Strength Training
Boost your body strength
Health Action Sport Strength Training is not just for bouncers and bodybuilders. It doesn't necessarily have to be about getting big as building strength does not always involve bulk. What building strength can deliver is a better quality of life, particularly as you age. Stronger muscles will keep you upright and active longer.
The eight-week training programs listed below have been designed for people with varying levels of exercise experience. If your aim is to boost your strength for daily living, rather than bulk up, the Starter and Progression Programs will probably be sufficient.
If your goal is to gain size and strength you may wish to begin with the Starter Program, continue to the Progression Program and work all the way to the Advanced Program. A No-equipment Starter Program has been provided for those without access to a gym.
If you have not exercised for a long time or are suffering from an injury, you should talk to your doctor before beginning any program. Then select the most appropriate type of program from those listed below - and ease yourself into training.
Starter Program
In the Starter Strength Training Program we guide you carefully through a week-by-week weight training schedule that will improve muscle tone and build the foundation for increasing muscle size and strength. The program is designed for those who have not attempted weight training before and involves:
- 3 sessions per week with at least one day's rest between sessions (e.g. sessions performed Mon – Wed – Fri)
- 30-minute sessions (including Warm Up and Cool Down)
- Exercises performed for each body part in the following order: Back Thigh (hamstrings/glutes), Front Thigh (quads), Upper Torso (chest), Back Thigh (hamstrings/glutes), Calves (lower legs), Upper Limb (shoulder/arms), and Abdominals (abs).
- Minimal need for equipment - initially. As the program continues, more equipment will be utilised. If you do not have access to equipment, choose the No Equipment Program listed below.
For detailed descriptions of each exercise, click on the exercise titles. If you'd prefer a custom built strength training program, we recommend use of the Activity Planner, located in the Members section of the website.
How many sets? How many reps?
The idea behind any training program is to start off nice and easy and then gradually and progressively increase the intensity. That means starting by performing the exercises using only light weights or no weights at all.
Beginners should start off with one to two sets of 8-12 repetitions of each exercise and take a suitable rest between each set. As your fitness improves and you become more confident in performing the exercises, increase the number of sets and repetitions, until you're performing two to three sets of 12 repetitions of each exercise.
When do I increase the amount of weight to lift?
You should only increase the amount of weight lifted when you're performing 12 reps of each exercise relatively comfortably. The key is to perform the exercises slowly and carefully. You know the saying: "Rome wasn't built in a day"? The same applies to weight training.
Let your body adapt to the stresses placed upon it. You'll be amazed at how quickly the body adapts - becoming fitter and stronger over time. Trying to rush the process is not good because your body needs time to recover properly between training sessions. The actual muscle growing process takes place when the muscles have a chance to recuperate. Lack of proper rest as well as poor technique can often lead to injuries. The key is to remain injury-free, by training carefully and consistently ... and letting nature take its course.
Progression Program
After completing the 8 week Starter Program you will be familiar with a variety of upper and lower body exercises and will have progressed from lifting only your body weight to increasing the weights that you lift for some exercises. The gradual increase in the training load is called "progressive overload" and it's one of the major principles of exercise science.
The next step is to increase the intensity of Strength training by including more exercises and more sets and by increasing the duration of training sessions to 45 minutes, including Warm Up and Cool Down time. The number of sets increases to three, so you should try to perform 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions of each exercise.
Exercises will be performed for each body part in the following order: Back Thigh (hamstrings/glutes), Front Thigh (quads), Chest, Back, Back Thigh (hamstrings/glutes), Calves, Shoulders, Arms, and Abdominals (abs). A variety of equipment will be used.
Advanced Program
This program has been designed for someone who is able to train three days per week and wants to gain muscle size and strength. In this third phase of training, we increase the intensity by increasing the number of exercises performed and the duration of training sessions. This style of training, where the whole body is trained in one session, will lead to general increases in muscle size and strength.
At the end of this phase of training, you'll be ready to specialise your training - to exercise some muscles of your body (e.g. chest and shoulders and triceps) one day, another group the next training day (e.g. upper back and biceps), and the remaining muscles (e.g. legs and lower back) on the final training day of the week.
In the Advanced Program each training session lasts 60 minutes, including time for Warm Up and Cool Down. You should try to perform 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions of each exercise. Exercises are performed in the following order: Back Thigh (hamstrings/glutes), Front Thigh (quads), Chest, Back, Back Thigh (hamstrings/glutes), Calves, Abdominals (Abs), Back Thigh (hamstrings/glutes), Front Thigh (quads), Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps, Calves, and Abdominals (Abs).
To enrol for one of our Health Action Sport Strength Training programs, please make a selection from those below.