Why strength has its own line
Most talk about exercise is about minutes: how long you walked, ran or cycled. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans add a second, separate requirement for adults that is easy to overlook. As well as aerobic activity, adults need muscle-strengthening activity on at least 2 days a week. HHS's summary of the second edition gives lifting weights and doing push-ups as examples.
The two requirements are not interchangeable. A week of long walks does not cover the strength part, and two strength sessions do not cover the aerobic part. The CDC's sample weekly plans always show both: some combination of walking or jogging, plus two days of weight training or similar work.
The CDC's benefits page explains part of the reason. Muscle-strengthening activities can help you increase or maintain muscle mass and strength, which helps protect your ability to do everyday tasks and stay active as you age. It notes that this is especially important for older adults, who experience reduced muscle mass and strength with aging, and that slowly increasing the weight and number of repetitions brings even more benefit at any age.
What counts as muscle-strengthening
MedlinePlus describes strength or resistance training as exercises that use weights, resistance bands or your own body weight to build stronger muscles. The CDC's list of what counts for adults includes:
- lifting weights;
- working with resistance bands;
- exercises that use your body weight for resistance, such as push-ups or sit-ups;
- heavy gardening, such as digging;
- some yoga postures.
The CDC's guidance for adults with chronic conditions or disabilities lists strengthening with exercise bands, weight machines or handheld weights. Its guidance for older adults gives the same kinds of examples. In other words, the category is defined by what the muscles are doing, working against resistance, not by equipment or location.
The major muscle groups
The guidelines ask that strength activities work all the major muscle groups. The CDC lists them as:
- legs
- hips
- back
- abdomen
- chest
- shoulders
- arms
A session that only works the arms, or only the legs, does not cover the whole list. That does not mean every session has to hit every group. It does mean that across your strength days, each group should get some work.
Repetitions and sets
The CDC gives a clear description of how much counts as one effective bout of strength work:
- A repetition is one complete movement, such as lifting a weight once or doing one sit-up.
- Aim for 8 to 12 repetitions of an activity. That counts as one set.
- Do each activity to the point where it is hard to do another repetition without help.
- Try to do at least one set. For more benefit, do two or three sets.
The phrase "hard to do another repetition without help" is the key to using this without a gym. It means the effort should be challenging by the end of the set, whatever the tool. A light band, a few push-ups or standing up from a chair can all reach that point for someone just starting; the same movements become too easy as strength improves, and that is the signal to make them harder.
Worked example
This is an invented example and describes no real person. Someone starting out finds that standing up from a sturdy chair and sitting back down 10 times leaves their legs tired enough that an eleventh would be hard. That is one set for the legs and hips under the CDC's description. A few weeks later, 12 feel easy, so they slow the movement down or add a second set. The numbers are illustrative only.
Options without a gym
The CDC notes that you can strengthen your muscles at home or at the gym. For people who prefer home, or who are building confidence first, the agencies' own examples suggest a home-friendly menu. The groupings below are this site's arrangement of those examples, not an official program.
| Muscle groups | Kinds of activity drawn from the agencies' examples |
|---|---|
| Legs and hips | Chair rises (the CDC publishes a chair rise exercise sheet with its fall prevention materials), body-weight movements, digging and other heavy gardening |
| Chest, shoulders and arms | Push-ups, lifting handheld weights, resistance bands |
| Back | Resistance band work, lifting weights, some yoga postures |
| Abdomen | Sit-ups and other body-weight exercises, some yoga postures |
Technique matters with any strength activity. This site does not teach exercise technique. If you are unsure how to do a movement safely, especially with a health condition, an injury or a disability, ask a qualified professional. The CDC says a professional with experience in physical activity and disabilities can advise on suitable types and amounts.
Public recreation centers are another option. The public places guide describes what the City of Pittsburgh says its recreation centers offer, from its own official pages.
Planning two days a week
The guidelines ask for at least 2 days; they do not prescribe which days. The CDC's sample weeks place weight training on two separate days alongside the aerobic activity, sometimes on the same day as a walk or jog. Some simple patterns:
- Two whole-body sessions, a few days apart, each covering all the major groups.
- Strength work tacked onto the end of two of your walks.
- Short pieces spread across the day on two days, such as a set of chair rises in the morning and a set with a resistance band in the evening.
Activities that mix types also exist. The CDC notes that some activities, such as yoga, tai chi, gardening and many sports, include more than one kind of physical activity. For older adults, this kind of multicomponent activity is part of the guidance; see the older adults guide.
Making progress over time
The CDC's benefits page notes that slowly increasing the amount of weight and the number of repetitions gives even more benefit, at any age. MedlinePlus similarly advises building up slowly rather than pushing too hard all at once.
In practice, progress usually means one of these, one at a time:
- more repetitions, up to the top of the 8 to 12 range;
- a second or third set;
- a harder version of the movement, or more resistance from a band or weight.
If you have a health condition, or if a movement causes pain, check with a doctor or another qualified professional before progressing. And remember that the guidelines' first message still applies here: some is better than none. One set on two days a week is a real start.