Your first strength sessions, in your own home, with furniture you already own. Nobody watching except possibly the cat.
The short version
- Two or three short sessions this week, with a day off between them.
- Start with the easy versions. You should finish feeling you could have done more.
- Move up a step only when the one you're on feels easy.
Ease in. Slowly. Then a bit slower.
The biggest mistake in week one isn't doing too little. It's doing far too much, being sore for four days, and deciding exercise isn't for you. So this week is easy on purpose. If you finish thinking "is that it?", perfect. That's the plan working.
The NHS's own strength routine for people who haven't been active starts with as few as five sit-to-stands, and says to build up slowly.1 You're in good company.
Aim for two strength sessions this week, building towards the NHS guideline of strength work on at least two days a week.2 Leave a day between sessions.3
The moves
About 20 minutes, all in. Rest for about a minute between sets. Do them in this order.
1. March on the spot
Two or three minutes to warm up. Lift your knees, swing your arms, look like you're leading a very small parade.
2. Sit-to-stand
Start with: 2 sets of 5 to 8. If that's too hard, push off your thighs with your hands at first. If it's too easy, sit down more slowly.
3. Press-ups, starting on the wall
Start with: 2 sets of 8 to 10 on the wall, unless you already know you can do more. Keep your body in a straight line, like a plank, not a banana.
4. Glute bridge
Start with: 2 sets of 8 to 10. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Squeeze your bottom and lift your hips. Your glutes (gluteus maximus, GLOO-tee-us MAK-sih-mus) are the biggest muscles in your body, and this wakes them up.
5. Step-ups on the bottom stair
Start with: 2 sets of 6 on each leg. Hold the banister. Step up, stand tall, step down slowly.
6. Wall sit
Start with: 2 holds of 15 to 20 seconds, only slightly bent. Go a little lower each week.
7. Chair dips (optional)
Start with: 2 sets of 5, lowering only a short way. Skip these if your shoulders grumble. Press-ups do a similar job.
How hard should it feel?
Moderate: breathing faster, feeling warmer, able to talk but not sing.2 On the effort scale, that's about 5 or 6 out of 10. Finish each set with two or three good reps still in the tank.
Your week one
| Day | Do this |
|---|---|
| Monday | Session (all seven moves above) |
| Tuesday | 10-minute walk |
| Wednesday | 10-minute walk, plus the after-session stretches from chapter 7 |
| Thursday | Session |
| Friday | 10-minute walk |
| Saturday | A longer walk, with someone if you can |
| Sunday | Rest. Properly. |
When to move up
When you can do 2 sets of 12 with good form and it feels easy, move up one step: wall to worktop, worktop to knees, no hands on the sit-to-stand, a few more seconds on the wall sit. Doing a little more over time is how you keep improving.3 There's a whole chapter on it: rest, overload and Mike Mentzer.
Your rep for this chapter
Do session one. Write down how many of each you managed. That's your starting line, and you'll beat it.
All 18 chapters of Basic Training
Sources
1. NHS. Strength exercises.
2. NHS. Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64.
3. Ratamess NA et al. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2009;41(3):687-708.