I’ll never forget how I felt when I first started working out. I was an overweight college student, frustrated about my perpetually low energy levels and extremely self-conscious about the way I looked. Although I was an athlete throughout much of my childhood, it had been years since I did any kind of regular exercise. I didn’t know how to properly take care of myself or what I should do in the gym. I felt lost, clueless, and overwhelmed when I first set foot in my campus rec center.
My first foray into regular exercise was to spend 30 minutes on the elliptical. Right away, I noticed an increase in my energy levels. However, I hated the elliptical and wasn’t consistent. I began enjoying training more when I ventured into the weight room. When I started lifting weights, I wrote down all the major muscles on a notecard and picked one exercise to target each one. Not exactly the most scientific approach, but it kept me coming back. Ultimately, I discovered better resources which sparked a deep curiosity for all things training and nutrition and led to a career as a fitness professional.
These days I work with many clients who are coming to the gym for the first time. I empathize with the fear and uncertainty that goes along with the decision to join a gym for the first time (or the first time in years). It shows a lot of courage to put yourself out there!
This week, I want to share the steps I would take if I was going to the gym for the first time (or after a long hiatus), knowing everything I know now. If you or someone you know is on the fence about starting to exercise because you feel lost or overwhelmed, this is the post for you. Read on to learn from my mistakes and get it right the first time.
Start Slow
The secret to long-term fitness success is consistency. If you commit to too much at once, you put yourself at risk for excessive fatigue, injury, and burnout. None of these are conducive to you returning to the gym week after week.
In my experience, the people who ultimately get the best results start slow. They honestly evaluate where they’re at and are realistic about how much they can handle. Over time, they build a routine filled with physical activities they enjoy that fit well with the rest of their life. This can only happen if you are patient and lay a solid foundation.
For example, while many people claim they want to come to the gym 4-6 times per week, most can realistically come only 2-3 times. The good news is, especially if you are really out of shape, you can get awesome results training just 2-3 times per week.
I recommend starting with 2-3 strength training days and 1-3 cardio days. You can perform cardio and strength within the same workout (that’s how the math works out – more on this below). Once you’re consistently crushing 2-3 weekly workouts, then you can consider adding in more training days.
Another initial obstacle to building a regular training routine is time. Many people don’t have an uninterrupted hour to train, plus the extra time needed to shower, change, and eat. However, it’s a mistake to think you need a ton of time to have a good workout. Many people just starting out would actually get better results if they cut their workouts down to 30 or 45 minutes. If you are especially crunched for time, you can train in as little as 10-20 minutes. Don’t let the lack of large chunks of uninterrupted time deter you from coming to the gym at all.
Finally, don’t throw too much stress at your body all at once. If you are returning to the gym after a long hiatus, your strength and conditioning levels will almost certainly be less than they were previously. Choose exercises and regressions that work with your current level of fitness. Use less weight, perform less cardio, and don’t go as hard as you used to, at least for a little while.
Strength Training
Although strength training should be your number one priority, it’s often the most intimidating part of coming to the gym. It’s helpful to work with a coach or trainer to learn the basics of lifting, if possible. A good trainer will follow the principles laid out below and help you develop the confidence to eventually transition out on your own. A workout buddy with a bit more experience than you can also do the trick.
Always complete a dynamic warm-up before you lift. Your dynamic warmup should include drills to mobilize and activate the hips, upper back, core, ankles, and shoulders. This should take 5-10 minutes.
New trainees should perform full-body workouts moving as much of the body as possible. The majority of your training should consist of compound movements such as squats, hinges (eg. deadlifts, pull-throughs, RDLs, swings), presses (eg. pushups, bench press, landmine press), pulls (eg inverted rows, bent over rows, chest supported rows, cable rows), and single-leg work (eg lunges, step ups, split squats, single leg deadlifts). Focus first on performing these movements correctly before adding weight.
A good place to start is to perform 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps of each exercise. If you can easily perform the exercise for 12 reps, add weight or increase the resistance on the next set. When in doubt, slow down and use less weight. Slowing down an exercise promotes good body awareness.
If you are new to the gym, start with bodyweight exercises. Add weight with bands, dumbbells, kettlebells, and cables as needed. Stay away from barbells until you’ve been consistently training for a few months. Barbells are a phenomenal training tool, but it’s easy to load up too much weight and hurt yourself if you haven’t first build a solid foundation of good movement and strength.
Be sure to track your workouts in a notebook or on your phone. The first 3-6 months of training are an exciting time when most people make rapid progress. It’s difficult to keep track of everything you’re doing in your head, so write it down. Keeping a log also gives you something to look back over to evaluate your workouts and celebrate your progress.
Cardio
The second piece of the training puzzle is cardio. Although cardio is often the first thing people think of when getting back into the gym, it’s of secondary importance to strength training.
Start with just 10-20 minutes of cardio per session. Resist the temptation to force yourself to spend 30-60 minutes on a single piece of cardio equipment, as this is a recipe for boredom and burnout. You can always add in more cardio later once you’ve become more consistent or if your progress stalls.
Deconditioned trainees should pick lower-intensity modalities including treadmill walking, elliptical, and stationary bike. Fitter trainees can experiment with running (assuming you have no history of knee, lower back, or ankle pain), the stair master, and the rowing and skier machines. The most important thing is to pick a modality that you enjoy at least somewhat. Nobody can force themselves to perform cardio they hate for very long.
If you are combining cardio and weights, perform cardio at the end of your workout. You may want to warm up on a piece of cardio equipment before performing your dynamic warmup in the weight room, but keep it brief (2-5 minutes). You can also perform cardio as a stand-alone training session.
Now What?
Now it’s time to put everything together. Start by having a realistic conversation with yourself about how often and for how long you can train. Put these sessions directly in your work calendar so you take them seriously. Next, divide up your training between strength training and cardio, making sure to prioritize time in the weight room. Always perform a brief dynamic warmup before lifting weights. Your strength training sessions should be full-body and focus on compound exercises from each of the major movement groups. Keep cardio sessions brief at first and choose a modality you enjoy. When in doubt, do less and slow down so you can remain consistent. Be sure to track your progress so you can look back on how far you’ve come in the weeks and months to come.
It’s tough to get the ball rolling with exercise, but I have tips that can help. Join my email list here and I’ll send you my FREE 5 day course on how to become a more consistent exerciser.