Get started in the gym with these workout routines for beginners.
If you’re suffering from a dose of the old January blues, then get your fat a** off the couch and get into the gym bro.
New year, new me, as they often say at this time of year, and we’re here to help you with some information on workout routines for beginners.
Here’s just some of the benefits of getting fit:
If you’ve come across this post, then chances are you’re just starting out as a beginner in the gym.
But without the right knowledge, you won’t pack-on muscle or get shredded as quickly as you could. This is why many give up on their fitness journey after a few months or simply don’t achieve their dream physique.
But you needn’t worry, below is a comprehensive guide to workout routines for beginners that will get you started in for quest for a better you.
Check it out:
Firstly, you need to establish exactly what your fitness goals are.
Are you wanting to build lean muscle mass? are you training for a specific event? or perhaps you just want to increase your overall health and well-being.
Once you realize what your goals are, then it’ll be far easier to progress and stay motivated.
Recording your Workouts
Recording your workouts is another vital component of starting out with a workout routine. It helps to give you an idea on how quick you’re progressing, and if indeed you’re progressing at all.
There are apps that can help you with this, as well as fitness trackers that seem to be all the rage at the moment.
Recovery
Recovery is also hugely important when it comes to working out safely and appropriately. You may think that it’s a good idea to go hard or go home, entering the gym 2 times a day 7 days a week.
But your body needs time to replenish itself after a hard workout, so bear that in mind.
They say that consistency is key, but just remember that progress definitely won’t happen overnight. Slow and steady wins the race!
Image Credit: mandrillsgym.com
Joining the gym is perhaps your best option. There’s probably one close by to your home, providing access to a wealth of equipment for a monthly fee. From free weights to machines, most gyms have everything you could possibly need.
However, for those you can’t (or won’t) join a gym, then it’s perfectly possible to achieve great results from the comfort of your own home, it just depends on how much you’re willing to spend.
Training with Weights or Resistance Bands
Dumbbells and barbells can be found cheaply, especially if you get them second hand. If you have the space available, then this is a great, and relatively cost effective option.
Resistance bands are also a good choice, which provide a convenient means of performing exercises that build and tone muscle.
Bodyweight Training
You can perform exercises with no equipment if you prefer, which are also known as bodyweight exercises. They are a great option for beginners just starting out, as they are simple yet effective, and you can achieve better results than what you think!
There are two main types of training, cardio and strength training. For optimal results, it is highly recommended that you include a mixture of both.
High Intensity and Low Intensity Cardio
More specifically, there are two ways you can perform cardio workouts, high intensity and low intensity. High intensity involves short bursts of exercise followed by a short rest period, usually lasting between 10-30 minutes in total.
These are known as intervals. In terms of low intensity, this involves a steady, constant speed for a longer amount of time, often around 30-60 minutes.
There are studies which advocate the benefits of each method, so try a mixture of both to see which one works for you, although high intensity gives you the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to obtaining great results in a short space of time.
Strength Training
In terms of strength training, then full body workouts are highly recommended for beginners. This is opposed to working separate muscle groups on different training days.
Image Credit: 325fss.com
It’s no secret that following a healthy diet will help you to reach your fitness goals. Nobody ever achieved a great physique from eating 3 Big Macs every day brah.
A healthy, well rounded diet is recommended in order to supplement your workouts. The two go hand in hand, because as they often say, abs are made in the kitchen!
Pay close attention to your protein intake in particular, as this can help to facilitate lean muscle growth. But healthy fats and complex carbohydrates also help fuel your workouts, as well as aid recovery. Eating those greens wouldn’t hurt as well now, would it brah?!
Tracking Calories
Tracking your calorie intake is also important, and can help you to reach your fitness goals quicker and more appropriately, there are online tools and apps that can help you with this. This is where it helps to know your fitness goals.
If it’s your goal to maintain your body weight, then you need to burn the same amount of calories that your consuming. Want to lose weight? you need to burn more calories than you take in.
Conversely, if you want to gain weight then you need to eat more calories than you burn. It’s as simple as that.
It’s crucial to warm up prior to starting exercising, whether that’s lifting lighter weights than usual, or simply getting that blood pumping with some cardio exercises.
No treadmill? no problem. Just perform some jumping jacks, basic bodyweight movements such as squats and push-ups, and simple stretches. This will be highly beneficial to you as it can often help you to avoid injury.
It’s also important to cool down after your workouts to get your heart rate back down as close to rest levels as possible. 5-10 minutes at the end of your workout is usually enough.
As an example, you could perform a slow walk on the treadmill, or perhaps go on the stationary bike at a slow, steady pace.
Image Credit: Fitness Magazine
This exercise routine is perfect for beginners, it’s a simple 3 day per week routine, which is based around splitting exercises between push movements, pull movements, and leg exercises.
This is a workout routine that will send you well on your way to build lean muscle mass and tone your body.
Each exercise is performed for 2-3 sets of 6-15 reps. In terms of rest periods, stick to around 2-3 minutes between sets.
Split the workout days up so you have at least one day between each workout session.
Day 1 – Push
Day 2 – Pull
Day 3 – Legs
Image Credit: Men’s Fitness
Here’s a workout provided from Fitwirr that requires no equipment, so can be performed anywhere, anytime. This is a great workout routine for beginners that involves the use of bodyweight only exercises
It’s a mixture of strength and cardio exercises which works the whole body, perfect for getting that blood pumping!
This workout is for those who don’t have access to a gym, or perhaps want to try their hand at bodyweight exercises before moving onto free weights or machine based exercises.
Perform all exercises as a circuit, 10-12 reps for each set. In terms of rest periods, rest for up to one minute between sets. For an extra challenge, perform for reps or increase the amount of sets.
Well, there you have it. A full guide to workout routines for beginners to get you started, whether you’ll be working out in the gym or otherwise.
Regular working out has many great benefits; you’ll feel better, look better, and your body will thank you for it (or perhaps not if you went too hard on those squats!).
But fear not, if you stay consistent, follow a healthy diet, and work hard, then the muscle soreness will be more than worth it, we promise you. Be careful not to lift too heavy too soon though, as this can be a sure fire way to injure yourself.
Forming a solid foundation for your workout routine from the very start will send you a long way, and the results will soon start to show if you give it your all.
You won’t be able to lift 3 times your own body weight within 4 weeks, but the workout routines contained within this post will send you on the path to building muscle and losing fat.
This post was last modified on January 27, 2020 4:17 pm
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