In the beginning, pretty much all strength training workouts feel hard. You’re not used to the movements or working out at all, so everything is new and challenging. The exercises might be harder than you expected, and that also means you might need more rest between sets than you anticipated.
But over time, as you get more familiar with how each exercise feels and strengthens your neuromuscular pathways for those specific moves, it gets easier to do them well. Your form gets more consistent, you can move a bit faster between sets, and you’re able to do more total repetitions in your workout with less fatigue—all things that help you get stronger.
Since your goal when it comes to strength training is to get stronger, it’s important to push yourself beyond where you’ve been. You can do that by increasing the weight or reps of an exercise that seems comfortable or by adding in a new exercise or variation of an existing one whenever possible. If your current routine isn’t challenging enough to boost your strength gains even further (and if you are feeling fatigued during workouts), it might be time to change things up so that your workouts are more effective at building strength.
Learn how to become stronger with simple exercises.
Exercise 1: Lateral Step-Ups
Loss of muscle mass is a natural part of the aging process. However, you can slow down this process and even reverse it. By incorporating these five simple exercises into your daily routine, you will be able to stave off muscle loss and keep your body strong and agile.
Lateral step-ups are a wonderful exercise for strengthening the muscles in the legs that help to prevent falls. Step up onto the edge of a bench or chair with one foot. Keep your back straight, hold onto a stable object if necessary, and lift your other leg up behind you—keeping your leg straight—until your foot is at hip level. Then step down again with the same leg as before. Repeat this 10 times on each leg for three sets every day.
Exercise 2: Squat
A squat is one of the most important exercises that you can learn, having the ability to train many muscle groups simultaneously.
Begin in a standing position with your feet between hip and shoulder-width apart, and your toes pointed slightly outward. Bend at the knees and hips, while leaning forward with your back straight and head facing forward.
Here’s how to do it:
Stand up straight with your feet about hip-width apart. Take a big step back with one leg, then bend both knees and slowly lower your body as far as you can without rounding your low back. Pause for a second, then push yourself back up to the starting position. Repeat for 10 reps on each side.
Exercise 3: Deadlifts
To do them, stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a barbell with an overhand grip (palms facing down). Keep your back naturally arched, push your hips back, bend your knees and lower the weight toward the floor. Pause for a second when your upper body is about an inch above the floor, then squeeze your glutes as you stand up again. That’s one rep. Do eight to 12 repetitions at least two or three times a week to start seeing results.
It is definitely better to use devices that you can install at home because they can help you achieve great results in a shorter time. CyberFit employees say that professional devices can improve the quality of training and provide maximum effect when exercising.
Exercise 4 – 2 in 1
A. Get up from your desk and walk around for about 15 minutes. Push your arms forward in front of you (it’s like a slow push-up) and squeeze your shoulder blades together when you do this exercise. If one shoulder is higher than the other, keep that shoulder down and bend at the elbow so that the arm is level with the rest of your body, again squeezing the shoulder blades together.
B. Lie on one side on your back with one knee bent and placed on the floor so that you’re resting that side of your chest on top of that leg. Hold onto a dumbbell in each hand and raise them over your head until they’re almost touching. Raise them slowly up to the ceiling so that they’re touching (but don’t let them touch), then lower them slowly back down to where they started, all the while squeezing your shoulder blades together the whole time.
Exercise 5: Kettlebell Swings
This move is deceptively simple, but it’s an extremely effective way to strengthen your midsection.
How to do it: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hold a kettlebell by your right hip. Bend knees slightly and, keeping back flat and chest up, swing the weight to the right, making sure to pull the bell up using your hips. Then push the weight up overhead so that it hovers above your right shoulder (A). Lower the weight back down until it hovers above your hip and repeat on the left side—that’s one rep. Do 8 to 10 reps total (resting 30 seconds between each set).
Try these exercises, and you will notice how you become stronger, and your body will be in top shape.
