The beginner’s guide to resistance training

If you want to look great and feel strong, then pick up some weights. As you get stronger, continue to increase your weight and keep challenging your muscles and forcing them to adjust.

There's no real magical number for how many days you should lift weights per week. It all comes down to what your program looks like.

A great way to start as beginner to resistance training might be to do two full body/circuit style weight session per week with a high rep range of 12-15 reps.

As your overall strength and muscular endurance increases, you could move into doing split routines. A split routine is training different body part on different days. For example, all your pushing movements one day, then all your pulling movements on another day.

As I see the majority of my clients 1-2 times per week, I mainly use the full body/circuit style, with a big focus on lower body and pulling exercises to constantly mix up the reps, weights and intensity.

Weight training will also increase your muscle density. In Australia, two in three women, over the age of 60, will suffer an osteoporotic fracture in their remaining lifetime. Studies show that weight training can help prevent bone loss.

So, it can be helpful for women to view weight training like this:

• Lifting weights will give you stronger more dense muscle and bone.

• The more muscle density you have, the more fat you'll burn (even in your sleep)

• Denser muscles + less body fat, will give you that “toned” look you are after.

Here is an example of a very simple full body/circuit style weight session.

No break is required because as one muscle works, the other muscles rest. This style will increase your strength and muscle density, plus keep your heart rate up in a “fat burning” zone.

Weight selection for each movement should be a weight so that you can only just complete the reps whilst keeping safe strong form.

Complete four rounds without rest.

•15 seated row

•15 dumbbell curl and press

•24 reverse or step back lunges

A great way to mix up the exercises and program a set for yourself by using this format would be to follow these rules.

Select a pushing movement, a pulling moment and a lower body moment.

Happy training!

Dan Adair is a celebrity personal trainer at Sydney’s 98 Riley St. His clients include Roxy Jacenko, Jodi Anasta, Jesinta Campbell and Pia Miller.

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