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7 tips to start strength training

Would you like to have a more streamlined body and make your muscles stronger? Then strength training is the perfect workout to achieve that. But how do you start? And how do you make sure you don't look like a bodybuilder?

1. Don't be discouraged

The first hurdle is often to start with it. It all starts with playing with the thought moving into action. If you want to train, just go for it and take action.

Transform your evening lounging on the couch into an active evening with more satisfaction afterwards and a feeling of happiness that motivates you to go again tomorrow.

You will see that you will become stronger, have more energy and start to lead a healthier life.

Read also: 'When do you choose what:cardio or strength training?'

2. Don't just look at the scale

It is a misconception that when doing strength sports for women (including men), the scale is everything. Even if you are overweight and want to lose weight, you should not just consult the scale.

With strength training you get larger muscle bundles, and muscle mass weighs more than stored fat mass. So it is important to look at your figure. Of course you can look at weight and fat percentage, but don't let it be too heavy. You can be strong, healthy and fit with a perfect body ... while your weight does not differ much (or you even gained more weight).

You also don't have to worry that you will suddenly get muscle in male proportions. Men have more testosterone than women, and often much more muscle mass. We are of course talking about strength training for women, where no steroids are used.

3. The execution of exercises is more important than weight

If you really want to do strength training effectively, pay close attention to your performance. It's about the muscle load that determines whether you build up more strength, muscle mass and condition.

Unfortunately, you still see strength athletes who throw weights at random without actually training. The movement and speed with which you make them, with weight bearing are much more important. Weight is important, but less important than execution.

Of course, as you progress, you can gradually increase the weight. But build this up, especially in the beginning, calmly and at a responsible pace. This way you prevent injuries, you really get stronger and you don't look embarrassed in the gym.

4. Choose a healthy diet

Besides structural and fanatical training, your diet is very important. It ensures that you really make optimal progress with your efforts, recover faster and lead a healthier life.

Proteins have an essential role in this.

They are the building blocks of your muscle mass. Furthermore, the other macronutrients (carbohydrates and fats) are also important. Make sure you get your nutrition from natural sources as much as possible in a healthy, varied way.

Think of all types of vegetables, all types of fruit, meat, fish, chicken or turkey, nuts, kernels, seeds, etc. … albeit in the right proportions. You can also take a look at these strength training tips and help with your diet. It is a platform where you can go for strength sports, fitness and nutrition.

5. Fanatical training is very important, but also recovery

In addition to all your efforts, make sure you also relax, so that you also recover well. This allows you to handle subsequent training sessions even better and you continue to grow. After training a muscle group, recovery is often used for that muscle group between 48 and 72 hours. Training other muscle groups is therefore possible.

6. Go strength sports with friends

You can of course train yourself, but training together makes it much more fun. Talking, joking, or encouraging each other during your rest periods can have a positive impact on your training. And of course you also meet a lot of new people at the gym.

7. Persevere

You're not one to give up easily, are you? Exactly:keep going. It is important to make it a regular part of your life!