- 1). Warm up the muscles before using any type of weights to maintain your flexibility and range of motion. Lightly jog or ride a bike around the neighborhood until you break a sweat. If you have a treadmill or a stationary bike, you can also use them.
- 2). Stretch the muscles you want to train for five to 10 minutes to minimize the risk of muscle pain.
- 3). Do crunches by lying on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor. Then cross your hands on your chest and curl your upper torso up and in toward your knees until your shoulder blades lift off the ground. Stay at the highest point for three counts and lower yourself back to the starting position. Do three sets of eight repetitions at first and build up to three sets of 15 repetitions. Build your abdominal and lower back muscles before doing weight exercises. Otherwise, you could experience back pain and other problems.
- 4). Do three sets of five push-ups and build up to three sets of 10 to 15 push-ups. Lie facing the floor and support your body by placing your palms on the floor facing down. Slowly lower yourself to the floor and then slowly push your hands up against the floor until you return to the starting position. Keep your back straight and elbows pointed out. Place your knees on the floor if you find this exercise too difficult. Push-ups train the chest, shoulders, triceps and back muscles.
- 5). Sit on a chair with your feet on the floor, aligned with your shoulders. Place your arms by your side and slowly stand up while keeping your back straight. Slowly return to a seated position. Do three sets of 15 repetitions. As your muscles strengthen, start doing the squat without touching the chair between repetitions. This strengthens the muscles in your thighs and buttocks.
- 6). Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell, a weighted bag or jug of water in each hand. Place your arms by your side with palms facing forward. Use one arm to slowly curl the weight up to your chest. Hold for a second and lower the hand back to its starting position. Repeat the movement with the other arm. Start with three sets of eight curls for each arm and build up to three sets of 15 curls. This exercise strengthens your biceps. If you are just starting strength training, use a resistance band instead of weights to train your grip strength. Hold the handles of the resistance band and step on its center with both feet. Slowly pull the handles up to the front of your shoulders, return to the starting position and repeat.
- 7). Stretch the muscles you trained for five to 10 minutes.
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