Key points
- Strength training protects your muscle while you lose weight. Without it, part of every kilo you lose can come from muscle. With it, most of that muscle stays.
- It helps your health directly: lower blood pressure, better blood sugar, easier stairs and chairs, and a lower risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
- Two sessions a week is the goal. WHO advises muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week, for adults with and without chronic conditions.
- You do not need a gym or the floor. Our 8-exercise beginner routine uses a sturdy chair, a wall and a resistance band or two water bottles.
- Breathe out as you push and never hold your breath. That one habit keeps your blood pressure steadier while you train.
- It works best with walking and good food. Strength sessions keep the muscle, walking uses energy, and everyday meals do most of the work on the scale.
What is strength training?
Strength training means making your muscles work against a force that pushes back: your own body weight, a resistance band, a dumbbell or a full water bottle. It is also called resistance training or muscle-strengthening activity.
For a beginner it looks far less dramatic than the word suggests. Standing up from a chair ten times is strength training. So is pushing yourself away from a wall, or pulling a band towards your chest while seated.
The American Heart Association lists body weight, resistance bands, free weights and machines as options. It also notes that training with your own body weight can work as well as gym machines or free weights. A review comparing elastic bands with dumbbells and machines found similar gains in strength for the arms and the legs.
So the cheapest kit is not second best. A band costs little, fits in a drawer and can be made harder by holding it shorter.
Is strength training good for weight loss?
Yes, but mainly because of what it keeps, not because of what it burns. A strength session uses fewer calories than a brisk walk of the same length, so on its own it brings only a small drop on the scale.
Its real value shows up in what the lost weight is made of. When you eat less, your body takes energy from fat but also from lean tissue, which includes muscle. Strength training tells your body that this muscle is still needed.
Keeping muscle while the scale goes down
A large overview of 149 studies in adults with overweight or obesity found that resistance training reduced the loss of lean mass during weight loss by about 0.8 kg compared with no strength work. That sounds small, but it is muscle you keep for climbing stairs and carrying shopping.
A meta-analysis of six trials in older adults with obesity went further. When people trained with weights three times a week while eating less, they kept almost all of the lean mass that dieting alone removed, and they lost just as much fat.
A trial in the New England Journal of Medicine followed 160 adults over 65 living with obesity for six months. All exercise groups lost about 9 % of their body weight.
Lean mass fell by about 5 % in the group that did only aerobic exercise, but by only 2 to 3 % in the groups that included strength work. The group that combined both types improved most in everyday physical performance.
Does it help you lose fat?
A meta-analysis of 114 trials with more than 4,000 people with overweight or obesity found that resistance training alone lowered fat mass by about 1 kg and added about 0.8 kg of lean mass compared with no training. The biggest fat loss came when strength training was combined with eating fewer calories, at about 5 kg of fat.
The same review found that people who combined strength training with a calorie deficit kept their lean mass. That is the pattern we want: fat goes down, muscle stays. Our guide on how to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time shows how protein, sleep and a small calorie deficit fit around your training.
If you worry about how your body will look as you lose weight, our page on loose skin after weight loss explains what muscle can and cannot do.
Does muscle really boost your metabolism?
Only a little. Measurements of different body tissues show that a kilo of muscle uses about 13 kcal a day at rest, against about 4.5 kcal for a kilo of fat tissue.
Adding two kilos of muscle therefore raises your resting energy use by only about 26 kcal a day, roughly one small biscuit. The claim that muscle turns your body into a calorie furnace is overstated. The honest reasons to train are function, health and keeping the muscle you have.
Why muscle matters for your health, not just your weight
Strong muscles matter long before you reach any goal weight, because they improve blood sugar, blood pressure and how easily you move. These benefits build up over weeks and months, whether or not the scale moves.
Blood sugar
Working muscles take up sugar from the blood. In people with type 2 diabetes, a meta-analysis of randomised trials found that structured resistance training lowered HbA1c, the long-term blood sugar measure, by about 0.6 percentage points.
The American Heart Association notes that aerobic exercise has a somewhat larger effect on blood sugar and that combining both types works best. That is one more reason to pair strength sessions with daily walking.
