{"id":171644,"date":"2025-09-26T23:05:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T23:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/171644\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T23:05:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T23:05:07","slug":"why-everyone-is-lifting-weights-and-how-to-get-started-whatever-your-size-fitness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/171644\/","title":{"rendered":"Why everyone is lifting weights \u2013 and how to get started (whatever your size) | Fitness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Weightlifting is rapidly joining wild swimming, the Beckham family feud and lurching towards fascism as a national obsession. And with good cause. Also known as resistance training, pumping iron is about more than aspiring to look like a Love Islander. It\u2019s been shown to boost your immune system, prevent cognitive decline and even reverse the ageing process. More than your weight or BMI, increased muscle mass is considered one of the strongest indicators of longevity, with one decade-long study<\/a> finding that it correlates with lower risk of death from all major causes. Unsure where to begin? We\u00a0asked the experts.<\/p>\n

Will weightlifting make me bulky?<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a myth that has held women back for far too\u00a0long,\u201d says Elizabeth Davies<\/a>, author of the forthcoming book Training For Your Old Lady Body: A No Bullsh*t Guide to Help Women Reframe Exercise. \u201cFor the majority of women, to build lots of\u00a0visible muscle requires a hugely dedicated approach to your training and nutrition. It\u2019s not something that just happens by accident. So please don\u2019t let that be a reason not to start. If you find that\u00a0you are developing more muscle than you\u2019d like,\u00a0just end your workout when you have a bit more\u00a0left in the tank.\u201d<\/p>\n

Are you ever too young or old to start?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe used to believe that if children engaged in strength training it might stunt their growth, but that has been debunked,\u201d says Davies. \u201cWe know now that if they are being supervised, then age-appropriate resistance training is safe and beneficial for children and adolescents, helping to improve their strength, build bone density, develop coordination and boost confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

And weightlifting as an older person? \u201cIt is true\u00a0that an older muscle isn\u2019t as responsive to\u00a0weightlifting as a younger muscle, but that\u00a0doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t get quite significant benefits,\u201d says Leigh Breen<\/a>, honorary professor of translational muscle physiology at the University of Birmingham. \u201cStudies have shown quite dramatic improvements in muscle mass and strength in older\u00a0adults who do strength training, with minimal to nonexistent adverse effects, even in those aged 90\u00a0and above.\u201d<\/p>\n

Illustration: Vchal\/ShutterstockHow often should you train?<\/p>\n

\u201cGuidelines from the chief medical officer in the UK\u00a0state that adults should aim to do at least two resistance strength training sessions<\/a> a week,\u201d says Breen. \u201cThere will be benefits if you can lift three or four times a week, but there\u2019s a risk that you start to neglect aerobic exercise, which also has numerous health benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Nick Finney, a personal trainer whose clients have included Robbie Williams and J-Lo: \u201cThere\u2019s nothing to stop you exercising every day, but you shouldn\u2019t be lifting weights every day. You need recovery time in order for your muscles to adapt, so it becomes counterproductive to hit the same muscle groups day after day. If you love exercise, that\u2019s not to stop you doing cardio or yoga or mobility on the days that you aren\u2019t lifting. I\u00a0always encourage people to get the most out of the minimum, and to be consistent. For most people it just wouldn\u2019t be realistic to train for five or six days a\u00a0week and keep that up for years.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do you know how much to lift?<\/p>\n

\u201cGenerally, people should aim to lift between 70% and 80% of what we call their one repetition maximum (the load that they estimate they could move only once before they fail) for about 10 reps,\u201d says Breen. \u201cYou can test this out. If, for instance, you can lift a weight 20 times at 50% effort, then your muscle is not working hard enough to grow. In that scenario, you would aim to increase the load until you can only manage 10 to 15 reps before you feel close to failure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finney says: \u201cIf you want ultimate muscle growth, I like the final set to be five reps to failure \u2013 so that the last rep is a struggle. Prior to that you might have done a warmup set of 12 reps at a lower weight, and a middle set of eight reps at a medium weight. If you can manage eight reps on your final set, then you\u2019re going too light.\u201d<\/p>\n

