Achievable Strength Work for the Working Person

I know you are busy. You have so little time, and life takes it all up. But you still want to make your physical health a priority, and you know resistance training will go a long way. But how?

I know you are busy

A common problem I see with clients and those asking me for workout advice is getting hung up on the details.

With influencers in the fitness space giving a new movement everyday and telling you how you're doing everything wrong every moment, it is easy to get caught up in the minutiae. And it's a little fun! I do it too!

Today I am here to tell you that you do not have to have the perfect workout plan before you can start working out. But so that you don't waste time, you should at least have a GOOD workout plan before you start. This can be overwhelming, I know! But I'm going to give you a few rules that will help simplify, and a sample workout you can use if you are absolutely beginning and don't know where to turn.

1. Consistent is more important than perfect. If you are showing up to your workouts, you are winning. Some days will be better than others, but overall, just coming in, doing what you said you would do (even if it sucks, or you aren't able to do it perfectly, or you can't finish every set), you are winning. Two times a week, done consistently over three months, will pay off 1000 times more than a five day plan that you are unable to do for more than two weeks.

2. Variety is fun, but progress comes from doing the same thing over and over. Muscle growth comes from progressive overload, and that means doing your preferred squat every week, increasing the weight, sets, or repetitions each time. If you want to be a good runner, you need to be running again and again. If you want to lose weight, it is going to be easier if you eat similar things each day. This is progress, and if you can't stomach doing the same movement each week, you're going to struggle to track any meaningful progress.

3. For most beginners, a full body workout two or three times a week is plenty. Everyone always wants to jump into fitness with both feet, and while I understand that, you have got to pace yourself! You don't need five to seven days of strength training! It actually works better if you limit yourself to a maximum of four days, and I would say even just one day, if you are a beginner just starting out. And you don't need a "leg" day, or "back and biceps." Full body is best for the most people. Unless you are a body builder or elite athlete, hitting smaller muscles groups that hard is going to have you sore, grumpy, and reluctant to pick up your weights again.

So what do you really need in a workout? Well, it varies a little, but if your goal is to grow muscle and build strength so that you can live your life better, walk up stairs, carry your groceries or pets or kids without hurting yourself, here are some quick and dirty guidelines:

1. Do not neglect your warm up. Do some dynamic stretches, get your heart rate up, and warm up the joints you will be using. (If you are squatting, warm up your ankles, knees, hips, and spine by moving them through their range of motion, for example.) It can take just a couple of minutes, but if you have time, go for a good 8-10 minutes warm up.

2. Start with a big lift. This should be where you are putting your most effort. This should be the meat of your workout. This will be a compound movement, a big strength movement, such as:

   1. Squat

   2. Deadlift

   3. Bench Press/Push up

   4. Pull Up

3. Pair an upper and lower body movement to save time. This allows your lower body to rest while you work the upper, and vice versa. This way you don't have to take long rest breaks. Just try to keep your heart rate low. You should not be panting when you start a new set.

4. For upper body, think in terms of push and pull. You can alternate a push movement and pull movement. Push means: push-ups (duh), bench press, overhead press, tricep dips or extensions. Pull means: pull-ups, rows, bicep curls. This ensures you get all those major muscle groups without having to divide up individual muscles.

5. Every full body workout should have a hip hinge and a squat. Hip hinges include hip thrusts, bridges, deadlifts, and back extensions. Squats include front, back, or goblet squats, split squats, lunges, leg presses. This is where your preference comes in.

6. Do not neglect recovery. If you don't have time to stretch after a workout, that's actually fine! Taking a minute to take some deep breaths and calm the body is all you really need to do after a workout. But you should make time for stretching. My favorite time is before bed. Watch a little TV or listen to a podcast, sit in the floor, and stretch before you turn in for the night. This will even help your sleep by easing some physical tension. Or if mornings are better, get up and do a little yoga. Hot and cold therapies, red light, foam rolling, and vibration are great, but optional! A good stretch and a shower go a long way.

Here are some sample workouts for a beginner, using mostly dumbbells, which should take between 30 and 45 minutes. They are a great pair, so if you do two weekly workouts, this could be all you need!

Workout 1:

Dynamic warm-up (5-10 minutes)

Superset 1, alternate for 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions:

Goblet squat

Push up

Superset 2, alternate for 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions:

Dumbbell Romanian deadlift

Bent-over row (dumbbells) or horizontal row (cable machine)

Superset 3, alternate for 2-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions:

Walking lunges

Bicep curl

Stretching and deep breaths

Workout 2: Dynamic warm-up (5-10 minutes)

Superset 1, alternate for 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions:

Dumbbell Hip bridge

Vertical rows/pull up

Superset 2, alternate for 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions:

Split squat

Overhead shoulder press or incline bench press

Superset 3, alternate for 2-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions:

Single leg bridge or hip thrust

Tricep extensions (cable, can do bent over tricep extension if you only have dumbbells)

Stretching and deep breaths

Don't be afraid to tweak these workouts! Now that you know the guiding principles, you can switch out movements like Lego, picking the version of squat or deadlift that your body likes best. Drop the third superset if you are especially tired or rushed. Better to do fewer movement well than rush through more movements but not truly fatigue any muscles.

If you want more tips, follow along with me here, and always feel free to drop a message or email if you have questions!