Blood pressure
A network meta-analysis of 270 trials found that dynamic resistance training lowered resting blood pressure by about 4.5/3 mmHg, similar to aerobic exercise. Isometric exercise, where you hold a position such as a wall squat, lowered it even more, by about 8/4 mmHg.
Those are averages across many people, and they add to the effect of better food and weight loss. If you take blood pressure medicine, do not change it yourself; tell your doctor you have started training.
Everyday function and independence
People living with obesity often have more muscle than average. A review on muscle and weight loss found that, compared with people of lower weight, they tend to have more muscle mass but poorer muscle quality.
Strength training targets exactly that. Getting out of a low sofa, climbing a flight of stairs or getting up after a fall all depend on leg and hip strength.
Long-term health
A meta-analysis of cohort studies found that adults who did muscle-strengthening activities had a 10 to 17 % lower risk of early death, heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes, independent of aerobic activity. The largest benefit was seen at around 30 to 60 minutes a week.
That is good news for beginners. Two sessions of 15 to 30 minutes already sit in that range.
How often should beginners do strength training?
Aim for two sessions a week on days that are not next to each other, for example Monday and Thursday. That matches what WHO recommends for adults, including people living with chronic conditions.
The WHO guidelines advise muscle-strengthening activities of moderate or greater intensity that work all major muscle groups on two or more days a week. Adults over 65 are advised to do varied activity that combines balance and strength on three or more days a week, to prevent falls and stay independent.
For people with diabetes, the American Diabetes Association advises two to three sessions a week on non-consecutive days. A rest day between sessions gives muscles time to adapt.
How many sets and repetitions?
The American Heart Association describes a simple, effective pattern: 8 to 10 exercises for the major muscle groups, 1 to 3 sets each, with 8 to 12 repetitions per set, at least twice a week. For people with health conditions, it advises lighter loads with more repetitions.
For a true beginner, one set of each exercise is a complete workout. According to the same statement, a single set of 8 to 12 repetitions, done twice a week, already brings clear benefits.
| Element | Starting point | Goal after about 3 months |
|---|---|---|
| Sessions per week | 2, with at least one rest day between | 2 to 3 |
| Exercises per session | 6 to 8 | 8 to 10, covering legs, hips, chest, back, shoulders, arms and trunk |
| Sets per exercise | 1 | 2 to 3 |
| Repetitions per set | 8 to 12, or fewer if needed | 10 to 12 with a harder version |
| Effort | Could do 3 or 4 more repetitions at the end of a set | Could do 1 or 2 more repetitions |
| Time per session | 10 to 15 minutes | 25 to 30 minutes |
Check with your doctor first if any of this applies
Strength training is safe for most people at any weight, but some conditions need a conversation first. Talk to your doctor before you start if you:
- have heart disease, a heart rhythm problem, a pacemaker or defibrillator, or get chest pain, pressure or unusual breathlessness when you exert yourself
- have high blood pressure that is not well controlled
- use insulin or tablets that can cause low blood sugar (hypos)
- have diabetic eye disease (retinopathy) or numb feet from nerve damage (neuropathy)
- had surgery recently, including weight-loss surgery or a hernia repair
- have severe arthritis, severe osteoporosis or a joint that recently became swollen or unstable
- are pregnant or recently gave birth
The American Heart Association advises people with a pacemaker or defibrillator to ask their doctor before upper-body exercises, because repetitive arm movements can affect the leads. Our doctor visit checklist helps you prepare questions for that appointment.
A beginner strength routine at home: 8 exercises
Talk to your doctor first, then start with this routine twice a week. It works every major muscle group, uses only a chair, a wall and a band or bottles, and keeps you off the floor.
