Transitioning to Strength Training: What to Expect in Your First Class Breathing Space Dublin 8
Your First Strength Training Class: What to Expect and How to Prepare
Curious about strength training but unsure where to start?
Starting any new type of exercise can feel intimidating, especially if you’ve never lifted weights before, felt like the gym wasn’t for you, or have never attended a strength-focused class.
Before you even book a class, you might have questions like:
Will I be able to keep up?
Do I need to be fit or strong already?
What if I don’t know how to use the equipment?
What if I don’t know how to do the exercises?
Like other forms of exercise, strength training can be adapted for different experience levels, abilities, and bodies. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach (at least not at Breathing Space).
We hope this blog will put your mind at ease, and help you know what to expect if you’re considering strength training, or before booking your first class. Just like all of our other classes, you don’t need to look or move a certain way to join our inclusive strength training classes.
What is strength training and why might you want to try it?
Put simply, strength training is movement that challenges muscles against resistance. The resistance can come from a variety of sources, including:
Resistance bands
Dumbbells or kettlebells
Body weight
Pilates equipment
Weight machines
The variety of sources of resistance means you can find what works for you and adjust it to your individual needs and experience. You also don’t have to pick one type of resistance, and mixing up your training methods and classes is a great way to add variety and interest.
People choose strength training for all kinds of reasons. Some people are looking to build muscle strength and endurance, others to support bone health, or to maintain physical independence in later life. Strength training can make everyday activities feel easier, and many people find a lot of satisfaction in learning a new skill. Weight loss or changing your body shape don’t need to be your goal for strength training when there are so many other reasons and benefits to getting started.
Moving from yoga or pilates to strength training
Strength training is a great compliment to your existing yoga or Pilates practice. It gives you a great foundation because you’ve already developed your body awareness, balance and coordination, and have familiarity with controlled movements. Reformer Pilates in particular, but also mat Pilates and to some extent, yoga, will have given you some experience of working with resistance, whether that’s equipment or body weight.
Whilst yoga and Pilates are brilliant practices, they don’t offer the same opportunity to progressively increase resistance in the way that strength training does. This is why we encourage you to do strength training in addition to your existing yoga or Pilates practice as they are complementary and bring different benefits. It also means you don’t need to give up practices you already love. Instead you’re combining complementary practices, and you’ll likely find your yoga and Pilates practices enhanced by strength training, and vice versa.
What to expect in your first strength training class
Getting started
If you’re new to strength training, let the instructor know when you arrive and before the class starts, especially if you are recovering from an injury or know you will need specific adjustments.
Your instructor will introduce the exercises and equipment, but remember you can ask questions throughout the class if you are not sure about a movement or how to use a piece of equipment.
Warming up
A focussed warm up at the beginning of class helps prepare your body for the exercises and movements ahead. The warm up might include gentle mobility exercises, body-weight movements, practicing the movements used later in class, or target specific muscle groups.
Learning the exercises
Strength training classes give you structure and guidance as you build familiarity and confidence with the main exercises and movements. Common functional movement patterns in strength training include:
Squatting
Hip hinging
Pushing
Pulling
Carrying
These movements mirror everyday functional movements that we need for maintaining an active life. Some of these movements, particularly pulling and carrying, don’t feature much in yoga and mat Pilates, which is why strength training is such a great complimentary practice.
Your instructor will demonstrate these techniques, and how to use the equipment, and also offer individual variations and options to meet you where you are.
Choosing your resistance
If you’re just starting out with resistance training then your instructor will guide you to use manageable resistance while you get used to the exercises and movements. As you become more familiar and comfortable with strength training, you can gradually increase the resistance as your body adapts. This is called progressive overload.
This doesn’t mean it’s linear or consistent progression though. The beauty of strength training is that you can vary the amount and type of resistance according to how you feel or your training goals. This is where the versatility of strength training comes in - you can really make it an individualised practice to meet your ability and goals.
Rest and recovery
Rest periods are an integral part of strength training, and this is where you might notice the difference to other types of classes. There will usually be rest periods of 30 - 90 seconds (or more) between repetitions and sets. Your instructor will guide you through the rest periods and always encourage you to take additional breaks when needed.
What strength training classes are available at Breathing Space?
