A trainer says these are the two moves you should start with if you’ve never tried strength training before

Woman standing in front of sliding glass doors, with her hands on the glass at shoulder height.

Even if you haven’t exercised since gym class, you may have cottoned on to the potential benefits of strength workouts.

“So many people don’t realize the importance of maintaining muscle as we get older,” Cheryl McColgan, a NASM-certified personal trainer, tells Fit&Well. “It’s not just about looks; muscle is a huge predictor of metabolic health as well as function and longevity.”