Warm up first with three to five minutes of easy marching on the spot, seated or standing, and some gentle shoulder rolls. Use a sturdy chair without wheels, placed against a wall so it cannot slide. In weeks 1 and 2, do fewer repetitions, as the 12-week plan below shows.
| Exercise | Main muscles | Sets × reps (weeks 3–6) | Easier version | Harder version | Joint-friendly tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sit-to-stand | Thighs, buttocks | 1 × 8–10 | Higher seat (add a firm cushion), push off with your hands | Lower seat, arms crossed, or hold two bottles | Feet hip-width apart, knees pointing over your toes, lean forward slightly before you stand |
| 2. Wall push-up | Chest, shoulders, back of arms | 1 × 8–12 | Stand closer to the wall | Step further back, or use a kitchen worktop | Hands at shoulder height, wrists under elbows; keep your body straight |
| 3. Seated band row | Upper back, back of shoulders | 1 × 10–12 | Hold the band longer, or pull a towel against your own resistance | Hold the band shorter, or use a stronger band | Sit tall, squeeze your shoulder blades together, keep shoulders away from your ears |
| 4. Seated shoulder press | Shoulders, arms | 1 × 8–10 | No weight, or only lift to forehead height | Full water bottles or light dumbbells | Stop below the point of any shoulder pinch; press slightly forward, not straight back |
| 5. Seated knee extension | Front of thighs | 1 × 10 each leg | Smaller movement, no hold at the top | Band around the ankle, or a 2-second hold | Straighten the knee slowly without locking it hard; good for sore knees |
| 6. Standing side leg raise | Outer hip, buttocks | 1 × 8 each side | Smaller lift, both hands on the chair | Band around the lower legs | Keep the toes forward and the trunk upright; only lift as far as you can without leaning |
| 7. Calf raise | Calves, ankles | 1 × 10–12 | Seated heel raises | Slow 3-second lowering, or one leg at a time | Hold the chair back or worktop with both hands; rise only as high as is comfortable |
| 8. Wall plank | Tummy and back muscles | 2 × 10–20 seconds | Stand closer to the wall | Step back, or hold for 30 seconds | Forearms on the wall, body in a straight slope; keep breathing calmly the whole time |
Do the exercises in this order, resting about a minute between them. Finish with a few minutes of slow walking around the room and gentle stretches for your thighs, calves and chest.
How to do the key exercises well
Sit-to-stand. Sit near the front of the chair with your feet flat. Lean your chest forward, press through your heels and stand tall, then sit back down slowly, taking two or three seconds. The slow lowering is where much of the strength comes from.
Wall push-up. Stand an arm’s length from a wall with your hands flat on it. Bend your elbows to bring your chest towards the wall, then push back. Breathe out as you push away.
Seated band row. Sit on the chair, loop the band around both feet and hold one end in each hand. Pull your elbows back past your sides, pause for a moment, then let your arms return slowly.
Wall plank. Rest your forearms on the wall at shoulder height and walk your feet back until your body forms a straight slope. Gently draw your belly button in and hold, breathing in and out the whole time.
If you prefer to follow along with someone, our free workout videos in levels Start, Build and Strong show these movements with an easier and a harder option on screen.
How hard should strength training feel?
The last two or three repetitions of each set should feel like real work, while you can still keep good form and breathe steadily. If you could easily do ten more, the exercise is too easy; if your form breaks down, it is too hard.
A simple way to judge this is to ask yourself, at the end of a set: how many more could I do with good form? For the first month, we suggest aiming for about three or four. Later, one or two is fine.
Breathe out on the effort, never hold your breath
Holding your breath while you push or lift (doctors call this the Valsalva manoeuvre) makes your blood pressure rise sharply. The American Diabetes Association advises people with high blood pressure to avoid it during resistance training.
The rule is easy to remember: breathe out as you push, stand or pull, and breathe in as you return. Counting the repetitions out loud makes breath-holding almost impossible.
When to make it harder: the 2-for-2 rule
The American Heart Association describes a practical rule. When you can do two more repetitions than your target in two sessions in a row, make the exercise a little harder.
At home, harder can mean a lower seat, a stronger band, fuller bottles, a slower lowering phase or one more set. Change one thing at a time.
