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I help men and women get strong with our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/coaching-overview-page/), and in addition to this
strength series, I’d love for our team to help you get strong too:
Start strength training safely with our Coaching Program! Learn more:
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/coaching-overview-page/)
In this introduction to Strength and Resistance Training, we’ll cover:
What are the benefits of strength training?
What IS strength training?
Can I strength train for weight loss?
Am I too old for strength training?
Will lifting weights make me bulky?
I don’t like gyms, can I still strength train?
How to start getting strong today (next steps).
5 Strength Training Workouts for Beginners
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101-where-do-i-start/)
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This is also quite a lot to absorb, so we’ve combined this article along with the
rest of our strength articles into a “Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to
Know” guide.
Grab it free when you join the Rebellion by putting your email in the box below.
https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101/ 3/28
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Plus, whether you’re 100 lbs overweight or just need to lose the last 15
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/losing-the-last-20-pounds-7-lessons-learned-
while-still-eating-carbs/), strength training is one of the most effective ways to
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/what-burns-more-calories-cardio-intervals-or-
weight-training/)burn fat and build muscle (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-
fast-can-i-build-muscle-naturally/).
Let’s get the long term benefits out of the way: building strength has been shown
to:
#1) Halt and even reverse sarcopenia: As we age our skeletal muscle
deteriorates (sarcopenia) – so strength training helps us stay independent (and
out of a nursing home) and live longer.[1]
#2) Prevent disease and degenerative conditions:[2] Heart disease is the leading
cause of death for both men and women.
Strength training helps correct issues relating to cholesterol, high blood pressure,
obesity, diabetes, and inactivity – all factors for heart disease.
Cardiologists are even starting to recommend strength training for people who
have suffered a heart attack as little as three weeks after the attack.
#3) Improve the quality of life for people with: arthritis,[3] osteoporosis,
[4] Parkinson’s Disease,[5] Down Syndrome,[6] lymphedema,[7] fibromyalgia,[8] who
have recently had a stroke,[9] have had a spinal cord injury,[10] cancer
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It’s what we’re genetically designed to do: move around, push, pull, jump, and
carry things.
We’ve got 642 muscles in our bodies (but who’s counting), and they all work together
to help our bodies move, stand, and exist.
When you bend your arm, your biceps contract and your triceps do the opposite
(elongate) in order to let your elbow bend. Every muscle in your body works alongside
other muscles to let you move and do things.
Strength training starts when you move your bodyweight (doing 10 push-ups
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/proper-push-up/)), or pick up a weight (a 100
pound deadlift (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101-the-
deadlift/)) that is beyond what your body is normally used to.
In other words, you push your muscles outside of their comfort zone.
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They “break down” and tear slightly during this workout, and then over the next 24-
48 hours they rebuild themselves stronger and more resilient.
This is the foundation of strength training, and it’s called hypertrophy.[27]
There are a few types of hypertrophy, which you can nerd out about here (don’t
worry, this won’t be on the quiz):
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy focuses on increasing the amount of sarcoplasm, the
non-contractile fluid found in your muscle. This type of hypertrophy helps build
overall size.
Myofibril hypertrophy focuses on strengthening the myofibril, the contractile
part of the muscle. You are strengthening the actual muscle fiber so it helps you
build super dense, strong muscles.
Transient hypertrophy is the temporary increase in muscle size that happens
during and immediately after weight training due to fluid accumulation in the
intracellular space, that you might know as “the pump”.
“Staci, what does this mean for me?” You might be wondering.
Please note: each of these rep ranges are NOT exclusive – when you train in a higher
rep range you’re not JUST getting size, you’re also getting strength.
And if you get really strong, it can also help you with size and endurance.
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Don’t forget that no matter HOW you train, nutrition will be responsible for 90% of your
results (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/why-cant-i-lose-weight-heres-the-truth/).
Three quick points (which we cover in more detail throughout the rest of this
series):
#1) “How often should I work out?” For a basic strength program
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101-where-do-i-start/),
working out 3-4 days a week is plenty. This is one of those situations where more is
not necessarily better.
#2) Recovery: The general rule is to wait 48 hours before working the same
muscle group again. Recovery is different for everyone depending on many
different factors such as what the actual workout is, how old you are, your sleep
quality (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/are-you-making-these-mistakes-
with-your-sleep/), diet (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/paleo-keto-slow-carb-
vegan-how-to-determine-the-perfect-diet-for-you/), and other recovery elements
(such as massage and stretching).
