According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, adults should include strength training exercises that target the seven major muscle groups at least twice a week in their exercise plan.
The object of strength training is to make your muscles stronger or maintain the strength they already have. It involves subjecting your muscles to a load typically created by weights, a resistance band, or your body weight. You may not be looking to become the next Arnold Schwarzenegger, but strength training is still important for you. Without it, your muscle cells will atrophy, or shrink. By including regular strength training in your exercise program, you will benefit from functional fitness, which is the ability to perform all the daily physical tasks you need to with ease. You will also avoid muscle imbalances, which are the culprit of many common chronic pains and discomforts, including back pain. Maintaining muscle mass becomes increasingly important during the aging process to preserve mobility and prevent injury.
There are many ways to improve cardiovascular fitness, and most people can easily identify activities they enjoy which target this type of fitness. Yet as important as strength training is, it can be hard to know what qualifies for it. Below is a list of each of the seven major muscle groups identified in the Physical Activity Guidelines. There are many ways to strength train, but if you are at a loss for where to start, try clicking on one of the links to get some ideas. You may also find the links helpful if you regularly exercise certain muscle groups but have neglected others until now. As you implement these ideas into your program, remember the Overload principle, which states that you will improve as you perform exercises that are challenging to you. You should start where you are right now, and not compare your abilities with others.
Legs- https://darebee.com/workouts/legday-workout.html
Hips- https://www.outsideonline.com/2394437/hip-strengthening-exercises
Back- https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Documents/back-exercises-v1-balanced.jpg
Abdomen- https://darebee.com/ab-exercises.html
Chest- https://www.coachmag.co.uk/exercises/chest-exercises
Shoulders- https://www.coachmag.co.uk/shoulder-exercises/7120/the-best-shoulder-exercises-for-all-levels-of-gym-goer
Arms- https://blog.nasm.org/workout-plans/9-best-arm-exercises/