A 12-week strength training plan for beginners
This plan takes you from one easy set to a full routine in three months. Talk to your doctor first, and repeat any two-week block for as long as you need; the weeks are a guide, not a deadline.
| Weeks | Sessions per week | Exercises | Sets × reps | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | 2 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 (six moves) | 1 × 6–8 | Learn the movements, slow lowering, breathing out on effort |
| 3–4 | 2 | All 8 | 1 × 8–10 | Add the shoulder press and side leg raise; keep easier versions |
| 5–6 | 2 | All 8 | 1 × 10–12 | Use the 2-for-2 rule; first move to a harder version where it feels right |
| 7–8 | 2 | All 8 | 2 × 8–10 | Add a second set; rest 1 to 2 minutes between sets |
| 9–10 | 2–3 | All 8 | 2 × 10–12 | Stronger band or fuller bottles; optional third session |
| 11–12 | 2–3 | All 8, harder versions | 2–3 × 10–12 | Repeat your 30-second sit-to-stand count and compare it with your first test |
Three rules that keep the plan safe
- One change at a time. Add repetitions, or a set, or a harder version, never all three in the same week.
- An easy week is normal. After illness, poor sleep or a flare-up of joint pain, go back two weeks. Strength comes back quickly.
- Stop short of pain. Muscles may feel tired and warm; joints should not hurt sharply. Make that exercise easier or leave it out until you have asked a professional.
After week 12
By now you are meeting the WHO advice of strength work on two or more days a week. You can keep this routine and keep making it harder, or move on to the Build level of our free videos, which adds bands and light weights in longer sessions.
The American Heart Association notes that after around six months of regular training, people without health problems can start to use heavier weights and fewer repetitions. There is no need to rush that step.
Strength training with bad knees or back pain
Sore knees and a sore back are reasons to train carefully, not reasons to avoid strength work. For both, exercise is one of the best-studied treatments.
Knees
A Cochrane review of 139 trials with more than 12,000 people with knee osteoarthritis found that exercise likely improves physical function and may slightly reduce pain.
For sore knees, these adaptations help:
- Use a higher seat for sit-to-stands and only go down as far as is comfortable.
- Choose the seated knee extension and the side leg raise; both strengthen around the knee without bending it deeply under load.
- Avoid deep squats, lunges and kneeling for now.
- Mild discomfort that settles soon after the session is common; pain that is worse the next morning means the next session should be lighter.
Back
A Cochrane review of 249 trials found that exercise is probably effective for reducing pain in chronic low back pain, compared with no treatment or usual care.
Choose movements you can do without a flare-up, and keep the ones that feel good.
- Keep your trunk upright and move from your hips and legs, not by bending and twisting your back.
- The wall plank and seated row build the muscles that support your spine without lying down.
- Move slowly and stay in a range that feels comfortable; that range usually grows over the weeks.
Go to an emergency department straight away if back pain comes with numbness around the groin, buttocks or inner thighs, new trouble passing urine or controlling your bladder or bowels, or new weakness in one or both legs. Back pain with fever, after a fall, or with weight loss you cannot explain needs a prompt check by your doctor. Do not exercise through any of these.
A heavier body: what else to adapt
A wider stance often feels more stable in standing exercises. If your belly makes a seated row awkward, sit nearer the front of the chair with your knees wider apart.
Supportive shoes with a firm sole help with balance. Check the weight limit of your chair; a sturdy kitchen or dining chair without wheels is usually the best choice.
Safety: blood pressure, diabetes and pain
Most problems during strength training come from going too hard too soon, holding the breath or ignoring warning signs. These points cover the conditions that are most common in our readers.
Blood pressure
The American Heart Association states that people with controlled high blood pressure can safely do low- to moderate-intensity resistance training with proper breathing. People who take blood pressure medicine should take a longer, slower cool-down, because some medicines can make blood pressure drop after exercise and leave you light-headed.
Stand up slowly after seated exercises, drink water and avoid exercising in a hot room. Keep the effort moderate and skip long, straining holds until your doctor says your blood pressure is well controlled.
Diabetes and hypos
Low blood sugar during or after exercise is mainly a risk for people who use insulin or certain tablets that make the body release more insulin. If that applies to you, check your blood sugar before and after a session and keep fast-acting sugar such as glucose tablets within reach.
Ask your diabetes team what reading is safe to start a session at.
The American Diabetes Association notes that blood sugar can drop for many hours after exercise, sometimes overnight. Your diabetes team may suggest timing or medicine changes; never adjust insulin doses without their advice.
If you have nerve damage in your feet, check them for blisters or sores after every session and wear good shoes and socks. If you have serious diabetic eye disease, avoid straining, heavy lifting and holding your breath, and ask your eye specialist what is safe.
