{"id":601108,"date":"2026-08-22T10:32:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T10:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/601108\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T10:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T10:32:10","slug":"muscle-growth-expert-dr-brad-schoenfeld-on-how-to-start-strength-training-and-the-minuscule-amount-you-need-to-see-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/601108\/","title":{"rendered":"Muscle growth expert Dr Brad Schoenfeld on how to start strength training \u2013\u00a0and the minuscule amount you need to see results"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you could bottle up the benefits of strength training<\/a> and stock this product on a shelf, it would sell out before you could say \u201cbetter health<\/a> and longevity<\/a>\u201d. As you grow older, the relative benefits only increase. <\/p>\n

Yet, despite this activity being free for all to access, relatively few people commit to strength training regularly<\/a>. Why is that? <\/p>\n

\u201cThe number one reason why people do not engage in resistance training is because they make the excuse that they don\u2019t have the time<\/a>,\u201d says Dr Brad Schoenfeld, a professor of exercise science at Lehman College in New York, and one of the world\u2019s leading authorities on muscle growth.<\/p>\n

But, he says, you probably don\u2019t need to do as much as you think to make \u201chuge improvements\u201d to your health and fitness: \u201cJust two 20- to 30-minute sessions each week<\/a> is enough \u2013 we\u2019ve done research in our lab which shows this.\u201d<\/p>\n

This routine won\u2019t leave you looking like a bodybuilder, Dr Schoenfeld explains. But it will deliver a body that looks good, feels good and handles the rigours of life remarkably well, all in less than one per cent of your week. You will also enjoy better heart health and a significantly reduced risk of a laundry list of chronic diseases. As returns on investment go, it\u2019s largely unmatched. <\/p>\n

Below, Dr Schoenfeld reveals how to start strength training at home, and shares the science behind why it is never too late to reap the rewards \u2013 even if you are in your 90s. <\/p>\n

How to start <\/p>\n

For strength training to be effective, there are a few simple criteria you need to meet, according to Dr Schoenfeld. <\/p>\n

Firstly, consistency is key. For the minimum effective dose, aim for two weekly workouts on non-consecutive days, every week. <\/p>\n

Secondly, once you have fine-tuned your technique using lighter weights, your workouts need to be challenging. If the body is not challenged, it has no reason to change and adapt in the ways we want \u2013 more muscle, stronger tissues, myriad better health markers. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re lifting a weight, and at the end of your set you could do 10 more repetitions with the weight you\u2019re using, you\u2019re not really going to see much in the way of benefits,\u201d says Dr Schoenfeld. \u201cThe last few repetitions [of each set] need to be difficult to complete.\u201d <\/p>\n

And finally, in each of your sessions, he recommends hitting every major muscle group for a full-body workout. (You can find an example of how to do this with just a pair of dumbbells below.)<\/p>\n

If you meet these three conditions, and you give your body the fuel and recovery it needs, \u201cyou can produce really large improvements in overall strength, overall health, appearance and other factors too,\u201d Dr Schoenfeld says. <\/p>\n

Read more: Scared exercise will injure you? These rules make any routine safe<\/a><\/p>\n

Why it\u2019s never too late to begin strength training<\/p>\n

In 1990, researchers recruited 10 frail residents of a chronic care hospital, each aged 90 or above. They were put through eight weeks of \u201chigh-intensity resistance training\u201d \u2013 in this case, machine leg extensions. <\/p>\n

By the end of the study, two of the 10 subjects no longer used walking sticks to walk, while another regained the ability to rise from his chair without support from his arms. Gait speed, mobility and strength also shot up, while no injuries or adverse impacts on the heart and lungs were reported.<\/p>\n

If you start lifting when you\u2019re younger, you can basically maintain your muscle throughout your life<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s never too late to start,\u201d says Dr Schoenfeld. \u201cMany people would say the leg extension is one of the least functional exercises \u2013 it\u2019s single-joint and uses a machine \u2013 but it allowed multiple people to walk without their canes in a very short period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

He caveats this with the message that, the earlier you start strength training, the better. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is because there is a progressive loss of muscle over time,\u201d Dr Schoenfeld explains. \u201cOnce you get into your thirties and forties, you start to lose about a half per cent of muscle per year if you\u2019re sedentary. This goes up exponentially as you get into your fifties and sixties, and then your seventies and eighties, because you become less and less active. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut if you start lifting when you\u2019re younger, you can basically maintain your muscle throughout your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AA couple of 20-minute dumbbell workouts each week can transform your health and fitness, according to muscle expert Dr Brad Schoenfeld (Prostock-studio – stock.adobe.com)<\/p>\n

For many reasons, exercise can be easier to pick up when you are younger. And, due to various biological factors, a 20-year-old might have a higher fitness ceiling than someone in their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond. But a fit and active person in the latter group will likely trounce a sedentary 20-something on many health and fitness fronts. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe see over and over in studies on the topic that older individuals see these massive benefits from strength training \u2013 again, in a very short period of time,\u201d Dr Schoenfeld says. \u201cIf you just stick with it, training on a couple of days a week for a couple of months, you\u2019ll see huge benefits.\u201d <\/p>\n

His group conducted a meta-analysis<\/a> into the effects of strength training on people aged 75 and above. They uncovered significant strength and muscle benefits, which naturally carry over to mobility, functionality and independence. <\/p>\n

In other words: strength training is not the fountain of youth, but it\u2019s one of the closest things we have, and it\u2019s more accessible than many would have you believe. <\/p>\n

Read more: Expert coach shares five kettlebell workouts to get you in \u2018the shape of your life\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Feel the fear \u2013 but do it anyway<\/p>\n

The other major obstacle standing between people and regular strength training is trepidation. They fear injury, or believe they are not flexible enough to perform any of the exercises. <\/p>\n

But there is a form of strength training that is suitable for everyone. Take the nonagenarians in the study above. Several could not stand up from their chairs unassisted, so squats were out of the question as a leg-strengthening exercise. Instead, they used a leg extension machine to bolster the leg muscles, and significant benefits soon followed. <\/p>\n

If you do not have access to a gym, you could simply sit in a chair then use your hands to support you as you stand up again, and repeat this for several repetitions. If this feels challenging to you, it will have the wanted impact on your fitness levels. <\/p>\n

\u201cPeople think that, when you lift, you have to lift really heavy weights,\u201d Dr Schoenfeld explains. \u201cBut in research from our lab we\u2019ve consistently seen that moderate to lighter loads can provide very similar benefits. <\/p>\n

\u201cHeavy loads do carry risk, and as people get older they tend to have osteoarthritis and other joint-related issues. But whatever load you\u2019re lifting, if you\u2019re challenging your muscles at the end of the set, you will get very good results.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: I tried the 12-minute daily workout Helen Mirren\u2019s used for her \u2018whole life\u2019 \u2013 here\u2019s why it\u2019s stood the test of time<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you could bottle up the benefits of strength training and stock this product on a shelf, it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":601109,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[499,103,61,60],"class_list":["post-601108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=601108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/601109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}