{"id":613614,"date":"2026-09-27T19:04:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T19:04:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/613614\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T19:04:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T19:04:16","slug":"ive-been-a-personal-trainer-for-20-years-these-6-beginner-strength-tips-will-transform-your-workouts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/613614\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I’ve Been a Personal Trainer for 20 Years\u2014These 6 Beginner Strength Tips Will Transform Your Workouts’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated3 min read<\/p>\n

If you’ve been training consistently for a few years, chances are you’ve got your program pretty well dialed in\u2014from your training split to your sets and reps<\/a>.
<\/p>\n

But even experienced lifters can find ways to train smarter and more efficiently. With more than 20 years’ experience as a personal trainer, Chris Browning<\/a> knows there’s always something new to learn. Here are six strength training misconceptions he wants everyone to be aware of.<\/p>\n

6 beginner strength tips1. Neutral-grip pull-ups are easier than wide-grip pull-ups<\/p>\n

\u201cNeutral-grip or underhand pull-ups are often easier and more accessible than wide-grip overhand pull-ups,\u201d says Browning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is because your grip changes the contribution of each muscle involved and may reduce limitations caused by your grip strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason a neutral grip feels better on the shoulders is because there’s more joint space when you’re hanging. There’s less compression on the rotator cuff muscles (a group of muscles that surround the shoulder joint),\u201d adds calisthenics expert Daniel Vadnal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe humeral head (upper arm bone) stays centered, and there’s less risk of impingement (painful pinching of soft tissue between bones during movement).\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, chin-ups are often easier because they allow your biceps to contribute more than they do during pull-ups, where your back muscles do more of the work.<\/p>\n

If your goal is to improve your pull-ups, Browning recommends experimenting with different grip positions and using grip variation as a way to progressively increase the challenge over time.<\/p>\n

\"Girl<\/p>\n

Stanislaw Pytel\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

2. Everyone’s squat will look different (and that’s OK)<\/p>\n

Factors including height, limb proportions (such as your femur length), hip anatomy, stability, ankle and hip mobility, and training experience all influence your back squat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For example, people with shorter thigh bones relative to their torso can often squat more upright, while those with longer femurs may naturally lean further forwards to keep their balance over the middle of the foot.<\/p>\n

It’s also why you shouldn’t pay too much attention to blanket advice such as, \u201cEveryone should aim for a 90-degree knee angle when they squat,\u201d says Browning.<\/p>\n

3. The number of reps you do doesn’t matter as much as you think<\/p>\n

Getting to\u2014or close to\u2014muscle failure is the priority when building muscle, explains Browning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe specific number of reps is less important than many people assume.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnywhere from six reps with heavier weights to 15 or more with lighter weights can be equally effective.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA target rep range is still important for selecting your weight and monitoring progress, but once you start lifting, focus on how challenging the set feels rather than simply hitting a number,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

4. Don’t let your grip strength limit your workouts<\/p>\n

\u201cSome exercises, such as Romanian deadlifts<\/a> and dumbbell rows<\/a>, can really test your grip strength,\u201d says Browning.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn some cases, your grip may even give up before your target muscles\u2014such as your hamstrings or back\u2014do. In that scenario, those target muscles haven’t been stimulated as effectively as they could have been.\u201d<\/p>\n

Improving your grip strength with exercises such as farmer’s carries<\/a>, dead hangs or plate pinches\u2014or switching to an exercise that places less demand on your grip\u2014can help solve the problem.<\/p>\n

\"Young<\/p>\n

Milan_Jovic\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

5. Rest between sets matters<\/p>\n

It can be tempting to keep moving between sets to feel like you’re working harder. But when strength or muscle building is the goal, taking enough rest allows you to perform your next set with greater quality and effort, says Browning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorkouts don’t have to leave you breathless to be effective. Studies show it takes around 1.5-3 minutes for fatigued muscles to recover.\u201d<\/p>\n

In research involving 14 women with an average of five years’ lifting experience, those who rested for three minutes lifted more total weight than those resting for one minute.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, another study<\/a> of 17 resistance-trained women in their late 60s found that three-minute rest periods during the leg press produced almost 30% greater total training volume than one-minute rests.<\/p>\n

Cutting your rest short can reduce workout quality, Browning explains. Even though it may feel harder, you could end up compromising your results.<\/p>\n

6. Rep speed is important<\/p>\n

Ten slow reps and 10 fast reps produce two very different training stimuli.<\/p>\n

Often, using a slower, more controlled tempo during both the lifting and lowering phases can produce better strength and muscle-building results, says Browning.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon’t rush or rely on momentum. Even if going slower means using a lighter weight or doing fewer reps, it improves the quality of your set\u2014and ultimately the end result.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find the Perfect Women\u2019s Health Training Program for You\"Chevron\"Chevron\"Lettermark\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"3 min read If you’ve been training consistently for a few years, chances are you’ve got your program…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":613615,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[565,134,111,139,69,240404],"class_list":["post-613614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-uk-synd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=613614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613614\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/613615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=613614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=613614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=613614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}