Imagine there was something you could do that would not only improve your mood, cognition, and energy, but also lower your chances of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and even death.
It’s not taking a pill: it’s strength training.
Strength training offers “a multitude of benefits,” says Craig Hensley, associate professor of physical therapy and human movement sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Research keeps revealing them: One study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine linked strength training to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, lung cancer, and early death. Another 2024 study published in Biology found that adults who did strength training had a lower biological age—suggesting that their bodies were deteriorating more slowly than is typical for their chronological age. A study published in Frontiers in Physiology found that strength training improved metabolic health markers, like cholesterol, blood pressure, and body fat percentage, in older adults.
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Here’s how experts recommend beginners incorporate strength training into their exercise routines.
Prioritize safety
“The No. 1 thing we tell patients is that strength training is not something to just dive into, because it poses an injury risk if you’re not doing it correctly,” says Dr. Derrick Knapik, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery in the division of sports medicine at WashU Medicine.
If you have the resources, consider working with a physical therapist or personal trainer to get a strength training plan in place, says Dr. Andrew Gregory, associate professor of orthopedics and pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He recommends finding someone who is certified by a major organization, such as the American College of Sports Medicine or the National Strength and Conditioning Association. You can also take a strength training orientation class at a local gym or the YMCA, Knapik adds.
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Social media can be a useful way to spark strength training ideas. But make sure you’re only taking inspiration from people with the right kind of credentials, Gregory advises. “What I think is dangerous are influencers who work out and give their recommendations, but they don’t necessarily have any training or certification,” he says.
Once you’ve worked with a professional to learn good form and exercise safety, you can do your strength training routine either at a gym or at home.
Create a personalized routine
Strength training can either involve body-weight exercises—like push-ups, squats, tricep dips, planks, and lunges—weightlifting, or both. What works for you will depend on your health, strength, and goals. The type of strength training exercise you do doesn’t matter as much as actually doing it; one 2025 study published in The Journal of Physiology found that people were able to increase their strength regardless of the weight size they used.
While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to the best routine, there are some best practices to keep in mind.
Three sets of 10 is a good starting place for most exercises, experts say. It’s best to alternate muscle groups. For example, Knapik recommends people do chest and shoulders one day; legs the next day; and back, abdominals, and arms the following day. This allows each muscle group to rest. “When you get more advanced, 24 hours of [rest] is enough,” Knapik says. “But typically when you’re starting off, your best bet is to give at least 48 hours between strength training exercise regimens in order to allow for recovery.”
On rest days, consider doing other forms of light exercise. “Strength training has clear benefits, but there are also other things that are useful, like cardio and yoga,” Gregory says.
If you’re interested in weightlifting and you have access to a gym, Knapik recommends starting with machines, since free weights pose an increased risk of injury, especially for beginners. Once you’ve gained experience with machines, you can progress to free weights. If you use them correctly, Hensley says, they can be an effective form of strengthening.
Start off slow
Anytime you’re beginning a strength training routine, it’s important to ease in, Gregory says. As you get stronger and more comfortable with certain exercises, you can increase resistance and the number of repetitions.
Warming up is crucial. Knapik recommends five to 10 minutes of cardio or stretching before strength training to get your muscles loose and ready to move.
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Don’t overdo it early on. If you’re lifting weights and you lift too much too quickly, you’re more prone to injury and rhabdomyolysis, Gregory says, or exercise-induced muscle breakdown. “That can cause kidney damage, and it can be a medical emergency.”
Listen to your body
If you’re doing body-weight exercises, you might be unsure whether to do 10, 20, or 40 crunches. Or, if you’re lifting weights, you might be unsure whether to use 5-pound, 8-pound, or 10-pound weights. The sweet spot, Knapik says, is when you feel like you’re exerting yourself, but not too much.
Hensley’s rule of thumb is that once you can do three sets of 10 of your targeted exercise easily, whether it’s bicep curls or push-ups, it’s time to either increase your weight or your number of repetitions.
Muscle soreness a day or two after strength training is normal, but pain—especially if it comes on immediately—is not. “If you’re experiencing pain with any specific exercises, I would recommend you stop and modify it or seek medical advice,” Gregory says. Knapik agrees. “Never lift through pain,” he says. “If it hurts, stop right away.”
Remember the added benefits for women
Decades ago, strength training was a male-dominated activity, but this imbalance has narrowed over time. One in four women now regularly engage in strength training, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Women are more likely to develop osteoporosis and osteopenia, Knapik says, especially during and after menopause. Strength training can help women increase their bone density and minimize the risk of fractures to their hip and lower back.
You won’t reap all of these benefits overnight. With strength training, results aren’t immediate. “It really is a marathon, not a sprint,” Knapik says. “You have to give it time.”