NEW YEAR, NEW GAINS: A guide to conquering your 2022 fitness resolutions

• If your goal is to get fitter in the New Year, strength training is a great place to start.
• Beginners can make major improvements in a short time, building full-body muscle.

You don't have to be a bodybuilder to lift weights.

Strength training is a fantastic way to improve your overall health and well-being, with benefits like building muscle, boosting mental health, burning fat, staving off illness and even helping you age better.

Whether your New Year's resolution is to build confidence, add some muscle, sculpt a leaner physique, or just get fitter, we've got you covered.

Grab a barbell, dumbbells, or kettlebells and get to work!

If you're brand new to lifting, don't sweat it — anyone can learn to lift weights, and any previous activity you've done, like cardio or yoga, can translate into the weight room. Being new to resistance training can even be an advantage, since beginners can often make huge improvements in a short time, known as newbie gains. It doesn't take more than two exercise sessions per week to make progress, either.

Read more: How to quickly build muscle in your first 6 months of strength training, according to a powerlifter

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Don't spend long hours in the gym. You can see muscle gains by lifting twice a week, according to a personal trainer.

As you start working out regularly, it can be helpful to understand what parts of the body you're training, and focus your sessions according to your goals. Compound exercises work multiple body parts at once, which can be great for burning fat and building full-body muscle. Other movements focus on specific areas of the upper body or lower body — start there if you're aiming for shapely arms or legs. Experts typically recommend a combination of exercises for each muscle group, and balancing your workouts for best results.

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Whether or not you lift weights, don't neglect calisthenics, which is training that involves nothing but your own body and gravity. Foundational bodyweight exercises like pull-ups, push-ups, and planks are a great way to build muscle and strength at home, or with limited access to equipment.

They can seem intimidating for beginners, but anyone can do them (and get better at them) by using variations to make the exercise more accessible or more challenging.

Read more: Planks can be a game changer for your core. Try 'scaled' exercises to make it easier to hold the position for longer.

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