Fitness
Strength Training Basics
A beginner-friendly start to strength training at home, built around Australia's physical activity guidelines, with an 8-week plan.
A$24.99Buy
Home strength and fitness courses for beginners
Learn what Australia's physical activity guidelines ask of adults, then build strength at home with a simple plan, clear form cues and a log that shows your progress.
- 1 course
- Tools in every course
- Certificate included
Australia's Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines suggest adults aged 18 to 64 do 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate activity a week, such as brisk walking, or 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous activity, such as jogging, or a mix of the two. They also ask for muscle-strengthening activity on at least 2 days a week, and for long periods of sitting to be broken up. Doing some activity is better than none, and you can build up a little at a time.
Strength is the part most people leave out. Carrying the shopping, getting up from the floor and lifting a toddler all rely on it, yet many adults have never been shown how to train safely. Our fitness course begins there, with body-weight exercises you can do in a lounge room, clear technique cues and a plan that steps up week by week.
If you have a heart or lung condition, joint problems or high blood pressure, are pregnant or have recently had a baby, or have not been active for a long time, check with your GP before starting something new.
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 with good technique, then follows an 8-week plan you can do at home with a chair and a wall.
Not sure how hard you are working? Moderate activity makes you breathe a little faster while you can still talk. Vigorous activity makes you huff and puff, so you can only say a few words at a time.
Older adults may prefer the chair-based plan among our healthy ageing 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 answer before you start, with a prompt to see your GP if any of them apply to you.
- Exercise card library: each move with its set-up, 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 form checklist: record sets and repetitions and check your technique, so progress is easy to see.
Stop and get advice if
Stop exercising straight away if you get chest pain or tightness, feel faint or very dizzy, or become far more out of breath than the effort should cause. Call 000 if chest pain is severe, spreads to your arm, neck or jaw, or does not ease with rest.
See your GP or a physiotherapist about joint or muscle pain that lasts more than a few days or gets worse each time you train.
Fitness courses: your questions
Do I need a gym or equipment?
No. The beginner plan uses your own body weight, a sturdy chair and a wall. Some moves suggest optional household items, such as filled water bottles, once you are ready for more.
How often should I do strength exercises?
Australia's guidelines suggest muscle-strengthening activity on at least 2 days a week for adults. The 8-week plan is built around two or three short sessions a week with rest days in between.
I am over 65. Which guidelines apply to me?
For people 65 and over, Healthdirect recommends being moderately active for around half an hour on most days, ideally every day, and adding strength, flexibility and balance exercises. Bouts of 10 minutes add up. The chair-based plan in our healthy ageing topic is a gentler place to start.
Is it normal to feel sore after a session?
Some muscle stiffness a day or two after a new exercise is common and usually eases quickly. Sharp pain, or pain in a joint, is different: stop that exercise and get it checked if it continues.
Can I follow the plan while pregnant?
Strength Training Basics is not written for pregnancy. Australia has separate physical activity guidelines for pregnancy and after birth, and your midwife or GP can tell you what suits you.
Official sources
Your first session can take ten minutes
Answer the readiness checklist, pick three moves from the card library and log them today.