Quality reps should always be of greater importance for beginners than weight on the bar. If you are beginning weight training, it should be your top priority to attempt and master a wide variety of movement. Increasing weight will come naturally once exercise form is developed. That’s why I think these 5 exercises should be the focus of any program for beginners: Squat, RDL, Horizontal Press (Bench Press), Horizontal Pull (Row), and a Single Leg Variation (Lunge). Below are video examples as well as why I would choose these over some other exercises that probably come to mind when you think of beginning training.
Squat
Bodyweight and goblet squats (shown below) should be performed first. Anytime I am working with beginners, they need to earn the right to load with a bar. Beginning here sets the foundation for numerous other squat variations (back, front, hand supported, etc)
RDL
The hip hinge seems to be a struggle for the younger population. Compared to beginning the squat, I actually feel the opposite for the RDL: I will usually start someone with the bar. Having the bar slide down the thighs regulates the movement itself. The thing to watch for is knee bend. As you can see in the video, there is a slight bend in the knees but after that the movement is all at the hips.
Bench Press
Most people would have the push-up come to mind as the beginning “upper push” exercise, and its not necessarily a bad choice, but here is why I choose bench press first: Strength relative to bodyweight. I’ve often seen beginners don’t have the required strength to hold good form in a push-up (hips drop low, arching of the back). Due to this, a barbell or dumbbell bench press allows you to build upper strength without working against yourself.
Row
A dumbbell row or a standing single arm cable row work well as a starting point. Pull-ups have some of the same problems as push-ups (strength to bodyweight, you will see kicking and using momentum to get up) and barbell row can’t be introduced until the RDL is mastered.
Reverse Lunge
I love the reverse lunge as the first single leg variation to complete because of the focus it requires to complete the motion. A forward or walking lunge is easy to get choppy or have form/stride length change throughout the reps. When doing the reverse lunge, do all reps on one side before switching and having the other leg work.
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