training we have a technique first philosophy.
This means that before you worry about intensity and volume, you should focus on form first.
Click here to learn more about BridgeFit personal training.
Form will ensure you get the MOST out of the exercise so you can get to your goal without getting banged up in the process.
Each exercise should be intentionally picked for you based on your goals, ability, injury history, current aches and pains, etc.
This is why strength training should be personalized to you and your goals.
Are you struggling with:
- Not knowing where to start
- Not knowing if you’re doing it right
- Not making progress or not knowing how to progress
- Worrying you’re going to hurt yourself
- Not sure if what you’re doing is actually helping you
If you experience any of the common struggles for adults 40+ CLICK HERE for a NO strings attached FREE month of personal training at BridgeFit Personal Training (2 Spots Available). So you’ll know exactly what to do to reach your goals and how to do it without banging up your body in the process.
Here’s what people have said about BridgeFit:
“Joining BridgeFIT has been the best decision I have made for myself! BridgeFit has a non-competitive, supportive atmosphere that truly is fun! I have never been consistent with working out until now. And I can honestly say that I actually look forward to it, something that has never happened before! The BridgeFit team does a great job of encouraging you to push yourself while making sure you are executing the exercises safely.” Andrea
“Prior to working out I struggled with knee and back pain when working out. I also didn’t see the results that I wanted to see. BridgeFit created a program that addressed my goals while also working through areas that I struggled in. Because of this, I can honestly say I’m in the best shape of my life. I feel better in my late 30s than I ever did in my 20s!” Sarah
“Excellent personalized training. Even after only 2 weeks, I noticed a difference in my day to day life: felt stronger, had more energy, and gained confidence” Evan
“Before working with BridgeFit I struggled with my health and fitness due to low back pain and knee pain. Working with BridgeFit has been life changing. My posture is better. My core is stronger. And I feel energized and more able to be the active person I want to be.” Judy
BridgeFit is Overland Park’s Premier Personal Training Gym for ADULTS 35+. At BridgeFit we help busy adults lose weight, gain energy, and get strong… even if they are overwhelmed by their busy schedule, or haven’t found a solution that works long term. Find out more here.
