A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO

STRENGTH TRAINING

The 9 exercises you need to be strong

S C R O L L D O W N

Introduction

1. How to do a lunge

2. How to do a plank

3. How to do a side plank

4. How to do a press-up

5. How to do a squat

6. How to do a deadlift

7. How to do a glute bridge

8. How to do a renegade row

9. How to do an Arnold press

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CONTENTS

Strength training doesn’t need to be complicated. We’ve broken down the 9 basic exercises you should be doing for

overall fitness – complete with options to make them easier or more challenging,

if you like – plus details on how each exercise can benefit you in your

day-to-day life.

Remember to always stop if you feel any pain, and always be mindful of any

pre-existing injuries. When in doubt, always start with no weights or lighter weights, and never compromise on the correct form of the move with weights

that are too heavy.

INTRODUCTION

S C R O L L D O W N

1. HOW TO DO A LUNGE

In order to assess your range of motion, you want to exercise one leg at a time.

That’s where lunges come into their own. Not only can you work on each leg individually, but you can add weights or jumps to make the move more dynamic

and compound (exercising more than one muscle at the same time). They’re a great foundational move, and here’s how to get

them right.

For our full guide on how to do a lunge correctly, including more variations and

details on which muscles you’re targeting, visit our article on stylist.co.uk

Increases muscle mass, strengthens core, glutes and legs

Improves posture and range of motion

Can be done with or without weights. Weights can be held above the head, down at your sides or lifted up and down in side arm raises as you lunge

Try a reverse lunge (moving the foot backwards rather than forwards) or a side lunge (taking a large step to the side)

Stand up tall, hands on your hips.

Step forwards with your right foot and start lowering your hips until your right knee is directly above your ankle, and nearly all of your

weight is on the right leg.

Bend your left knee as you lower your body so that it hovers just above the ground. Your left leg

should be outstretched behind with just your toes on the ground.

Make sure your right leg is at a 90-degree angle and ensure that

your knee doesn’t go beyond your toes.

Lift your right leg back to the starting position and repeat on the

other side.

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2. HOW TO DO A PLANK

Once you’re doing it right, the humble plank is guaranteed to get your core

muscles working overtime. The best thing is, you can do a plank anywhere, any time

– even without proper gymwear. Here’s how.

Lie with your stomach on the floor, hands placed on the floor to the side of your armpits (elbows

touching your sides) and toes tucked under.

Pushing off the floor with your hands, lift yourself until your arms are straight. Your body should be in a straight line, parallel to the floor

and your feet should be flexed.

Tuck your hips in to ensure that your bum isn’t sticking up in the air and you’re not collapsing into your lower back. Your body should be as straight as a wooden plank. Hands

should be placed directly under shoulders.

Imagine that you’ve got a £20 note between your bum cheeks – keep

your glutes and thigh muscles engaged to stop it from flying away!

Tighten your core by sucking your belly button in. This will prevent your lower back from collapsing

and keep your abs engaged.

Choose a spot around 2 inches ahead of you to focus your eyes on. Your neck should be parallel to the

floor.

Remember to breathe!

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For our full guide on how to do a plank correctly, including more variations and

details on which muscles you’re targeting, visit our article on stylist.co.uk

Improves posture

Increases core strength

Eases back pain

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C H A L L E N G I N G : Walk your hands towards your feet and back again, or tap your knee to your elbow (same side leg as your arm) and then switch legs.

E A S I E R : You can also go down onto your forearms instead of your hands, but remember to still keep your body in one straight line.

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3. HOW TO DO A SIDE PLANK

Not finding a regular plank challenging enough, or want to change it up? There are a number of modifications you can

make to increase or decrease the intensity of a plank, and one of them is through a

side plank.

Lie on your right side with your right forearm flat on the floor (lying perpendicular to your body, elbow

under your shoulder) and legs extended in a straight line. You can

either place your left foot on the floor behind your right, or have one foot balancing on top of the other –

it depends how good your balance is!

Lift your hips off the floor and hold the position for 30 seconds. Then,

switch to your left and repeat on the other side.

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Strengthens upper body, lower body and core

Improves balance and concentration

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C H A L L E N G I N G : Try lifting your top leg up and away from the bottom leg.

M O R E C H A L L E N G I N G : rotate the lifted leg in small circles.

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4. HOW TO DO A PRESS-UP

Press-ups may be tough but, once mastered, can be extremely satisfying. Here’s how to make sure you’re doing

them right.

For our full guide on how to do a press-up correctly, including more variations and

details on which muscles you’re targeting, visit our article on stylist.co.uk

Strengthens upper body, lower body and core

Full body strengthening improves stability and balance

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E A S I E R : If you like, you can start practising press-ups on an inclined surface, like a table or bench, and slowly work your way to the floor as your upper body gets stronger. The higher the surface, the easier your press-up should be, so try against the wall, then a table, then a step before you come to the floor.

E V E N E A S I E R : If a full press-up is still too difficult, start with your knees on the floor in an all-fours position and then lower your body down. As you get stronger, gradually move your arms and knees further apart to get used to the increased weight on the arms before lifting into a full press-up.

C H A L L E N G I N G : Take the difficulty up a notch by modifying either your leg or arm position. For an arm modification, place hands in a diamond shape (with both index fingers touching each other and both thumbs touching). Or keep arms shoulder-width apart and start in plank with feet together. As you lower down, jump the legs outward and back in when you push up to plank.

Make your way into a plank position, as described in this guide, and work your way up to holding it

for two minutes.

Once you’ve mastered this, maintain the tension you’ve created in the plank and start bending the

elbows as you lower your entire body down towards the ground.

Your elbows should be at a 45-degree angle as you lower your

body down.

