Basics of Strength Training

In this episode I'm diving into why busy professionals often have low muscle mass and how strength training builds muscle, boosts metabolism, and protects bones.

I'm addressing common barriers like women avoiding weights due to “bulky” myths and men skipping leg day (“Johnny Bravo dilemma”). 

You can learn why strength training is necessary for longevity, reduced chronic disease risk, and countering age-related muscle and bone loss, noting that two days per week can deliver most results and that 2–3 focused 30-minute sessions are time-efficient. 

Learn about 

The foundational compound movements that lead to most results. 

Key safety tips for strength train. 

Home-based options 

Download your FREE beginner template with the link below:

https://toneandstrengthen.com/2026/06/21/strengthtrainingtemplates/

Time stamps:

00:00 Strength Training Basics

01:08 Why Women Avoid Weights

03:02 Stop Skipping Leg Day

03:54 Muscle for Longevity

04:53 Time Efficient Results

06:02 Five Compound Moves

07:40 Warmup and Programming

09:12 Recovery and Form

10:40 Breathing and Consistency

12:05 Equipment and Getting Started

13:45 Home Setup and Wrap Up

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My passion is helping organizations create a culture of wellness, and I do this by setting up health programs that prioritize the most important asset they've got – their employees. Cheers to a healthier and happier journey ahead!

