Jumpstart Your Strength Training Routine With This

Pulldown exercise to the front (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It's tough to get a strength-training regimen going when you're not sure where to start, but when I saw this print-out this morning, I thought it was a great way to at least introduce a few exercises to those who have yet to take the plunge—particularly if you have a gym membership at your disposal.

While I don't believe in remaining stagnant in your strength-training plan, I do believe in incorporating as many muscle groups as possible in order to give your body the balanced, toned, and strong look so many of us crave.

My suggestion is to use the above routine as a template—a nice starting point—and then, as you gain strength and confidence, vary it to make it more amenable to what you need and want for your body.

For those who might be wondering if it can be incorporated into a home workout, trust me it can.

If you don't currently subscribe to a gym, your best bet is not to concentrate on the exercises, but rather on the muscle groups they are meant to train. For instance, the wide-grip pulldown (shown in the picture above) focuses on the upper back and the shoulders. Exercises like tricep push-ups, wide grip pull-ups (using a chin-up bar), incline/decline push-ups, and dumbbell flys all offer a great alternative to those same muscles.

It might take a little extra research on your part to find the home alternatives that work for you, but it certainly can be done.