Stop when your elbows are level with your shoulders (don’t worry,

you’ll eventually get there with practice if you can’t lower yourself

down that far).

Maintaining the straight line of your body, push the ground away

and come back to your high plank. You should always have a slight

bend in the elbow and your arms should never be locked.

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5. HOW TO DO A SQUAT

It’s the move you need to master for a strong and healthy lower body. The good news is you can do this move anywhere, without any equipment. Get ready to feel

the burn with these simple steps.

For our full guide on how to do a squat correctly, including more variations and

details on which muscles you’re targeting, visit our article on stylist.co.uk

Strengthens glutes and legs

Increases mobility, speed and balance

Can be done with or without weights

C H A L L E N G I N G : Try pulsing while down in your squat, or hold it to increase the intensity.

M O R E C H A L L E N G I N G : If using weights, start by holding one weight to your chest while squatting. Once you’ve mastered that, progress to lifting the weight out in front of you to shoulder height as you squat. Finally, lifting the weight over your head as you squat down is the hardest – but progressing in difficulty slowly will help you avoid injury.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.

Push your weight back into your heels – you should be able to lift up

your toes.

Slightly bend your knees and put your arms out straight in front of

you for balance.

Bend your legs at a 90-degree angle (if you can) to lower your bum

(as if sitting in an invisible chair) – keeping your back straight. If you can’t, try to go as low as you can without your knees turning

outwards).

Keep your knees behind your toes and push back up to standing.

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6. HOW TO DO A DEADLIFT

Deadlifts are one of the most fundamental lifting moves, and whether you’re aware of it or not, you tend to do a lot of deadlifting

in everyday life. Whether you’re lifting heavy bags or picking things up around the house, you’re bending, lifting and

straightening more often than you think.

For more information on which of your muscles a deadlift works, visit our article

on stylist.co.uk

Targets all of the body

Strengthens the upper and lower back to prevent injury

Improves posture

Dumbbells. If you’ve never done this move with weights before then start off using 1.5-3kg dumbbells, but if you’re used to weights and have a stronger back and hamstrings then you can increase the weight. If you don’t have dumbbells you can use filled water bottles or tins of beans.

M O R E C H A L L E N G I N G : Reduce the weight and try a one-legged deadlift – using every muscle in your body to stay balanced. Instead of performing the move with both feet on the floor, lift one leg and swing it slowly back behind your body. Find a spot to stare at in front of you to control your balance while lifting your leg.

Stand with feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand.

With a straight back and slight bend in the knee, lower your weights

down slowly until you feel a slight stretch in the back of the thighs.

The weights should come down to just below the knees.

Push your hips forward and use your hamstrings to pull you back up to standing position, keeping

the knees slightly bent. Keep your knees behind your toes and push

back up to standing.

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7. HOW TO DO A GLUTE BRIDGE

While it might not seem like you’re doing much at first, a glute bridge works

wonders for those who spend the majority of the day sitting down.

Improves hip mobility

Strengthens lower back (great for desk workers)

Can be done with or without weights. Weights can be placed on top of your lower abdominals (below your belly button and above your hip bones). Hold the weight in place with both hands to prevent it from moving.

E A S I E R : If not using weights you can lift one leg so that it’s parallel with the opposite knee and pulse, then alternate legs.

C H A L L E N G I N G : Hold at the top of the move while you’re squeezing your glutes to increase the intensity, and lightly pulse to work the glute muscles even more.

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor about hip-

width apart, making sure your feet are under your knees.

Push your heels into the floor and lift your pelvis as high as you can

while squeezing your glutes.

Lower slowly toward the ground, hovering around two inches above

the floor, then repeat.

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For our full guide on how to do a glute bridge correctly, including the mistakes to avoid, visit our article on on stylist.co.uk

S C R O L L D O W N

8. HOW TO DO A RENEGADE ROW

A renegade row is designed to target the upper back and core. It combines the benefits of a plank and traditional

dumbbell row – a move that should leave you aching all over.

Strengthens triceps

Strengthens core and midline stability, which is beneficial for most sports

Provides a full body cardiovascular workout

Dumbbells optional, but recommended

L E S S C H A L L E N G I N G : Place knees on the ground. If you don’t have a dumbbell, raise alternating arms straight out in front of you so that it’s next to your ear. This increases the challenge on your core as you are balancing on one hand, and lifting the arm out adds a slight weight to the move.

Come into a high plank, as described in this guide, with feet

shoulder-width apart.

Hold dumbbells in each hand while in plank position, so that

they’re resting on the floor roughly shoulder-width apart and parallel

to each other.

Shift your weight very slightly onto the left side and bend the right elbow, slowly pulling the

right dumbbell towards you until it reaches your shoulder/chest. Ensure your hips and shoulders

stay squared to the floor, with the only movement being in your arm.

Slowly lower the dumbbell to the floor, ensuring it’s in the same position as when you started.

Repeat on the left side.

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9. HOW TO DO AN ARNOLD PRESS

This intense back and shoulder exercise gets its name from Arnold

Schwarzenegger. It simultaneously targets several areas of the back and shoulders.

Strengthens back

Stabilises core

Dumbbells

C H A L L E N G I N G : Increase the weight of the dumbbell as you get stronger and more confident. Always start small with weights and increase gradually, but don’t compromise on posture with a heavy weight – having the correct form is the most important thing.

Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and knees slightly bent.

Hold a pair of dumbbells in front of your shoulders, palms facing your

body with elbows bent.

In one controlled and fluid motion, raise the dumbbells up and rotate

the palms of your hands to face forward. Keep lifting until your

arms are extended straight above your head.

Pause at the top of the move, then bring the arms back down to the

start position.

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I L L U S T R A T I O N S : H A R M O N Y W I L L O W