Welcome to the ultimate weightlifting guide by The Healthy Mummy! Whether you’re a total beginner stepping into the world of strength training or an experienced lifter aiming to refine your techniques, this comprehensive guide is designed to help you perform different lifts with precision and confidence. From mastering the basics to exploring advanced lifting techniques, our step-by-step instructions and expert tips will empower you to achieve your fitness goals and build a stronger, healthier body. Let’s dive in and start lifting!
Our EMPOWER program will help you learn how to lift weights correctly and to feel confident and strong while doing so!
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Bent Over Flys
Equipment required: Dumbbells
Please note this is a movement that doesn’t require much weight to be effective, so we recommend choosing a light weight.
Instructions: Hinge through the hips, bracing through the core, spine long and neutral. Allow your arms to hang with your palms facing each other. From here, raise the weights by your side, squeezing through your upper back and shoulder blades. Ensure you are lifting the weights no higher than your shoulder line at the top of the movement. Leave a slight bend in your elbows when lifting from this position.
This exercise targets: upper back and shoulders.
Bicep Curl
Equipment required: Dumbbells or Barbell
Instructions: Soften your knees, pull your belly button in towards your spine and roll your shoulders up, back and down. With an underhand grip, palms facing away from your body, pull the weight from your thighs, up towards your shoulder line, keeping a soft bend though your elbow while moving the weight back towards your thighs. Stay strong and stable through the body ensuring you are just using your arms and isolating the biceps through this movement.
This exercise targets: biceps.
Bent Over Row
Equipment required: Dumbbells or Barbell
Instructions: Hinge through the hips, bracing your core, spine long and neutral.
From here pull the weight towards your belly button, keeping your elbows close to the sides of your body to target through the upper back.
When holding a barbell, keep your hands a thumb distance from your sides.
This exercise targets: Upper back and shoulders.
Laying press
Equipment required: Dumbbells or Barbell
Instructions: Laying on the floor, feet close to your butt, belly braced, pulling your spine towards the floor. Lower the weight to your mid to lower chest, then press to your starting position, leaving a slight bend through your elbows at the top of the movement.
This exercise targets: Chest, shoulders and arms.
Squat
Equipment required: Kettlebell, Dumbbell or Barbell
Instructions: If using a kettlebell or dumbbell, hold it at your chest (goblet squat) if using a barbell place it on your upper back.
Set your feet hip distance apart, body weight pressing through your heels. Brace your core, sit your hips back and down, aiming to get your butt to just above your knee line, as if you were sitting on an imaginary chair.
This exercise targets: Core, glutes and quads
Front squat
Equipment required: Dumbbells or Barbell
Instructions: If using a barbell, hold in front rack position with elbows high. If you do not have a barbell you can hold your dumbbells to your shoulders in rack position.
Set your feet hip distance apart, body weight pressing through your heels. Brace your core, sit your hips back and down, aiming to get your butt to just above your knee line as if you were sitting on an imaginary chair while holding the weight on the front of your chest.
This exercise targets: Core, quads, glutes and hamstrings.
Squat Press
Equipment required: Dumbbells
Instructions: Very similar to a front squat, hold your dumbbells to your shoulders in rack position.
Set your feet hip distance apart, body weight pressing through your heels.
Brace your core, sit your hips back and down, aiming to get your butt to just above your knee line as if you were sitting on an imaginary chair. Holding the weight on the front of your chest, once you return to standing position press the dumbbells straight up into the air, keeping your elbows soft, return weights to your shoulders to start the next rep.
This exercise targets: Core, quads, glutes, hamstrings, shoulders and arms.
Lunge
Equipment required: Dumbbells or kettlebell
Instructions: If using a kettlebell hold the weight to your chest, if using dumbbells keep them by your side.
Brace your core, taking a long step back, so your back heel is lifted, body weight in the front heel, dropping back knee straight down towards the floor.
This exercise targets: Quads, hamstrings and glutes
Sumo Squats
Equipment required: Dumbbell, kettlebell or barbell
Instructions: If using a barbell, place the bar on your upper back, if you do not have a barbell you can hold your dumbbell or kettlebell in front of your chest like you would for a goblet squat.
Set your feet outside of shoulder distance with toes turned slightly out, pressing through your heels. Brace your core, keeping your chest tall and proud, sit your hips back and down, aiming to get your butt to just above your knee line as if you were sitting on an imaginary chair.
This exercise targets: Inner thighs, quads and glutes.
Deadlift
Equipment required: Barbell
Instructions: Stand close to the bar ensuring your toes are visible on the opposite side of the bar, bend down with your hands holding the barbell, keep your hands a thumb distance from your side, chest proud, ensuring hips are lower than shoulders, pull your shoulders down to activate your lats, brace your core, and squeeze your glutes as you stand up pushing through your feet to pull the weight straight up with your arms staying straight by your body then place the weight back to the ground ensuring you keep your spine neutral.
This exercise targets: Glutes, hamstrings, core, back, and traps.
RDL (Romanian Deadlift)
Equipment required: Barbell or dumbbells
Cues: Stand upright with good posture, hold a dumbbell in each hand, hinge at your hips lowering the weights down toward your shins, squeeze through the glutes as you return to standing position.
If using a barbell perform the same movement, tracking the bar down towards your shins and returning to standing position.
RDL – lower back, glutes, hamstrings, and calves
Hip Thrust
Equipment required: Dumbbell, kettlebell or barbell
Instructions: Lay on your back on the floor, engage your core, set heels close to your butt, placing the weight over your hips. Squeeze through the glutes, pressing your hips towards the ceiling keeping pressure through your heels. Slowly lower your hips back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the movement.
This exercise targets: Glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
Tricep Extension
Equipment required: Dumbbell or kettlebell
Instructions: Carefully hold the weight above your head, keep biceps by your ears, hinge from the elbow lowering the weight to the base of your neck, squeeze through the back of your arms to lift the weight & return to the starting position.
This exercise targets: Triceps
Renegade Row
Equipment required: Dumbbells
Instructions: Place dumbbells on the ground about shoulder-width apart and get into a high plank position with your hands gripping the dumbbells, wrists aligned directly under your shoulders, set your feet slightly further out to help keep your balance. Brace your core and squeeze your glutes, row one dumbbell at a time driving your hand to your ribs, keeping your elbow close to your body, all while keeping a neutral spine. If you find yourself twisting at the hips when rowing try using a lower weight.
This exercise targets: Chest, shoulders, abs and core.
