Welcome back, friends! We’ve done a lot of bodyweight exercises in our fitness challenges, and last month we got out on the road for some running or walking. This month we head into the gym for some heavy lifting — but don’t worry, even if you don’t have a gym membership we’ll have options for you too.

Zero exercise is not enough. Going for a walk every day is probably a good thing. And if you're training for a marathon, you'll be on your feet for a couple hours of hard workouts every week. But what is the benchmark for a human being just trying to squeeze enough healthy exercise into their life? Let's break it down.

If you want to beat your best race time, it seems to help to spend time in the gym. Alex Hutchinson at Outside reports on recent studies that confirm that runners who do strength training turn in faster times.

Resistance bands are great strength training tools for home or while you travel, but how do they compare to weights when it comes to building muscle mass? This video explains all.

We all know exercise is necessary, but if you don't like your routine, it's easy to give up. Let's talk about fitness routines we've been able to stick to, and see if we can inspire each other.

Imagine that you've just completed sets of heavy deadlifts. You're tired, but now that you're done you have to be a good gym-goer and take those weight plates off the barbell. Well, instead of trying to remove every plate individually, Omar Isuf shows you this super easy way to unload the weights efficiently and safely.

Crunches and planks aren't everything. If you want to strengthen your core, you need to think bigger. Your core includes all the muscles in your torso, from your shoulders down to your hips. And it does a lot more than help you sit up.

You've probably been told a million times that a squat doesn't count unless your thighs go parallel to the floor, or deeper. But it turns out that the opposite -- tiny "quarter" squats where you only move several centimetres -- can have major benefits.

In gym circles, debates over gear like weightlifting belts, gloves or shoes can get ugly. Either they're a crutch or you're a fool for not wearing them. But like belts, weightlifting shoes can help in some cases, but in others they're just for show. The key is figuring out your needs, and your goals.

Is today the day you're going to start working out more often? Or are you just getting back to what you used to do before all the holiday parties messed with your schedule? Either way, it's time to get started. We've picked out six workouts that are perfect for your first (or second) day back.

Kettlebell training boosts your power, strength, flexibility, and mobility, all while being gentler on your body than barbell weight training. You can't just pick one up and go without risking injury, though. Here are all the benefits of using them, and why you should work one into your routine.

Warm-ups here don't refer to quick side bends, hamstring stretches and shoulder circles. There is a certain method to appropriately warming up for each strength training exercise. It's not complicated: Start light and ramp your way up. Then as weight goes up, your reps go down.

Being strong and healthy is nice and important, but the reason a lot of us exercise is to look good. These aesthetically-focused exercises won't make you hot overnight, but in combination with a healthy diet, they will give you the best bang for your workout buck so you look good dressed up -- or undressed.

If you have a slender frame, but still have a gut and flab in certain areas of the body, you might consider yourself "skinny fat". There's nothing bad or unhealthy about being shaped that way, but if you feel the desire to change it, here's how.

In a way, kettlebells are just dumbbells in a different form factor. But their unusual shape can lead to some awkward moments. For one thing, they're easy to trip over -- especially if you have 'bells scattered around the room during a circuit workout.