Where Do I Start With Exercise
For those who have never seriously worked out or haven’t in a long time, beginning to train and weight lift can be quite intimidating and overwhelming. Many of my initial conversations with clients and people I meet are that they don’t even know where to start. Obviously having a personal trainer guide you is incredibly beneficial, but there are plenty of things anybody can focus and work on as they begin this journey.
Don’t let the gym intimidate you. Yes, this is sometimes easier said than done but it is important to remember that everyone has to start somewhere. Everybody in the gym is trying to improve or better themselves. If it helps, bring a friend or family member or schedule a consultation with a trainer to gain some familiarity with the equipment. Before your workout, come up with a plan of what exercises you plan on doing and what muscle groups you will focus on. This way, instead of wasting energy and time worrying, you can just focus on pushing through and completing the workout you planned for yourself. The more you know, your comfort level at the gym will go up exponentially.
As you are starting to work out, it is important to really nail down proper form. First and foremost, you do not want to do something wrong and end up hurting yourself. It is so important to learn the proper form for all the exercises you will be doing as it will be so much harder to correct your incorrect form later on when it is already ingrained in you. Mastering this may mean using weights that seem not that heavy or super challenging so your entire focus is getting that correct form. Beginning, you also want to make sure that you have a good baseline stability. This just means having the ability to hold yourself upright or in a certain position, whether that be on a stable surface like the floor or an unstable plane like a Bosu ball.
There are ways to exercise and lift weights to keep that emphasis on form and stability. This is considered the stabilization phase of training and is very important for beginners. During the stabilization phase, you should be aiming for higher reps of lower weights. I recommend beginners use dumbbells over bars which will help with balance and coordination. When weight lifting, you should be aiming for a 4-1-2 rep tempo. Rep tempo, also known as rep speed or lifting speed, is the pace you perform reps in a set. For example, if you were bench pressing at a 4-1-2 rep tempo: you should be lowering the weight down for four counts, holding the weight at the bottom position for one count, and pushing the weight up in an explosive motion for two counts. Focusing on this rep tempo will help you improve body awareness and control. Initially, you should shoot to do two sets of each exercise.
Once you get going with your training and are in the swing of things, many people start to get antsy for visible results. Patience is key. Just because you may not be able to see results right away, does not mean that you aren’t getting stronger or making progress. Keep track of the number of reps and weights you are lifting and watch those numbers gradually go up – this proves your progress!
As always, if you have any questions or are interested in learning more about training, please reach out. I love to help beginners figure out their goals, develop a training road map, and get started on their fitness journey!
