Beginner’s Blueprint for Strength Training: Master These 6 Key Compound Lifts
Strength training saved my life. It might sound dramatic, but I'm not exaggerating - it had the biggest impact on my quality of life more than anything else.
You see, I had three babies in three and a half years. I was filled with love for these tiny humans but I was also overwhelmed and struggled with postpartum depression after each birth.
While I learned how to cope better each time, a cloud persisted to hang over me that I had accepted as “normal.”
It was typical to go through each day with low-grade anxiety and a feeling of hopelessness.
One day, after attempting to move furniture, I was faced with the reality of how weak I had become. I reluctantly decided to try strength training despite my fear of getting “bulky” and the impact it might have on my body composition.
I thought, if I had time to go to the gym, shouldn’t I spend it doing cardio to lose remaining baby weight?
Despite the conflict in my mind, I persisted to try strength training, and I started by learning how to do squats and deadlifts. At first, it felt awkward. I felt like I was wasting my time and wasn’t burning enough calories since I had been used to high intensity cardio, but I stuck with it.
Learning How To Deadlift for The First Time
To my surprise, after three weeks, the movements became smooth and I noticed my body started to crave the feeling of pushing heavy weight. Not only that, but I realized my anxiety and depression had faded away almost completely.
This positive result for my mental health was something so unexpected and life changing. It truly saved me.
I had been caring for babies 24/7 and I was also in a ministry which had endless needs . During that season of my life, I felt like I was drowning. The demands of motherhood and ministry were constant but through my new focus on strength training, I was learning how to take care of myself.
I had neglected my body for so long without realizing it, and now I was entering a routine of self-care that would help me show up better where I needed to.
Not only did I find out how much strength training helped me, I also learned how to change my body composition by properly managing calorie and macronutrient intake—I plan to address the topic of nutrition in another article soon.
When my life took a shift a little over two years ago, it was time to transition away from being a full-time homeschool mom to pursuing a completely new career. I chose personal training because I firmly believe if you’re passionate about what you do, your service will not only be sustainable but you will deliver high-quality work. Since then, I’ve been eager to share the benefits I’ve received from strength training with as many people as possible knowing how life changing it can be.
With this said, many people don’t know where to begin with strength training and here I’d like to share some basic principles for beginners.
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make when they start lifting weights, is they head to the gym with a list of exercises they pieced together from influencers that claim they know the way to get strong and fit.
Watching content alone can be misleading, lack important safety information, and can cause more harm than good. This can also lead to inefficiency, disorganization, and even worse, a lot of wheels being spun without real progress ever taking place.
A truly robust weightlifting program will include both compound and isolation exercises. Compound exercises train multiple muscles simultaneously as compared to isolation exercises which only train individual muscles. For example, a squat is a compound exercise and activates the quadriceps, glutes, adductors and hamstrings while the bicep curl is an isolation exercise and only activates the bicep.
For the beginner, I suggest learning how to perfect form with the major compound exercises first as this will lay a sturdy foundation for your weightlifting journey.
A great breakdown of how to spend your time - and an excellent way to approach strength training - would be to focus 80% on compound exercises and 20% on isolation exercises. With this in mind, I’ve chosen six compound lifts that are a great starting place for anyone new to lifting. Once the basic form on these movements is mastered, then you’re ready for a thorough program since the necessary foundation has been built.
Keep in mind, while these movements are a great starting place, some may need initial modifications as they build up the strength to perform each lift correctly.
SQUATS
The back squat is one of the best compound exercises for building muscle mass throughout your entire body. While this exercise targets your quads and glutes, it also works your back and core substantially.
SQUAT FORM:
Position a barbell on a squat rack about the height of your chest.
Facing the squat rack, step under the bar, and position the barbell on the top of your shoulders (avoid placing the bar high up on your neck).
Lift the bar out of the rack, and take 2-3 steps back.
Place your feet about shoulder width apart with your toes pointed out about 30 degrees.
Breathe in to engage the core, and sit down while pushing your knees out in the same direction as your toes. At the bottom position, your thighs should be roughly parallel to the floor or deeper.
Breathe out when lifting and engage the core again pushing against the floor. Extend your legs at the hips and knees to return to the starting position.