#3) Soreness after a workout: The day after an intense strength training workout
– or 2 days after, you’re going to be VERY sore. This is called “Delayed Onset
Muscle Soreness(DOMS) (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/i-worked-out-and-
now-im-so-sore-help/)”. It’s a normal part of the process of repairing your muscles
from the damage to the fibers you created while exercising.
Expect to be more sore after doing an exercise for the first few workouts. As your
muscles get used to that movement (and adapt to being put under stress), they will
get less and less sore every time.
If you are sore, don’t skip the next workout!
The best way to alleviate soreness is to continue exercising. This increases blood flow
to the muscles and helps them heal. However, remember that we still need them to
heal. Here’s our guide on dealing with soreness (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/i-
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worked-out-and-now-im-so-sore-help/).
Already overwhelmed and just want to be told what to do? I hear you. It’s why we
created our coaching program:
Want an expert to tell you exactly what to do every time in the gym?
Learn more about our Online Coaching Program:
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/coaching-overview-page/)
We get questions relating to weight loss and strength training all the time, and
it’s a BIG part of this entire Strength 101 series.
Let me quickly address it here:
Fat and muscle are two different things – one can’t transform into the other.
We all have plenty of muscle right now (otherwise we wouldn’t be able to move, walk,
sit up, etc.), the muscle is just hiding underneath a layer of body fat.
In order for us to lose weight (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/why-cant-i-
lose-weight-heres-the-truth/) and look better, we want to do two things:
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And luckily, both of those things happen simultaneously through strength training!
So NO, you don’t need to lose weight first before you start strength training.
You will lose weight BY strength training (and keep the muscle you have).
You do NOT need to do hours of cardio for weight loss – weight loss is 90% a result of
your nutrition (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/paleo-keto-slow-carb-vegan-how-
to-determine-the-perfect-diet-for-you/). So honestly, you don’t need to ever set foot
on a treadmill again (unless you WANT to).
Strength training will help you lose weight and look better IF you do two key
things for effective weight loss:
1. Calorie restriction (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-many-calories-
should-i-eat-every-day-a-look-at-total-daily-energy-expenditure-tdee/): eat fewer
calories than you burn every day.
2. Strength train with progressive overload
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101-where-do-i-start/)
(picking up heavier stuff).
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101-where-do-i-start/).
Your body has no choice BUT to pull from fat stores to get stuff done!
Just by doing those two things (get strong, reduce calories), all sorts of wizardry
and witchcraft takes place in your body:
Get stronger and keep the muscle you have.
Build tight dense muscle.
A revved up metabolism while rebuilding muscle.
Burning of body fat to get things done.
Lose the body fat that sits on top of your muscles and you’ll make your muscles
tighter and denser = look better without clothes on.
So how do you put this into practice?
1. Pick one of the strength workouts in our “How to start strength training” section.
2. Calculate your daily caloric needs (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-many-
calories-should-i-eat-every-day-a-look-at-total-daily-energy-expenditure-tdee/).
3. Learn which diet is best for you (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/paleo-keto-
slow-carb-vegan-how-to-determine-the-perfect-diet-for-you/), and make a small
change.
Oh, what’s that? You just want somebody to tell you exactly how to train for your
body, and how to eat for your goals?
Fine!
Check out our 1-on-1 Coaching Program (https://www.nerdfitness.com/coaching-
overview-page/) – it’s helped thousands of people lose weight through strength
training – and proper nutrition. We work with you on habit building and lifestyle
design to actually get stuff done!
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(https://www.nerdfitness.com/coaching-overview-page/)
Let us build a weight loss program for you that sticks. Learn more here:
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/coaching-overview-page/)
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No matter your age, it's not too late to start. Learn more how our
Coaching Program will help you get strong NOW:
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/coaching-overview-page/)
By the way, if you are 90+ and reading Nerd Fitness, please email us at
contact@nerdfitness.com (mailto:contact@nerdfitness.com) – I’d love to hear from you
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The images of “bulky” women that you are conjuring up are from bodybuilding
magazines.
When I started strength training, I didn’t get bulky, I got lean:
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Screen-Shot-2011-
07-21-at-10.03.58-AM1.jpg)
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(https://www.nerdfitness.com/coaching-overview-page/)
Or Christina, who got strong as hell (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-
christina-lost-50-pounds-31-total-inches-and-did-her-first-pull-up/), lost 31
total inches, and now crushes sets of pull-ups!
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(https://www.nerdfitness.com/coaching-overview-page/)
That “bulky” look in women does not happen by mistake or overnight – we simply
do not have the hormones necessary to get there on our own.
