Exercise can be a great way to lose weight. However, obese beginners may not realize that the best exercises for people just starting out are different than those of thinner people. Try these 6 strength training for obese beginners to get you started.

woman using machine weights to do strength training for obese beginners.

With obesity levels at an all-time high, obese people will look for anything to help them lose weight. This is where exercise comes in.

Low-impact exercise is great for any fitness level. It’s great for improving mental health, joint pain, energy levels, getting rid of excess weight, reducing high blood pressure and on and on. You are worth taking care of! And the more muscle mass you build, the more excess fat your body will burn. You can stay off of your feet and reduce joint pain by trying a stationary bike like a recumbent bike. Water aerobics is another way to get movement in your daily activities with less risk of injury.

But adding an exercise program into your daily routine is the best way to feel better and improve your life, no matter what your body type is. Regular exercise and compound movements are effective ways for overweight beginners to improve physical health, and there is good news, anyone can do it. Strength training builds muscle that burns fat as well as strengthens bones and joints with resistance. 

Obese beginners can do cardio exercises (which are the most important in losing weight), yoga, Tai Chi, and almost any other type of exercise. Exercises are even better for obese beginners because they often suffer from health conditions that can be helped with weight loss and movement. You can even start with chair exercises! There are many types of exercise and each has its benefits!

Walking, using a treadmill, rowing machine, elliptical, stair stepper, swimming, biking or stationary biking are all great cardio exercises that will burn fat and rev up your metabolism to help you lose weight. You can hire a personal trainer to help you get started if you want to make sure you’re keeping a good pace or looking for ideas on your own. And don’t forget to make sure you are using the proper form to reduce the risk of injury and get the most from each movement. This is an important part of your Health and Fitness goals.

If you want more of my weight loss story and how I grew up on little Debbies and soda and learned how to change my health and life through exercise and nutrition, check out this nutrition guide. It has some basic dos and don’ts that my wife and I used for me to lose 120 pounds and be on no medication at age 53. There are also some sample meal plans in there. It was a long process, not a quick fix, but if I can do it, so can you!

How should an obese person start exercising?

The obese beginner should start out by taking a fitness test before beginning any exercises to make sure they are ready to exercise. It is best if you do some walking on an elliptical or treadmill while monitoring their heart rate to get used to exercising. And always remember to include rest and recovery as part of your plan.

It is best for beginners to do moderate exercise on most days rather than only doing intense workouts every once in a while. This type of exercise will be better because their joints and body need time to adapt to higher intensity levels.

During this time, you will want to keep track of each exercise session as well as what time you started so that you can do better each day.

Once you are able to successfully do cardio, you can add strength training. An obese beginner can lift weights just as well as any other type of person. You’ll want to do a proper warm-up before working out and a proper cool down after to make sure that all of your muscles get used and stretched out properly. If you want to work out at home, here is the best exercise equipment to buy to get started.

Begin with machines first and then work slowly into using free weights. Free weight exercises burn more calories than machines because they involve more total muscle activity, but machines help you get started with proper form so you don’t get injured.

The most important thing to remember is to do whatever exercise your body tells you is okay to do. It is good to take at least one day off between exercise sessions to let your muscles recover and you don’t get as sore. You can alternate what body parts you’re working on while you rest one area.

Everyone needs to listen closely to what their doctor says about exercising. And if you do get injured, rest until you are healed because this could lead to serious complications.

If you do this, you will have a much higher chance of successfully losing weight. When you start exercising, your body weight and health will change over time. With that change, you can feel more confident about yourself which is often the biggest reason to exercise in the first place! Check out this weight loss workout plan for beginners for a good way to get going.

If you can stick with weight training for extended periods of time, you will be able to dramatically change your body. Whether it is losing fat or gaining muscles, you’ll want to train hard in order to see great results in yourself as well as move toward living a healthier life.

overweight man using dumbells for strength training

Benefits of strength training for females

  • Lower changes for heart disease
  • Help with arthritis
  • Looking better
  • Fat loss
  • Stronger muscles
  • Higher self-esteem
  • Weight loss
  • Lower body fat percentage
  • Improved range of motion
obese beginner using machine for shoulder press to do strength training

Strength training workout exercises for obese beginners

If you want to build strength, you will need to do some type of weight training. There are many different types of exercises beginners can do, but if you have never worked out before, it is probably best to start with light weights and small muscle groups.

  1. Good choices include biceps curls and lateral sits. A bicep curl is holding a weight with your arms at your sides, then bend the elbow and lift the weight to your shoulder.
  2. Bodyweight squats are great. Just find a sturdy chair, and almost sit on it and then slowly rise back up. Use armrests at first and work your way up to doing it without help. This exercise improves everyday life significantly too.
  3. The overhead press may be the most accessible exercise for the obese trainee at the beginning of a strength training program. Bars are available as light as 5 pounds, allowing virtually anyone to begin pressing weight overhead.
  4. The bench press is a great exercise for obese beginners. Just start with light weights or even the bar if you are not very strong yet. It weighs quite a bit on its own. Then work your way up from there.
  5. Bilateral rows with a resistance band or cable, position the body in either a seated or upright position. Perform rows while maintaining good posture.
  6. Standing cable machine rotation. Stand sideways to a cable machine with your feet hip-width apart. Hold the cable handle relatively close to your body slightly below chest height, positioning your hands at the midline of your body. Engage your abdominal muscles to brace your torso. Keeping your torso vertical to the floor, pull your shoulder blades down your back without arching your lower back.

Here are more ideas for exercise:

My hope is that these simple exercises will help inspire you to keep going on your fitness journey and change your life! Check this article for the Best Home Workout Equipment to buy.