We all start somewhere and stepping foot on a gym floor can be one of the most nerve-wracking things in the world if you don’t have a plan. One of the first things I learned that helped me and a few of my clients when we started was keeping our plan SIMPLE. Welcome to Resistance Training 101 – Beginners Guide to Fitness.
There are a ton of pieces of equipment (barbells, dumbbells, cables, machines, etc) on a commercial gym floor (Planet Fitness; Esporta Fitness; etc.) but when you take a bird’s eye view, you’ll notice every exercise is a variation
of just 7 movements that our body does:
- Push (chest, shoulders, triceps)
- Pull (back, biceps)
- Squat (quadriceps)
- Hinge (glutes, hamstrings)
- Lunge (full leg)
- Rotation (core/abs)
- Gait (walking, total body)
When starting out, the first thing you need to learn is HOW YOUR BODY MOVES through each of these 7 movements and begin building from there. It doesn’t matter what your goal is, if you’ve never stepped foot in a gym, the first
thing you should do is learn how your body moves. Not only will this help you push yourself and make strides quicker than those around you, but it will help your mind and muscles develop a connection to learn how to safely move, which will help avoid injury as you increase the resistance/load (weight).
PULL
When coming up with your plan, my suggestion would be to pick 1 exercise that falls under each category to be your workout that you repeat 2-3 times per week for 2–4 weeks to properly develop HOW to do it and how your body moves.
Making it even simpler, begin by using machines or your own bodyweight as they are the most stable and can help you learn the basic movement pattern of the exercise. One rule to keep in mind is you want to start with the most stable exercise possible and machines, being the most stable, literally only have 1 way they work, which helps you develop the proper form for the exercise.
Once you’ve completed the 2-4 week entry period, then take a step back and decide how you want to attack your goals. You will be able to decide if you want to train 2, 3, or 4+ days per week and then build your program or plan from there.
One of the most popular goals I’ve come across is combining Burning fat + Getting toned (building muscle). I say this not only from what I’ve discussed with my clients, but because this is similar to goals that I have gone after and achieved personally. To do this, I/we have seen best results by doing 3–4 sets of each chosen exercise at about 10–15 repetitions per set (resting 45–60 seconds between sets).
**Not sure what weight to use (if more than Bodyweight)?
When you choose a number of reps you’re shooting for, the weight should be heavy enough to hit that number of reps with difficulty, but not so heavy that you can’t safely get there; or light enough that you finish and think, “hmm… could have done 10 more…”**
If I were starting out, a sample workout I might try (and similar to those I have applied to clients on their first few days) would look like this:
A. Chest press machine (3 sets; 12 reps)
B. Seated close grip row (cable maybe?) (3 sets; 15 reps)
C. Leg Press machine (3 sets; 15 reps)
D. Dumbbell deadlift (3 sets; 12 reps)
E. Bodyweight stationary forward lunge (3 sets; 8–10 reps each leg
F. Russian twist (3 sets; 20 reps each side)
G. Dumbbell farmer carry (3 sets; 30–50yds)
Do your best to maintain focus on controlling the weight and as you get better, increase the weight and plug in new exercises that still work toward your goals and vary it up.
Consistency and patience will lead to the best results.
Once you’ve got the basics down, if you’re looking for that edge, there are TONS of free programs or helpful hints and tips you can find and all the exercises in my sample workout can be found with a quick Google/YouTube search.
Fitness is for everyone; and everyone started somewhere – you got this and remember that wanting to walk this journey means you are working toward a happier, healthier you – physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc.
Still not sure what to do or need that extra bit of accountability?
It’s never a bad idea to hire a coach or trainer. One of my specialties is helping new people learn their way around the jungle gym of their fitness facility and learning how amazing the human body can be. If you’re tired of waiting around and ready to make the change, head to the Online Client Application and fill it out and let’s talk today! Get all the structure and accountability you need from an in-person trainer, with the flex to train any time, any where in the world at a fraction of the cost, with the best in the world! (me! 😊)
Eric Hinrichsen
Always Hungry Personal Training | Columbus, OH
