You don’t have to be a bodybuilder to recognize the importance of building muscle. Strength training is linked to stronger bones, healthier joints, less pain, and a lengthier lifespan. Generally speaking, “getting stronger does mean that we live longer,” says Charlie Grundas, a certified personal trainer and owner of We, The Collective Fitness in Chicago.
It helps you improve in any athletic endeavors, and it also keeps you moving fluidly throughout the activities of your daily life, like climbing stairs and carrying groceries. But if you’re not used to strength training, where do you start? Grundas recommends focusing on just five types of movements: squat, hinge, push, pull, and carry, which are considered the foundational movements of a full-body strength-training routine.
You can mix and match these movements into two full-body strengthening workouts per week. As they start to feel easier over several weeks, you can gradually increase how many exercises you do or how much weight you use. Below are some go-to strength-training exercises he and other experts recommend—plus, how to do each one.
Squats of all kinds help you maintain the ability to stand up from sitting, Grundas says. This single-leg version, also called a Bulgarian split squat, helps build strength and stability in one leg at a time. That’s helpful for your daily life, because walking, running, and climbing stairs are essentially single-leg activities, says Will Hewitt, certified personal trainer and director of training at Flight House Fitness in Charlestown, Massachusetts.
Start standing on one leg, propping the toes of your other foot up on a bench or step behind you. You can do this with just your body weight or hold a dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your weight in your standing foot, bend that knee to lower your body until your back knee is just above the floor.
Drive through your front foot to return to the starting position. Complete all repetitions—aim for 8 to 15, depending on your fitness level and goals—then switch sides. If you have trouble balancing in that position, keep both feet on the floor instead, Hewitt says.
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