Making Time for Strength Guide

When it comes to reaching and sustaining your healthiest weight, building muscle is one of the most impactful things you can do—and resistance training is one of the best ways to get you there. Resistance training (also called “strength training”) means building strength by moving your body against a force that pushes back against you. That’s it. It can be done through traditional weight lifting, but it can also be accomplished through bodyweight exercises—which simply use your own weight to provide that resistance. Here’s a quick rundown of how you can incorporate resistance training into your daily life.

If you’re looking to learn new exercises on your own, a few apps we like for strength are Fitbod (Apple/Android $9.99/month), which is great for beginners and uses an algorithm to build a custom program based on your fitness level; Sworkit (Apple/Android $9.99/month), which is ideal for parents, frequent travelers, and others who are limited in terms of time, space, and equipment; and Jefit (Apple/Android free/$0/month), which offers great tracking technology as well as a range of exercises for all levels.

You can also work with a trainer one-on-one or in a small group. As for full-on classes, keep in mind that while many gym classes incorporate elements of strength, for them to count as true resistance training, they should focus primarily on...resistance. That’s because the point of resistance training is to progressively overload the muscles to cause a physical adaptation. (Unfortunately, by that definition, most yoga classes don’t count as pure resistance training, though they’re still excellent workouts in their own right.)

Whatever program you choose, you’ll want to be practicing resistance training 2-3 times per week, slowly adding more reps as you build muscle. To keep yourself accountable, when possible, block time on your calendar in advance. 

Finally, we understand that sometimes life gets away from us. It’s completely normal and understandable to miss a few workouts—be it due to job, travel, family, or general overwhelm. As ever, Calibrate is about what you accomplish over time, not in a snapshot in time. Provided you’re doing your best to keep things up and hitting that ~2-3 mark most weeks, you’ll keep reaping the benefits of increased strength. 

As for what you’ll see below, we’ve listed a few simple tricks to help you work a bit of resistance training into days and weeks when you might not be able to do a complete workout—and even when you can! 

Take 4 

Condense the moves you’ve been doing over the past two weeks into a 4-minute mini workout wherever you can fit it in your day. Do them back-to-back for 30 seconds each for two rounds: Air Squats, Incline Push-ups, YWT Holds, Plank.

Balance While You Brush 

In the morning while you're brushing your teeth, stand on your left leg while you brush your top teeth. Switch to your right leg while you brush your bottom teeth. This is great for core strength and creating a balance of strength in your legs and glutes. 

Anywhere Abs 

While you're going about your day, take a deep breath—draw your belly button in and up—then squeeze your abs as tight as you can. Hold for 20-60 seconds. Release and repeat 3-10x, depending on time and fitness level.

Yard Work 

Raking, weeding, carrying, moving stuff—it all counts because, remember, lifting or moving a load against gravity is the essence of a strength exercise. No yard? Look into a volunteer program with your city's parks. They often allow the general public to pitch in to do some landscaping and gardening. 

Take the Stairs 

Stairs not only provide great cardiovascular exercise, but they're also a great resistance training tool for the biggest muscles in your body—your buttocks and legs. 

Microdose It 

We often think of a workout as needing to be one single show of effort. But there's a powerful cumulative effect to doing a little throughout the day. Five push-ups on the edge of your desk. Five squats before you get into your car. Five more when you get out. It all adds up.

Build With Your Bag 

Weight is weight. And your body can't tell the difference between a dumbbell and a bag filled with stuff. Try doing 10 bicep curls with your bag. Or press it overhead 10 times. You can even bend over and row it. Just make sure you do both sides. 

TV Time 

If you're watching TV with commercials, use those breaks to fit in some training. See how long you can hold a plank. Then try to beat that time in the next break.