6 Most Efficient Weight-Lifting Exercises for Beginners

Strength training can be scary for beginners, but the benefits are undeniable. These include more muscle, higher calorie burns, stronger bones and joints, improved endurance, and a lower risk of injury during another workout.

It's vital to remember that you don't need to do anything fancy when it comes to strength training. It only requires a few basic techniques, consistency, and patience.

Starting with a firm foundation of exercise that works for each portion of your body is the key to building an effective strength-training routine.

If you concentrate solely on a few basic moves, you'll discover that they become easier with time. That's because you're getting stronger. After that, you can begin to advance the exercises by using larger or different weights, attempting advanced variations, or doing entirely new exercises.

---

Weightlifting exercises to try for beginners

Are you ready to start your journey of lifting weights? Here's a list of the six best weight-lifting exercises to do as a beginner:

1) Overhead dumbbell press

With an overhead shoulder press, you can improve your balance and posture while also strengthening your entire upper body.

As beginners, start with two light dumbbells to get the hang of the action before moving on to building strength.

Here are the steps to do an overhead dumbbell press correctly:

• With a dumbbell in each hand, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Bring the weights up to your shoulders' fronts and palms facing out.
• Push the dumbbells higher, extending your arms as you go, keeping your core braced and torso erect.
• Pause at the top, then lower the weights to just above your shoulders by bending your elbows and lowering the weights.

---

2) Floor press

Because you can feel your shoulders and back engagement with your upper body flat across the floor, the floor press is a fantastic exercise to teach beginners how to bench press.

Here are the steps to follow to do the floor press correctly:

• With a dumbbell in each hand, lie on your back with your feet flat on the ground.
• With dumbbells in the air, position your upper arms at a 45-degree angle to your torso.
• Extend your arms to lift the dumbbells.
• Return to the starting position after a brief pause at the top.

---

3) Floor chest fly

To ensure that you're executing the perfect form, the floor chest fly is perfect for beginners. Here are the steps to properly do a floor chest fly:

• Lie down flat on your back with your knees bent and your feet resting on the ground.
• Place a dumbbell in each hand and extend your arms out to form a T shape with your body. The palms of your hands should be facing up at the ceiling.
• Brace your core and bring the dumbbells up into the center of your body using your chest muscles while maintaining a little bend in your elbow.
• Pause and return to the starting position when the dumbbells touch in the middle.

---

4) Arnold press

Arnold press, a variation on the overhead shoulder press made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger, takes a little more technique. It focuses a little more on the front of the shoulder. It is good for beginners, as it helps in getting familiar with the weighted movements.

Follow these steps to do the Arnold press correctly:

• Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Bring the dumbbells to your shoulders with your palms towards your body, as if you were executing a bicep curl. This is where you'll begin.
• Start rotating your hands out while simultaneously extending your arms above your head and bracing your core.
• Pause for a moment, then return to the starting posture, twisting your palms back towards your body.

---

5) Barbell back squat

Barbell back squats not only build some of your body's largest muscles, but they'll also make it easier for you to do regular chores.

As beginners, start with a light barbell because you'll need to properly hoist it onto your shoulders from the ground.

Here are the steps to follow to do the barbell back squat properly:

• Put a barbell on your shoulders and stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
• Begin the squat by bending your knees and sitting back on your hips. Keep your chest up and your eyes forward.
• Pause and return to the starting position once your thighs have reached parallel.

---

6) Single-arm dumbbell row

Single-arm dumbbell row is a beginner-friendly exercise that targets all of the essential postural muscles, such as your traps, posterior deltoids, lats and rhomboids.

Here are the steps you can follow to do a single-arm dumbbell row correctly:

• Brace yourself against a bench, table, or other elevated surface, keeping your torso slightly bent.
• Split your stance and use your free hand to grasp a dumbbell.
• Row up, clench your shoulder blade and bring your elbow up and back.
• At the top, pause, then release and repeat.