Muscle soreness or pain: how to tell the difference
| Usually normal | Stop and get advice |
|---|---|
| Dull ache or stiffness in the muscles you worked, starting the day after | Sharp, stabbing or sudden pain during a movement |
| Eases with gentle movement and fades over a few days | Pain in a joint that is worse the next day or makes you limp |
| Felt on both sides of the body evenly | Swelling, warmth or a joint that gives way |
| Less noticeable after the first few weeks | Numbness, tingling or pain that spreads down an arm or leg |
Soreness is most common at the very start, or when you add something new. That is why the plan starts with one set and makes changes gradually.
Stop straight away and seek medical help if you notice
- chest pain, pressure or tightness, or pain spreading to an arm, jaw or neck
- breathlessness that is much worse than expected or does not settle with rest
- dizziness, fainting or a racing or irregular heartbeat
The American Heart Association advises that these symptoms need medical checks before you train again. Call your local emergency number straight away if chest pain is severe or does not ease within a few minutes of rest.
How strength training fits with walking and food
Think of three parts working together: food does most of the work on your weight, walking adds daily energy use and heart fitness, and strength training keeps your muscle and makes you capable. Each one covers what the others cannot.
An example week
| Day | Movement |
|---|---|
| Monday | Strength routine (15–30 minutes) plus a short walk |
| Tuesday | Walk at a pace where you can still talk |
| Wednesday | Walk, or a gentle cardio video at home |
| Thursday | Strength routine plus a short walk |
| Friday | Walk |
| Saturday | Longer walk, or an activity you enjoy with others |
| Sunday | Rest, or an easy stroll and some stretching |
Enjoy slower, controlled movement? A beginner pilates or yoga session can take the place of the stretching on a rest day; our page on yoga and pilates for weight loss shows what to expect.
Our guide to walking for weight loss has a step-by-step walking plan, and the low impact cardio page offers chair and standing cardio for days when walking outside is hard. WHO advises 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week alongside the strength sessions, built up slowly.
Want to see what a session uses? The calories burned calculator gives an estimate for walking and other activities, and the heart rate zones calculator shows a sensible effort range for your walks.
Food that supports your muscles
Muscles need enough protein to rebuild. A review on preserving muscle during weight loss concluded that eating less with adequate, but not excessive, protein, plus physical activity, especially resistance exercise, is the best way to keep muscle and strength.
In practice, that means a source of protein at every meal, such as beans, lentils, eggs, fish, chicken, yoghurt or tofu, with plenty of vegetables and whole grains. Our guide to the best foods for weight loss lists protein-rich and filling foods. Crash diets are not part of our approach: a steady, moderate change in eating suits strength training best.
Belly fat and the scale
Tummy exercises do not burn the fat that lies on top of those muscles. Fat around the waist goes down with overall fat loss, and exercise of any kind helps with the deeper fat around the organs; read more about belly fat.
Because strength training keeps muscle, your waist can shrink while the scale moves slowly. Measure your waist once a month as well as weighing yourself. If weeks go by without any change, our page on not losing weight explains the common reasons.
How to track your strength progress
Track what your body can do, not only what it weighs. Strength improves quickly in the first weeks, and seeing it helps you keep going.
- Sit-to-stand test: count how many times you can stand up fully and sit down in 30 seconds, at a pace that feels safe and controlled. Use the same chair and method each time, arms crossed if you can or hands on your thighs if not, and repeat every four weeks. Skip the test on days your knees or back flare up.
- Repetitions and versions: write down sets, reps and which version you used. Moving from the easier to the harder version is real progress.
- Daily life: notice stairs, carrying shopping, getting out of the car or off the sofa.
- Waist and clothes: a monthly waist measurement shows changes the scale can hide.
If weight has come back in the past, our page on weight regain explains why, and why staying active matters for keeping weight off.
Common worries about starting strength training
“I am too heavy to start.” You are not. The routine on this page is built for heavier bodies, and the American Heart Association notes that lighter loads with more repetitions are suitable for people with health conditions. Your body weight is already resistance, which is why the sit-to-stand works so well.
“I have never been sporty.” Most people who start strength training are not. Muscles respond to training at every age and size, as the trials in older adults with obesity on this page show.
