A 4-Step Guide For A Solid Strength Training Workout, From A Personal Trainer

To actually put it into practice, choose one exercise from each of the four categories. Complete 5, 10, or 15 reps (whatever feels comfortable for you), then move on to the next exercise. Continue this pattern until you’ve worked through all four exercises. 

You can take a break after each exercise, or you can “superset them if ya like,” Larson writes. (Superset just means you do two or more exercises back to back, without taking a break in between.)

The biggest piece of advice, though, is to keep it simple and go slowly. According to Larson, you should only be extending 60 to 70% effort for the first couple of weeks.

“Gains like a long, slow courtship,” she writes. “Try to rush it, and progress will run in the other direction.” Think like the tortoise: slow and steady.