Group strength training
Ana Paula Massarollo of Fit and Strong with Ana leads our Strength Training - Free Weights classes at Breathing Space. All fitness levels are welcome at Ana’s class. Whether you’re looking to build lean muscle, increase your daily energy, or simply feel stronger carrying life’s heavy loads, Ana’s class gives you the tools and the community to get you there.
A dedicated full-body strength class to build functional strength and total-body stability, this class challenges your core, stabiliser muscles, and joint control through functional movement patterns: squatting, hinging, pushing, pulling, and carrying.
Ana’s class takes place at our Cork Street studio on Tuesdays at 1pm, Wednesdays at 7pm and Saturdays at 10am. You can book the class as a drop-in or using your membership credits via our website or the MindBody app. The class is included in all of our Monthly Memberships, so why not use a class credit this month to try something new.
Postnatal strength training
This class is designed specifically for parents and caregivers who want to build a strong, resilient, and capable body for the demands of caring for young children.
The main focus is progressive strength using resistance and functional lifting patterns to rebuild muscle, boost your metabolism, and restore your physical confidence. The aim of this class isn’t to chase unrealistic body standards or to rush your recovery. It’s to lift with purpose, celebrate what your body can achieve, and help you feel physically powerful and deeply empowered.
Ana’s postnatal strength training class takes place at our Cork Street studio on Thursdays at 10am.
How might you feel after your first class?
Trying a new class or activity can feel challenging. It’s unfamiliar and it can feel difficult. Let your instructor know before the start of the class if you’re new to strength training or feeling anxious about starting a new class.
Some people experience delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after their first few strength training classes, or when increasing the resistance as they build up a consistent practice. DOMS is temporary muscle soreness that often develops in the following day or two after a class. But it’s important to note that DOMS is not a sign of progress, nor is it a requirement.
You might find you avoid DOMS altogether if you take adequate rest between sets and repetitions during the class, and prioritise rest and recovery between classes. Gentle movement, like walking, also helps. As does eating and hydrating well, and ensuring you allow enough days between classes to recover.
Sharp pain, significant swelling or unusual weakness is not DOMS and should not be ignored or dismissed. See a physiotherapist or your medical provider.
What the research says about strength training
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that adults undertake muscle-strengthening activity involving all major muscle groups on at least two days per week. These recommendations recognise the benefits of strength training for physical health and function.
The guidelines also encourage people who are less active to begin with small amounts of activity and increase gradually, which means that beginners can build towards these recommendations over time. The HSE in Ireland recommends strength exercises to improve strength and mobility. For people who haven’t done much in a while, their website offers a series of gentle strength exercises to get you started. The aim is to gradually increase the repetitions of each exercise over time, which might lead you to joining a strength training class when you’re ready to progress further.
Five tips for your first strength training class
Feeling like you’re ready to start or get back to strength training? Here are five tips for your first strength training class:
Wear comfortable clothing. Choose clothes that allow you to move freely and check any footwear requirements before attending.
Arrive a little early. Give yourself time to find the studio or gym and settle in.
Tell your instructor if you’re new to strength training, or returning to it after a period of time or following an injury. This helps them provide appropriate guidance.
Start at your own level. Choose resistance and movement variations that suit you.
Give yourself time. Familiarity, coordination and confidence develop over time and with practice.
You can book a strength training class at Breathing Space with Ana via our website or the MindBody app.
Your strength training journey starts here
Whether or not you’re new to strength training, it offers opportunities to build strength, improve physical function, and develop movement confidence.
Everyone begins with different experience, abilities and goals, and strength training is flexible enough to meet you where you’re at. Get curious, be patient with progress, and find a sustainable approach so you can make it a regular practice. In this way, you’ll really feel the benefits of strength training and for the long term.
Many people avoid strength training, and especially group classes, because they worry they aren’t ‘fit enough’ aren’t ‘strong enough’, or don’t have the ‘right body’. Our approach at Breathing Space, Dublin 8 is different. For us, strength and fitness can’t be judged by appearance because bodies come in all different shapes and sizes, and strength training has benefits for everyone. You don’t need to look or move a certain way to belong at Breathing Space.
Explore strength training at Breathing Space, Dublin 8 and find a class that suits your starting point.
