Stronger Bones, Build Core Muscles, Increase Balance 

Who likes Beginner Weight Training classes? 

Beginner Weight Training is a group class for men and women who have less experience and comfort lifting weights freely. This class replaces your fear with freedom by meeting weekly in our studio. A certified group health instructor teaches you the proper form for using free weights in a non-intimidating environment, starting with the strength you have today and only increasing the weight load as you are ready. 

Our Beginner Weight Training class is not just for people who have never lifted weights before. It is also for people who have stepped away from the gym for a while or had an injury or surgery that prevented them from lifting due to post-operation or rehab recovery needs. Our program is an essential element of overall fitness and wellness, as it increases the lean tissue that provides needed support for your joints and spine. Aging joints need dependable support and weightlifting provides the opportunity to build a stronger support system. Every part of your skeletal system benefits from stronger muscles: your knees, shoulders, hands, wrists, feet, core and more.  

What is a Beginner Weight Training class? 

For many of us, weight training brings to mind big men lifting weights in the free weight area of any gym. This observation may not be too far off the mark, as more men prefer free weights and gather to work with heavy weights. This observation can be intimidating for female members, keeping them away from the benefits of weight training.  

Let's discredit the myth that weight training is just for men. Many years of independent studies give us a lot of data that show the importance of weightlifting for women as well as men. Humans lose muscle mass naturally as we age. At some point in our 30s, science clearly shows that we begin to lose lean tissue. Each decade, physically inactive men and women can lose as much as three to five percent of their muscle mass through no fault of their own. The loss of lean tissue means loss of strength. So, if you have a sedentary lifestyle, by your late 60s you could lose 15 to 20 percent of your lean tissue and the strength afforded by all that muscle.  

For women, this natural loss of muscle is accelerated by hormone changes in our later years during menopause. Exercise scientists worldwide are studying why this is the case. As women age, they often report feeling weak and unable to accomplish tasks due to a lack of strength. A recent fitness survey of women found that 46 percent desire to increase their body strength and metabolism to offset the effects of aging. That's almost half of all women. While some muscle loss is inevitable, women as well as men can make a positive impact in the gym with the use of free weights.  

This Beginner Weight Training class is the perfect place to learn how to use weights. Our certified group instructor helps you realize that weights are your friend. You are guided through a program that repetitively lifts weights to increase the fatigue of the working muscle, which helps build that muscle group. The program is progressive. Some parts of the program should feel hard as you reach the last few repetitions. Your body lets you know it’s time to add heavier weight when it starts to feel easy again. Consistency with your training program is important so you don’t make gains and then lose them without further training. Consistency is key for the best outcome.  

Some women fear getting too bulky and appearing less feminine if they use weights, so let’s address that negative connotation. Our beginner class is not formatted to add bulk, so women do not have to worry about that. Rather, this program is based on the science that proves the benefits of weight training for both men and women; one is never too old to start. For people of all ages, weight training helps improve your bone health and muscle strength and helps reduce your risk of injury like a fall. We encourage adults of all ages to get started today.  

When and where does the Beginner Weight Training class meet? 

Classes meet for 50 minutes every week. Currently, this class is offered at Willis-Knighton Health & Fitness Center on Greenwood Road in the studio. At some point, members may decide to move to the free weight area of the gym in order to lift on their own schedule instead of a class schedule.  

Members should wear comfortable clothes that allow freedom of movement and shoes that grip. 

Why do Beginner Weight Training? 

This class is popular because it is a no-nonsense approach to weightlifting. The class uses light weights that allow members to familiarize themselves with the exercises and become confident with best practices to avoid injury. Weights are increased on an individual basis as gains are achieved, a process that is as individual as each member. No member is encouraged to exceed their comfort zone by lifting too much weight.  

Positive outcomes are often voiced by class members as they feel their strength increase from consistent attendance in this class. Physical strength reduces the likelihood of injury.