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Transcript

 Hello, everyone. Today I wanna talk to you about strength training basics, and the reason I wanna talk about strength training basics is because a lot of busy professionals who I see in my practice, guess what? They have low muscle mass, and strength training helps you build muscle, it boosts your metabolism, and it protects your bones by forcing the muscles to work against resistance. And a lot of my patients keep on coming back and asking me, "Oh, we have never lifted weights," or, "We have always been shy to go to a gym. We don't know what to do in a weight room." So I was like, "Okay, let's just talk about it on the pod." So starting a routine requires understanding a few core fundamentals to stay safe and see progress. That's exactly what we are gonna talk about. But before I dive into the core principles, I wanna tackle a huge elephant in the room, especially for female professionals and my female patients. That is, women still avoid weight training. Let's take a look at the numbers. I'm not making this up. According to the Center for Health Statistics, only about 27% of women meet the recommended guidelines for muscle-strengthening activities. The remaining 73% are either sticking exclusively to cardio, or they're skipping training altogether, so, like, they're not active at all. Why? Is it because we aren't capable? Absolutely not. Women are incredibly strong. Think about it. We carry, like, 40-pound toddlers. We h- we are hauling groceries all the time, navigating demanding jobs. I don't think so that the reluctance is because of a lack of capability. I think it's a mixture of misinformation, cultural conditioning, and a massive case of gymtimidation. And I have some good news for you guys. You actually don't have to belong to a gym to do strength training. I do believe, though, women have been fed this narrative that lifting heavy weights will make them look bulky, or you'll put on too much muscle, and you're gonna look so masculine, and it couldn't be farther from the truth. Now, hang on. My male clients, I have to talk to you guys too, because most of you when you come to me, you don't strengthen legs. You skip leg day, and I call it the Johnny Bravo dilemma. You know who Johnny Bravo is, right? The cartoon character with a big upper body and, like, little, tiny legs, like toothpick legs. Seriously. Let's be completely honest here. When most guys start lifting, they wanna look good in a T-shirt. They want big arms, a wide back, and a broad chest. I get it. I totally get it. The show muscles. So to all the men out there, you need to strengthen your legs as well. Don't skip leg days. The most important reason to push past this reluctance for men and women to resistance training is your future self, is your future health, is longevity. Everyone wants to have a long health span, right? But most of us, we don't have the tools to get there, and muscle is an important component of your longevity and health span journey. Muscle is essential for reducing chronic disease risk. As we age, we naturally begin to lose muscle mass, and we also, , go down in bone mineral density. So this is a process that just naturally accelerates for women at an earlier age than men, but it happens for both genders. The best part about strength training is also that it's time-efficient. Like, cardio training, you have to spend hours to build, like, endurance. You have to, be in the gym really pushing hard. But guess what? For strength training, not so much. You can do two or three 30-minute focused and structured strength training sessions, and you'll see results. You don't need to spend hours in the gym every day. Scientific data shows us that just two days a week of strength training gets you 80% of the results. So- I understand now that I've made this point with you guys that, okay, you're probably sold. You're like, "I am taking up strength training starting tomorrow." So that's music to my ears, but I totally understand that when you're new, it's easy to get overwhelmed by all the crazy machines and the weight racks at the gym. But guess what? As I said earlier, you don't need them. The most effective way is to start by focusing on five basic compound movements, and those can be body weight movements. Like, you don't have to literally lift the weights. After you're really strong with the body weight movements, then you can definitely progress. You can buy a set of dumbbells. So exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once are called compound movements, and there are five foundational compound movements that we want to do in our strength training sessions. First one is squat. Squat is the ultimate leg and go- core exercise. Yes, it engages a lot of your core muscles. Deadlift. Deadlifts are also great for not only just for the backside of your legs, especially like your glutes and hamstrings, but also for your core. And guess what? Glutes are part of core. Third is bench press. So bench press helps to strengthen your triceps and chest muscles. It's very important for upper body strength. Overhead press strengthens your shoulders, and again, for overhead press, you need a lot of stability, and what are you using for stability? Those deep core muscles. And then rows. I love bent over rows, but you can do upright rows, you can do, horizontal rows. It doesn't matter. They're great for back, and they're great for maintaining good posture. So before you start dipping into strength training, I want you to remember a few things. First is make sure that you do a movement prep. Yeah, which means a warmup. Start with a five to 10-minute dynamic warmup, dynamic stretches for the muscles you're gonna use, and also a little bit of three to five minutes of cardio. Think brisk walking, arm circles, pushups, body weight squats to get that blood flowing at a little bit of a faster pace. And all you need for your exercise program, which trust me, you should be able to make your own after training for six to eight weeks, a- are two exercises per muscle group. Like you're gonna pair exercises which are gonna focus on the same muscle group, like chest press and pushups. They both work your shoulders, your tris, and your chest Third, remember to choose a weight, if you're using a weight, that feels comfortable, but will cause your muscles to like tire out or fatigue in about 12 to 15 repetitions And then one of the things that I have to tell you before you start diving into strength training is remember to make time for recovery. So try not to schedule your strength training days back to back because that's way too much for your body. Give your muscles at least 48 hours to rest between strength training sessions, especially if you're new to strength training. If you're coming back after an injury, same thing. But if you have been strength training and you're like, "Oh, but I think I can go four days a week, four days a week or five days a week," I completely understand. Make sure that you are training legs one day and then upper body the next day so that your legs get a break in between, and same thing for upper body. Now, to see progress and avoid injury, always follow good form. Master the movement patterns before adding heavy resistance to prevent injury. Maybe hire or work with a coach for six to eight weeks, and then you can build up from there. Move the weight in a smooth, controlled way. A lot of times I see people going super fast and, I'm like, "What is happening over here? I don't even know if you have enough tension, on your muscles to make any change," right? So try not to rely on momentum or to swing the weight up. It sounds obvious, but many people do it. Also, many beginners hold their breath because they feel like, "Oh, weight is so heavy," and, you know, "We can't breathe." No, no, no, no, no. I want you to keep on breathing. Actually breathe deeper. Exhale during the hardest part of the lift, and then inhale as you lower the weight back down. You should feel the muscle burn a little bit towards the end of the set, right? Maybe it's rep number 12 or maybe it's rep number 15, so you're feeling that fatigue. But it shouldn't be a sharp, like, joint or ligament-focused pain, because that's a signal to stop. That's where you stop And remember, consistency is important. So if you work out, this week two days, you do two strength training sessions, and then next week you're like, "Oh, I'm so busy. I'm traveling for work. I'm doing this, I'm doing that," then the results are not gonna be meaningful. They are not gonna stick. So aim for whatever frequency you can, you believe you can execute. Aim for two sessions, aim for three sessions. Maybe aim for four sessions per week, but then stick to it because that would help you trigger meaningful physical changes. And let's dive into equipment type. Start with body weight. That's right. You can do air squats. You can do pushups, right? We can all do those. Use your own body mass for resistance, like pushups, squats, and pull-ups. And by the way, every human being should be able to do a pushup and pull-up. So if you can't do that yet, that should be your goal for the next six months. By the end of 2026, you should be able to push and pull your body weight. How's that? Second, try to use free weights. If you are like, "Okay, no, I've been doing body weight training for a while," or, "I'm comfortable with body weight training now," , then it's time to start using some weights. So then start using free weights, unless you have some physical limitation and/or a previous injury that, like, prevents you from using free weights. I'm a big fan of free weights, like dumbbells, barbells, , and kettlebells, because why? They require stabilizing muscles and offer maximum flexibility. I have a beginner workout template that you can use to get started if you haven't been lifting in a while, or you haven't lifted weights. You can download that template by clicking on the link in the show notes. Yep, it's completely free to you. I just want you to get started somewhere, and it's very, based on those basic moves that we just talked about. Now, as you start incorporating strength training into your routine, the most important thing is simply starting. Don't overthink it. Don't sit on it. You don't need a fancy gym membership to begin. You just need your living room, honestly. You can use your own body weight. You can use soup cans or inexpensive resistance bands to build a strong foundation right from your home. If you like what I share on this podcast, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. During the month of June, you'll be entered to win a $25 Starbucks gift card. Thank you so much for listening to the pod today. I'll be back with another episode soon. Thanks again. Bye.