Fitness
Strength Training Basics
Your first 8 weeks of strength training at home: exercise cards, a good-form checklist and a workout log.
$16.99Buy
Beginner fitness courses that meet you where you are
Learn to train safely at home, build up to the federal activity guidelines step by step and keep a simple record of your progress.
- 1 course
- Tools in every course
- Certificate included
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ask adults to get 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, plus muscle-strengthening activities on at least 2 days a week. Their simplest message is move more and sit less: some activity is better than none, and any step up from where you are now counts.
Strength is the part many people skip. Carrying groceries, climbing stairs and lifting a child all depend on it, yet plenty of adults have never been shown how to train safely. Our fitness courses start with the basics: how to warm up, how to do a small set of moves with good form, how hard to work and how to make steady progress week by week.
The courses are general education, not a personal training program. If you have a heart or lung condition, joint problems, high blood pressure, are pregnant or have recently had a baby, or you have not been active for a long time, check with your doctor before you start.
All fitness courses
Choosing a starting point
Strength Training Basics is the place to begin if you are new to resistance exercise or coming back after a long break. It opens with a readiness checklist, teaches a small set of moves you can do at home with little or no equipment, and then follows an 8-week plan.
Not sure how hard you are working? A simple check is the talk test: during moderate activity you can talk but not sing; during vigorous activity you can only say a few words before pausing for breath.
Older adults may prefer the chair-based plans in our healthy aging courses, and women in midlife will find a menopause-specific strength plan among the menopause courses.
What the fitness tools do
- Readiness checklist: a short set of questions to work through before you start, with a prompt to see your doctor if any of them apply to you.
- Exercise card library: each move with its setup, steps, common mistakes and an easier or harder version.
- 8-week plan: sessions laid out week by week, so you always know what today's workout is.
- Workout log and good form checklist: record sets and reps and check your technique, so progress is easy to see over time.
Stop and get advice if
Stop exercising right away and get medical help if you have chest pain or tightness, feel faint or very dizzy, or become far more out of breath than the effort should cause. Call 911 if chest pain is severe or does not ease with rest.
See your doctor or a physical therapist about joint or muscle pain that lasts more than a few days or gets worse each time you train.
Fitness courses: your questions
How much exercise do adults need each week?
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, each week, plus muscle-strengthening activities on at least 2 days. Short bouts count toward the total.
Do I need a gym or equipment?
No. Strength Training Basics uses body-weight moves and everyday items at home. Light dumbbells or resistance bands are optional extras for later in the plan.
I have never lifted weights. Is this too advanced?
No. The course assumes no experience, starts with the easiest version of each move and builds up gradually over 8 weeks.
Can I do strength training if I am over 65?
Yes, and the guidelines encourage it, along with balance training. The chair-based plan in Strength for Older Adults may be a gentler place to start. If you have a health condition or a history of falls, get your doctor's okay before you begin.
How long does the fitness course take?
The lessons take about 75 minutes to read in total. The 8-week plan then runs alongside, with two or three short sessions a week.
Official sources
Your first session can be today
Open Strength Training Basics, work through the readiness checklist and try the first three moves.