To achieve this look, women have to eat incredible amounts of food and consume
incredible amounts of drugs.
When we strength train normally, without these supplements, we end up looking like
athletes.
And for the men: if your fear is getting too bulky, you can rest easy. Steve, creator of
Nerd Fitness, has spent his entire life trying to get “too bulky.” It was only after fixing
his diet (and hiring an online coach (https://www.nerdfitness.com/coaching-
overview-page/)) that he went from Steve Rogers to Captain America
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-tiny-changes-transformed-me-from-steve-
rogers-to-captain-america/).
That’s right, strength training is only 10% of the “slim down or bulk up” equation. The
other 90% is nutrition and total calories consumed.
Want to lose weight? Strength train + caloric restriction
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-many-calories-should-i-eat-every-day-a-
look-at-total-daily-energy-expenditure-tdee/).
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Studies have shown that strength training increases the endurance of your muscles.
[30]
In fact, resistance training and weight training not only help to tune up an out of
shape nervous system and increase the activation of motor units within your muscles,
but also helps increase their overall endurance.
Want to run your first 5K (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/couch-to-5k-
crucial-things-to-know-before-you-start-training/)? Strength training will keep
you injury free. One of our coaching clients (https://www.nerdfitness.com/coaching-
overview-page/), Aylette, used strength training to keep her injury free
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-aylette-overcame-injuries-grew-strong-
and-started-winning-gold-medals/) and she recently one a triathlon!
If you’re worried about getting too big, remember: there are many types of
strength training (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101-where-
do-i-start/) (and alternate forms of strength training like acro yoga and rock climbing
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/25-ways-to-exercise-without-realizing-it/)!), and
size and strength don’t always go hand in hand.
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You don’t ever have to set foot in a gym if you don’t want to.
Sure, gyms are great, as long as you join the right gym
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101-finding-the-right-gym/).
And we can also teach you how to train in a gym
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-the-gym-everything-you-
need-to-know/) so you avoid that “lost sheep” feeling.
But they aren’t for everybody!
You can get really strong as hell doing just bodyweight exercises at home.
Remember how I talked about “progressive overload” earlier? That applies to
bodyweight training too.
You just have to constantly increase the challenge your muscles face. Like moving
from our Beginner Bodyweight Workout
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-
muscle/) to our Advanced Bodyweight Workout
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/advanced-body-weight-workout-warning-this-
will-kick-your-ass/).
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No gym? No problem. Let our coaches build you a fun program that fits
your life:
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/coaching-overview-page/)
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(https://www.nerdfitness.com/coaching-overview-page/)
2) Join our amazing free community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion! It’s free to join,
and we provide you with free goodies like our Strength Training 101 ebook when you
sign up:
3) Read ALL of the other amazing resources on Nerd Fitness. We’ve published
millions of words over 800+ articles at Nerd Fitness that you can read, but these are
the guides that will be the most helpful to you on your journey:
Read Part 2 of Strength Training 101: Pick a Beginner Strength Training Workout
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101-where-do-i-start/).
Need to join a gym? Here’s how to find the right gym for you
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101-finding-the-right-
gym/).
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Want to work out in a gym? Try our 5-level Weight Training Routine
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-the-gym-everything-
you-need-to-know/) that will level you up from Rookie to Barbell Badass.
Want to hire a trainer? Make sure you hire a good trainer
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-to-hire-a-good-personal-trainer/)!
Start barbell training (my favorite): Read our guides on Squats
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101-how-to-squat-
properly/), Deadlifts (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101-
the-deadlift/), and Bench Press (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/what-do-you-
bench-strength-training-101-the-bench-press/). Oh, and you NEED to read
Starting Strength (https://amzn.to/2ZEUKoN), the strength trainer’s bible.
Get more info about women and weight training
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/7-strength-training-myths-every-
woman-should-know/).
I don’t care which next step you pick, as long as you PICK a plan that works for
you
It’s simple to follow
You have all of the equipment available
It focuses on compound, full body movements
Congratulations: You just made it through the first class of Strength Training 101!
What big questions do you have about strength training?
###
Photo Source:[32]
How to Do The Front Squat: A Definitive How Many Calories Should I Eat Every Day?
Guide A Look at Total Daily Energy …
2 comments • 4 months ago 23 comments • 9 months ago
Steve Kamb — Hey Gary! My (unsolicited) NewbieRebel — Great article - asking for
Avataradvice: no big deal man, There are a bazillion Avatarclarification...My BMR is 1250; TDEE is 1500If I
exercises you can do to work the same muscles. wanted to lose one pound each week, I should
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