Have you been thinking about starting an exercise routine, but just aren’t sure how to go about doing so? There’s so much information when it comes to fitness and health that it can seem quite overwhelming if you’re new to it all. That’s why I wanted to create this beginner’s guide to working out, which will outline a step-by-step process for how to gradually integrate yourself into a steady gym routine.
As tempting as it may be to try and learn everything at once, taking a more measured approach is going to be more effective and sustainable in the long-run. There are certain things that’ll matter much more in the beginning, and which you should put more of your attention towards, while other things won’t really have too much of an impact until later on.
While you can use this guide as a general road map for building up your fitness routine over time, it should be noted that these steps don’t have to be addressed one after the other, and there can be some overlap. With that being said, let’s get into it.
1. Set Your Goals
Before you even step foot into a gym, you should set goals for yourself. After all, there must be a reason you want to start working out, even if you haven’t explicitly acknowledged it yet.
At a basic level, do you want to lose weight, gain muscle, or just improve your overall health? Also, why do you want to do it? Do you want to be better at a particular sport, build your self-confidence, or just avoid health complications in the future? Being clear about your aspirations not only ensures that you’re productively working towards those goals when you’re in the gym, but also keeps you motivated and disciplined with your routine. You need a convincing reason to stick to exercising if it’s truly something you want to pursue in the long-run.
Your goals and motivation can come in a variety of forms, but they should be things that require consistent action over a long period of time and are of legitimate personal significance to you. Take the time to really think about this, because as the foundation of your workout routine, how dedicated you are to working towards your goals will determine whether going to the gym will remain a sustainable part of your life. For more on the topic of motivation, check out my post Finding Motivation to Work Out.
2. Get in the Habit
As much as I like to discuss how to properly train when you’re in the gym, none of that advice is useful if you’re not in the gym to implement it. Therefore, once you get to the gym, the next thing you should prioritize is simply getting in the habit of working out consistently. Developing a new habit, however, doesn’t just happen out of nowhere, so I’ve written another post in which you can learn ways to make a habit out of working out.
Don’t underestimate the importance of this step, because for many people, developing and maintaining an exercise routine can be very difficult for a variety of internal and external factors. Over time, many people give up due to loss of motivation, lack of progress, or just not enough time in their schedule.
You’ll inevitably come across these obstacles at some point, so it’s best to prepare for these situations ahead of time if you don’t want them to get in the way of you achieving your fitness goals. Focus on reaching the point where exercise is merely another part of your day and something you do without requiring too much deliberate effort, like brushing your teeth in the morning. Convince yourself that no matter what else is happening in your life with school or work, you’re still going to find a way to get in the gym. Learn to treat it as a priority rather than an afterthought
To be clear, what I’m trying to say is that even though losing motivation is to be expected at some point, that’s OK as long as you don’t lose your consistency and work ethic. If you’re not quite sure what the difference is, you can learn more about it in my post Motivation vs. Consistency: Which Gets You Results?.
3. Develop a Tailored Workout Plan
Again, building a solid foundation is the most crucial thing as a beginner, and you’ll know you’ve done so when you can count on yourself to reliably show up to the gym every day. Once that’s established, you can begin to hone in on what it is you’re actually doing in the gym.
This is when you should start paying more attention to the exercises you’re doing. Prior to this, you may have just been doing whatever exercises looked interesting to you, which was fine if that’s what helped you develop consistency. However, now it’s time to be more selective and make sure you’re doing things that’ll effectively help you achieve the goals you’ve set.
If you’re trying to use cardio to support any weight loss efforts, are you choosing high-intensity exercises that maximize your calories burned? If you’re trying to gain muscle, are you being comprehensive enough with the muscles you’re targeting, and are you training all of these muscles to the same degree? These are just a few things to be mindful of as you begin to create your workout plan and take a more strategic approach when you’re at the gym.
4. Adapt and Adjust
At this point, you’ve successfully navigated the beginning stages of working out. Ideally, you’re now in a place where you’re not struggling just to get to the gym every day; exercising is something you do simply out of habit and enjoyment. You’ve experimented with and formulated an initial workout plan, and may have even begun to see the effects of newbie gains starting to kick in.
From here, it’s just about continuing to adapt and adjust as you make progress and gain experience in the gym. Your workout plan will continue to change as you find new exercises to better meet your evolving needs. You’ll make tweaks to your form as necessary and start to implement concepts like the mind-muscle connection to more effectively achieve muscle growth. You’ll figure out an optimal schedule to balance your cardio and resistance training with rest and recovery, as well as begin to understand the power of leveraging your diet.
It’s going to be exciting, but there’s no need to rush to this point. For now, as someone new to working out, take your time with and embrace each of stage of the learning process. At the end of the day, you’re choosing to make a long-term investment in yourself, so make sure you establish a foundation that’ll set you up for lasting success.
