Have you been toying around with the idea of starting a strength training regimen but keep putting it off, waiting for the “perfect” time?
Well, there really isn’t a perfect time to begin training with weights, but you certainly know you’re READY to start lifting weights for fitness when certain things are happening with you — whether you’re a woman or a man.
It’s Time to Start Strength Training When …
• Every time you look in the mirror at your arms, you grimace or shake your head.
• You have a habit of grabbing the flappy part of your upper arm and staring at it in disdain.
• You sometimes find yourself deliberately making your “bat wings” jiggle by patting them with your fingers.
• You do the same thing with your inner thighs.
• Every time you see a woman with a super toned body, you think, “Why can’t I look like that?”
Shutterstock/Jacob Lund
• You’re sick and tired of asking men – and even women – to carry heavy things for you — definitely a clue it’s time to start hitting the weights!
• You can’t pick up your 125 pound wife or girlfriend.
• You dread carrying your preschooler or toddler around, especially when it’s time to set them in the car seat.
• You let garbage pile up for someone stronger to take out.
• You avoid doing tasks that involve lifting something weighty like removing a box of books from a high shelf.
• Your jeans no longer fit but you haven’t gained weight on the scale.
• You’ve heard at least one person call you “skinny fat” — a clear indication it’s time to start strength training.
• You’ve gained fat despite not increasing your caloric intake.
• Your back is beginning to ache for no apparent reason.
• Your back and/or body aches after doing housework, yard work or participating in an unexpected play session with the kids.
• You dread helping a friend move despite the free pizza and beer – not because you’d rather be relaxing on your deck on a Saturday afternoon reading a book but because you know that the physical work will drain you for the next three days.
• You make your seven-year-old shovel the snow in the name of contributing to the household when you know the real reason is that it would kill your back.
• You stomach is mysteriously increasing in size even though you’ve cut back on the beer and donuts.
• Your young child lovingly says you’re “squishy.”
• Your child says your thighs remind her of the waves of the ocean.
• You pay markedly close attention to the TV whenever a commercial comes on for a health club.
• When you find nicknames like “Beanpole,” “Skones,” “Teddy Bear” and “Chubs” no longer endearing.
• When friends suggest you enter a Mr. Puniverse contest and you know you’d win.
Oh, and one more: When people keep telling you “Eat a cheeseburger!” or “Eat a salad!”
If you’ve answered “Yes” to even one of these bullet points, you know it’s time to begin strength training!
Though there’s never a perfect time to begin lifting weights, there is always a right time to start a weightlifting program for a fitter, healthier body composition, stronger joints, a boosted immune and cardiovascular system, better balance and better brain function.