“I feel self-conscious in a gym.” That is common, and you do not need one. Everything here works at home, and the American Heart Association sees online videos as a good way to bring strength training to people at home.
“I am afraid of getting hurt.” Start with the easier versions, move slowly and breathe out on the effort. Based on limited data, the AHA reports that resistance training caused fewer heart-related problems than aerobic exercise in studies of people with coronary heart disease.
How Obesity Foundation helps you get stronger
We help people lose weight and get healthier with good food, suitable exercise and walking. Everything we offer is free, from your first sit-to-stand to the Strong level.
- Follow-along strength videos. Our programme has 150 videos in three levels, from seated Start sessions to Strong workouts with bands and weights. Get the free workout videos.
- A free eating plan. Everyday meals with enough protein to support your muscles while you lose weight, without crash diets. Ask for your free eating plan.
- Your own Club account. Log your sessions, reps, walks and sit-to-stand scores and see your progress in private. Open your free Obesity Foundation Club account.
- Someone to talk to. Unsure which exercises suit your knees, back or health? Book a free video meeting (in English) with our team.
Your first session can be today: a sturdy chair, ten minutes and eight slow sit-to-stands. That is real strength training, and it is enough to begin.
Frequently asked questions
Is strength training or cardio better for weight loss?
Neither wins on its own. Cardio such as walking usually uses more energy per session, while strength training protects muscle as you lose weight and makes everyday tasks easier. A large trial in older adults with obesity found the best results for fitness and function when both were combined with healthier eating.
Why do I weigh more after starting strength training?
Your weight naturally moves up and down from day to day, often by a kilo or more, with fluid and food. New muscle builds slowly, so it does not explain a jump of several kilos in a week or two. Check your waist, your clothes and your sit-to-stand count, and judge the scale over a month.
Can I do strength training every day?
It is better to train the same muscles on two or three days a week with a rest day in between, because muscles get stronger while they recover. On the days in between you can walk, do gentle cardio or stretch. Very light movement like standing up from a chair more often is fine every day.
Will lifting weights make me bulky?
Very unlikely. Building large muscles takes years of heavy, specialised training and a surplus of food. A beginner programme with bands, bottles and body weight makes you stronger and firmer, and when you are also losing fat your body usually looks smaller, not bigger.
What if I cannot get down on the floor?
You do not need to. Every exercise in our beginner routine is done sitting on a chair, standing with a chair or worktop for support, or leaning on a wall. Floor exercises are optional extras for later, and many people never use them.
Am I too old to start strength training?
No. Research in adults in their sixties and seventies with obesity shows that muscle and strength still respond to training. WHO advises older adults to do strength and balance exercises on three or more days a week to stay independent and prevent falls. Start light, and check with your doctor first if you have heart, joint or balance problems.
Do I need protein shakes to build muscle?
No. Ordinary food such as beans, lentils, eggs, fish, chicken, yoghurt and tofu can supply the protein your muscles need, especially if you include some at every meal. Supplements are optional and not needed for a beginner programme. If you have kidney disease, ask your doctor how much protein is right for you.
Sources
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- Paluch AE et al. – Resistance exercise training in individuals with and without cardiovascular disease: 2023 update. A scientific statement from the American Heart Association, Circulation (2024)
- Colberg SR et al. – Physical activity/exercise and diabetes: a position statement of the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Care (2016)
- Cava E, Yeat NC, Mittendorfer B – Preserving healthy muscle during weight loss, Advances in Nutrition (2017)
- Sardeli AV et al. – Resistance training prevents muscle loss induced by caloric restriction in obese elderly individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Nutrients (2018)
- Villareal DT et al. – Aerobic or resistance exercise, or both, in dieting obese older adults, New England Journal of Medicine (2017)
- Lopez P et al. – Resistance training effectiveness on body composition and body weight outcomes in individuals with overweight and obesity across the lifespan: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Obesity Reviews (2022)
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- Momma H et al. – Muscle-strengthening activities are associated with lower risk and mortality in major non-communicable diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies, British Journal of Sports Medicine (2022)
- Umpierre D et al. – Physical activity advice only or structured exercise training and association with HbA1c levels in type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis, JAMA (2011)
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