DEADLIFTS
Deadlifts train most of the muscles in the lower body along with the entire posterior chain (muscles along the back of your body). For this reason, the deadlift is my personal favorite exercise.
DEADLIFT FORM:
Put your feet midway under a loaded barbell; it should be about an inch away from your chins.
Position your feet slightly more narrow than shoulder width apart with your toes slightly pointed out.
Grip the bar outside the width of your chins.
Push your hips back and bend your knees as you reach for the bar.
Breathe in to brace the core while also bracing your lats and upper body.
Drive through the floor with your quads while you drive the hips forward. As you reach the top of your lift, breathe out.
On the descent, control the lowering of the bar as you hinge your hips. Keep a neutral position with your neck as you look forward. Reset completely before your next rep.
BARBELL HIP THRUSTS
Few exercises activate glute growth like the hip thrust. While this exercise primarily targets the glutes, it also works the hamstrings, adductors, quadriceps and lower back muscles.
BARBELL HIP THRUST FORM:
Sit on the floor with your shoulders resting on the middle of a bench.
Roll a loaded barbell over your thighs so that it rests in the crease of your hips. For comfort, you may choose to use a barbell pad for cushion.
Plant your feet on the floor, slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
Breathe in to engage your core, and activate the glutes to drive your hips up towards the ceiling. Make sure you get a full lockout at the top.
With abdominals engaged and your chin tucked, lower the bar with control back to your starting position.
BENCH PRESS
When done correctly, bench pressing will build almost every major muscle in your upper body. Additionally, over time as you gain strength, you’ll need to use your entire body for stabilization.
This means the bench press can even become a full body exercise.
BENCH PRESS FORM:
Lie flat on a bench, with your feet flat on the floor, and make sure your eyes are aligned underneath the barbell.
Pull your shoulder blades back and down with a slightly arched back.
Grab the barbell with a width that’s slightly wider than your shoulders.
As you engage the core, unrack the barbell and bend at the elbow as you lower the bar to the middle of your chest.
After the bar touches your chest, or comes just shy of it, extend at the elbow and move the bar away from your chest back towards the starting position.
*This exercise can also be started by using dumbbells if a person isn’t ready for the typical bar load of 45 pounds.
SEATED SHOULDER PRESS
The shoulder press is one of the most effective upper body compound exercises as it strengthens the shoulders, triceps, upper back, and core.
SEATED SHOULDER PRESS FORM:
Sitting upright on a supported bench, make sure your knees are angled at 90 degrees, your feet are flat on the ground and your back is pressed against the pad.
Whether you’re using a barbell or dumbbells, you’ll start by engaging the core.
With a tucked chin and a neutral head and spine position, breathe out as you press the weight straight above your head.
With controlled resistance, lower the weight back down to the starting position.
PULL UP
Almost all beginners will benefit from starting with the assisted pull-up machine. Pull-ups work your entire back as well as your core, arms (including forearms), and shoulders.
PULL UP FORM:
You will want to grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width apart with your palms facing away from you.
Without swinging your lower body, pull your body up until your chin is elevated above your hands.
Lower yourself to get a full stretch in the lats with full range of motion. This is why the assisted pull-up machine can be so helpful at least when starting out.
My recommended set and rep range for a beginner for these lifts would be 3 sets of 8-10 reps each. Research shows that it’s more effective to lift heavier weights with less repetitions than when compared to the effectiveness of light weights and higher repetitions. You’ll always want to warm up before lifting heavy or pushing yourself fully with any exercise.
One of the best ways to do this is by performing each lift with significantly less weight for 1-2 sets. For example, before adding the bar and weight to a squat, doing a set with only your body weight is a great start.
Your next set could then be with the bar having no weights at all. After that you should be able to add weight to get a full working set in.
As simple as these six exercises sound, the way to do these so you can get the best benefit and avoid injury is by having someone who knows how to do them properly teach you.
This could be with a personal trainer at your local gym, or with an online trainer, like myself, who can guide you virtually.
If you found this article helpful and are interested in getting more tools for your fitness journey, connect with me here.
Here’s to getting stronger and happier!
Email: brittneysmithfitness@gmail.com
Website: Brittney Smith Fit : Online coaching