Are reps or weight more important?<\/p>\n

\u201cAssuming you\u2019d like to increase your muscle mass, what\u2019s important is volume,\u201d says Breen. \u201cYour muscle doesn\u2019t know how you place high demand on it, it just knows it\u2019s fatigued. You can do this in one of two ways; either by lifting a heavy weight a few times or lowering the weight and doing more repetitions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davies adds: \u201cHeavier weights are more effective for building absolute strength \u2013 the most you can lift for a\u00a0single rep, sometimes known as a one-rep max. So, if I was trying to build my deadlift to get as heavy as possible, I\u2019d need to practise with fewer reps and heavy weights. Part of building strength is skill, and part of it is neurological adaptation. So you need to practise working close to your max in order for your nervous system to adapt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Illustration: Ratpack223\/Getty Images\/iStockphotoIs it good or bad if it hurts?<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are different types of pain,\u201d says Davies. \u201cIf\u00a0you are performing a squat and your knee is hurting, I would reduce the weight, reduce your squat depth and see if that stops the pain. Often when we experience discomfort after a workout, this is delayed onset muscle soreness (Doms). This is really common when you do something novel; for instance, if you\u2019ve ever tried a new class and been very sore the next day. It usually kicks in 24 hours after a workout, peaks on day two and is resolved after 72 hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really encourage people to stick with the same exercises for at least eight weeks, because there is something called the repeated bout effect, which means that once you start repeating the same stimulus on the body, the Doms vanishes, even when you\u2019re increasing the weight or the reps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breen concurs: \u201cThe idea that soreness is the catalyst to muscle growth is false. If you have an injury that doesn\u2019t go away, that requires attention from a physiotherapist or other specialist.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do you know when to progress?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe core principle of resistance training is progressive overload, which simply means doing more over time,\u201d says Davies. \u201cThe body is really, really adaptable \u2013 and to keep it adapting, you have to keep gradually increasing that stimulus. The really important thing is to work with a rep range, because otherwise it\u2019s going to be complete guesswork. For a beginner, a nice rep range could be six to 12 reps per set, using a weight that feels challenging enough for that rep range. A beginner might be increasing that load every single week, and then there\u2019s going to be a point where things slow down a little bit. But the goal, even years into training, is always applying progressive overload.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Are machines better for beginners?<\/p>\n

\u201cMachines can absolutely be a great starting point, because they can require less skill,\u201d says Davies. \u201cThey guide your movement, which can feel much less intimidating. That said, using free weights gets you moving in patterns which really carry over well into everyday life; for instance, a squat is very similar to getting up off the sofa, a deadlift is very similar to picking up compost at the garden centre.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finney is an advocate of free weights, especially for newcomers to the gym. \u201cThere\u2019s an argument that if you\u2019re a beginner, you should be learning the basics and nailing foundational moves, such as squats and bench presses, rather than using machines,\u201d he\u00a0says. \u201cIf you\u2019re unsure what you\u2019re doing, it\u2019s worth having one or two sessions with a\u00a0personal trainer to show you the basics \u2013 even if they just give you one routine for upper and one for lower body. If\u00a0you can afford it, seeing someone just once a\u00a0month is helpful because they can do a\u00a0check\u2011in and prevent any bad habits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Should I be taking creatine?<\/p>\n

\u201cThere aren\u2019t many sports supplements with bona fide claims about their efficacy, but creatine is one of them<\/a>,\u201d says Breen. \u201cIt effectively makes muscles more energy efficient and gives you a small increase in muscle growth and strength. More recently, people are talking about non-muscle health benefits\u00a0of creatine, with a growing body of work demonstrating that creatine supplementation may have positive effects on brain health and cognition as well. That said, I wouldn\u2019t advise taking it if you aren\u2019t training. Most guidance states that you should aim for about 5g a day, which can be consumed in pill form or in a powder that dissolves easily in a\u00a0drink. If you have an existing kidney issue then consult your GP, because creatine supplementation can alter some of the blood markers that are associated with kidney function.\u201d<\/p>\n

