How to Build an Exercise Plan - HelpGuide.org × Online Therapy Meditations Mental Health Health & Wellness Children & Family Relationships Aging More Donate Your trusted nonprofit guide to mental health & wellness for ★★★★★ HelpGuide is a top-rated nonprofit Our mission is to provide empowering, evidence-based mental health content you can use to help yourself and your loved ones. Donate Get In Touch HelpGuide uses cookies to improve your experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. Accept Affordable Online Therapy Get professional help from BetterHelp's network of licensed therapists. FIND A THERAPIST NOW HelpGuide is reader supported. We may receive a commission if you sign up for BetterHelp through the provided link. Need urgent help? Practice good technique Walk at a brisk, steady pace. Slow down if you're too breathless to carry on a conversation.Stand tall.Hold your head up so your chin is level and look 10 to 20 feet in front of you.Lift your chest.Keep your shoulders down.Point your toes straight ahead.Let your arms swing loosely at your sides. If you want to boost your speed, bend your elbows at 90-degree angles and swing your hands from waist to chest height.Land on your heel, then roll forward onto the ball of your foot, pushing off from your toes.Take comfortable strides. To go faster, take quicker steps instead of longer ones. Strength training Strength or resistance training, which typically employs equipment such as weight machines, free weights, or resistance bands or tubing, protects against bone loss and builds muscle. It also improves your body's ratio of lean muscle mass to fat. It, too, deserves an important place in your exercise routine. Technically, strength or resistance training takes place any time your muscles face a stronger-than-usual counterforce, such as pushing against a wall or lifting a dumbbell. Using progressively heavier weights or increasing resistance makes muscles stronger. Aside from toning you, strength training provides the functional strength you need to do everyday activities— lifting groceries, climbing stairs, rising from a chair, rushing for the bus—with ease. How much should you do The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend strengthening exercises for all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms) two or more times a week, with at least 48 hours between sessions. One set per session is effective, though two or three sets may be better, according to some research. Repeat each exercise eight to 12 times (reps). Your body needs at least 48 hours for recovery and repair between strength training sessions in order to build more muscle and get stronger. Get started These tips for safe strength training will help you get the most from your workouts: Focus on form, not weight. Align your body correctly and move smoothly through each exercise. Poor form can prompt injuries. Many experts suggest starting with no weight, or very light weight, when learning a strength training routine. Concentrate on slow, smooth lifts and equally controlled descents while isolating a muscle group. You isolate muscles by holding your body in a specific position while consciously contracting and releasing the targeted muscles. Tempo, tempo. Tempo helps you stay in control rather than undercut strength gains through momentum. For example, count to four while lifting a dumbbell, hold for two, then count to four while lowering it to the starting position. Breathe. Blood pressure increases during a work- out, but it rises even more if you hold your breath while performing strength exercises. To avoid steep increases, exhale as you lift, push, or pull; inhale as you release. To make sure that you're not holding your breath, count your tempo aloud. You can't hold your breath when you're talking. Keep challenging muscles. The right weight differs depending on the exercise. Choose a weight that tires the targeted muscle or muscles by the last two repetitions (reps) while still allowing you to maintain good form. If you can't do the minimum number of reps, choose a lighter weight. When it feels too easy, as if you could continue doing reps, challenge your muscles again by adding weight (roughly 1 to 2 pounds for arms, 2 to 5 pounds for legs) or using a stronger resistance band. Alternately, you can add another set of reps to your workout (up to three sets), or work out additional days per week. If you add weight, remember that you should be able to do the minimum number of reps with good form, and the targeted muscles should feel tired by the last two reps. Give muscles time off Strenuous exercise like strength training causes tiny tears in muscle tissue. These tears are good, not bad: muscles grow stronger as the tears knit up. Always allow at least 48 hours between sessions for muscles to recover. So, if you do a strenuous full-body strength workout on Monday, wait until at least Wednesday to repeat it. It is fine to do aerobic exercise on the days between your strength training. If you're doing a partial-body strength session, however, you might do upper-body exercises on Monday, lower-body exercises on Tuesday, upper-body exercises on Wednesday, lower-body exercises on Thursday, etc., and also do aerobic exercise on as many days as possible. Balance exercises Our sense of balance typically worsens as we age. It can be further compromised by medical conditions like neuropathy (a complication of diabetes or certain chemotherapy drugs) that can cause tingling, pain, and numbness in the feet; side effects from other medications; uncorrected vision problems; or a lack of flexibility. Poor balance often leads to falls, which can cause head injuries and temporarily or permanently disabling injuries to the bones and nervous system. Hip fractures, particularly, can lead to serious health complications and can impair independence. Older adults at risk for falls can benefit from a combination of walking, strength training, and balance exercises. Balance-enhancing activities include tai chi, yoga, and Pilates. Strength training exercises that work core muscles in your abdomen and back also help with balance. How much should you do For older adults at risk for falls, the guidelines recommend 30 minutes of balance training and muscle strengthening exercises three times a week, plus at least 30 minutes of walking activities twice or more weekly. Flexibility exercises Flexibility exercises like stretching and yoga gently reverse the shortening and tightening of muscles that typically occur with disuse and age. Shorter, stiffer muscle fibers may make you vulnerable to injuries and contribute to back pain and balance problems. Frequently performing exercises that isolate and stretch elastic fibers surrounding muscles and tendons helps counteract this. A well-stretched muscle more easily achieves its full range of motion. This improves athletic performance—imagine an easier, less restricted golf swing or tennis serve—and functional abilities, such as reaching, bending, or stooping during daily tasks. Stretching can also be a great way to get you moving in the morning or a way to relax after a long day. Activities such as yoga combine stretching and relaxation and also improve balance, a wonderful combination. However, note that experts no longer recommend stretching before exercise. Prolonged stretching impedes the maximum contractile force of muscles. For example, stretching prior to jumping decreases jump height. Instead, experts now recommend starting off your exercise with a warm-up, such as an easy walk or a sport-specific routine such as serving some tennis balls and practicing ground strokes before a match. This increases the movement of blood and oxygen to the muscles. Then, when muscles are warm and pliable—for example, after five to 10 minutes of exercise—you can stretch. Or, even better, do your flexibility exercises as your post-workout cool-down. How much should you do The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans present no specific recommendations for making flexibility exercises part of your routine. However, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends that older adults do flexibility exercises on the same days as aerobic or strength activities, or at least twice a week. Get started When starting a stretching routine, follow these tips for safety:Check with your doctor. If you have joint disease or arthritis, or if you've had a joint replacement, check with your doctor before starting stretching exercises.Warm up first. Warm muscles are more flexible. Warm up for five to 10 minutes first, or save stretching for your cool-down routine after exercising.Stretch all muscle groups. Just as with strength training, stretching should include all muscle groups.No bouncing. Never bounce as you stretch. This triggers a contracting reflex that actually tightens the muscle you're trying to loosen.Feel mild tension only. Extend your muscle to the point where you feel mild tension and hold that position. You should never feel pain.Breathe. Breathe easily through your nose while stretching.Hold and repeat. The best results come from holding a stretch for 10 to 30 seconds and repeating each stretch two to six times for a total of one minute.Adapted with permission from Starting to Exercise, a special health report published by Harvard Health Publishing. Last updated: October 7, 2022 Related Guides Try online therapy Get professional help from BetterHelp’s network of 20,000 licensed therapists. Get matched and schedule your first video, phone or live chat session. GET 20% OFF HelpGuide is reader supported. We may receive a commission if you follow links to BetterHelp. Learn more.