How should I structure my workouts?<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re trying to hit the guidelines of strength training twice a week, then I\u2019d make both full-body workouts to be sure you\u2019re targeting all the main muscle groups,\u201d advises Breen. \u201cWithin that, you want to ensure you\u2019re doing as many compound exercises as possible \u2013 these are exercises that work many different muscle groups at once and include pull-ups, push-ups, squats, lunges and deadlifts.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re able to work out more than twice a week, Finney suggests thinking about a split that targets different muscle groups on different days. \u201cThe stronger you get, the more recovery the body needs. If you\u2019re squatting heavy weights, you\u2019re going to need to take a break of a couple of days before training legs again. Some people choose to do upper and lower body workouts, and some people split it into leg days, push days (chest and triceps) and pull days (back and biceps). Because these are opposing muscle groups, doing this means you can work out on consecutive days without them affecting each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

What are the best moves to master?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important thing is to have a balanced programme that targets all the key movement patterns,\u201d says Davies. \u201cSo I would love to see someone training a knee-dominant movement (eg\u00a0a\u00a0squat or a lunge), a hip-dominant movement (eg\u00a0a glute bridge or a deadlift), a vertical push movement (eg a shoulder press), a horizontal push movement (eg a bench press or a pull-up), a vertical pull movement (eg a pull-up) and a horizontal pull (eg a bent-over row). If you\u2019re including those movements, you\u2019ve got a nice solid starting point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is there a best time of day to lift weights?<\/p>\n

\u201cChronobiology is a relatively new field,\u201d says Breen. \u201cThere\u2019s some suggestion that the time of day when animals perform strengthening exercises can alter the effect, but human studies aren\u2019t very comprehensive. Things like your alcohol intake and stress levels will have a bigger impact than the time of day that you go to the gym.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finney adds: \u201cIn general, I would say exercise in the morning, because then it\u2019s done and there\u2019s less chance of you cancelling because you\u2019re tired or something has got in the way. It also positively affects your behaviour for the rest of the day \u2013 you eat better because you\u2019re conscious that you don\u2019t want to undo the good effort that you\u2019ve made, and you feel the benefit of the endorphins. That said, it\u2019s about personal preference. If you love training in the evening, do not force yourself to train in the morning. And if you\u2019re trying to get bigger, it can help to have eaten a couple of meals in order to power your lifts.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Davies: \u201cThe best time of day to weightlift is the time of day that you can weightlift. If you are a parent and the only time you can do it is at 7pm, do it at 7pm. If you are somebody with a busy career and the only time you can do it is 5am, do it at 5am. Make it fit with your lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n

What should I eat before and after lifting?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you eat before isn\u2019t of huge importance,\u201d says Breen. \u201cYou just want to make sure that you are appropriately fuelled, ideally with a wholefood meal incorporating some carbohydrates and some proteins. If you\u2019re aiming to improve your body composition by gaining muscle and losing fat, then having a sugary sports drink before exercise isn\u2019t going to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour muscle metabolism remains altered for a\u00a0couple of days after your workout, so you have a\u00a0two-day window of opportunity to capitalise on that muscle response by ensuring every meal and snack includes some protein (which contains amino acids, the building blocks of muscle). It all depends on body weight, but the general guidance is to try and consume 20-30g of protein in each meal after a\u00a0workout. Having said that, the most important thing to do is lift weights \u2013 that gives you the vast majority of the response you\u2019re looking for. The protein is the cherry on the cake.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Weightlifting is rapidly joining wild swimming, the Beckham family feud and lurching towards fascism as a national obsession.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":171645,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,407,84],"class_list":{"0":"post-171644","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-fitness","11":"tag-health"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171644\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}