How To Build a Gym Routine
Beginning a new exercise routine can be daunting, but breaking it down to five simple steps can make it look a little easier. Starting a new fitness program boils down to consistency with your plan and the execution of your goals. It’s not just about what goes on in the gym, considering certain areas where training would benefit in your daily/work life, planning around obligations like work and kids, and making healthier choices congruent with your goals are all crucial to achieving the results you want.
How Do I Set New Fitness Goals?
Setting S.M.A.R.T goals can be a great way to ensure you have clear direction on your new journey. Showing up day-in-day-out can get monotonous if there aren’t clear progress checks. When setting these goals, have realistic expectations of how quickly you can attain these goals. Whether you’re trying to find the best exercises to lose belly fat or stacking meals to bulk, you can only reach your goals so fast.
What’s the Right Training Frequency?
The amount of times you workout within a given week is varies person to person. This is a matter of how much time you have available. If you’re a single mother with two kids, you’re likely going to have much less time to make it to the gym than a retiree that has the whole week free. ACSM guidelines state that 150 minutes of moderate exercise is ideal a week, which works out to about 5 days a week 30 minutes each. Choosing a convenient location close to your house or work can make it much more practical to achieve this consistently.
How Many Sets and Reps Do I Choose?
Volume and intensity are inversely related, which means that the heavier you lift, the lower volume you can perform, and vice versa. Getting the right set and rep mix is again, based around the goals you’re wanting to achieve. Lifting heavy requires you to test your limits which will decrease the amount of reps you can perform as you lift heavier and heavier. This will look like a range between one to six reps. Lifting lighter allows your reps to be higher as well, so you can plan on somewhere between eight to twelve reps.
What Are the Best Exercises to Do?
The exercises you choose are directly correlated to the body part/movement you’re wanting to improve. If you’re wanting to build strength, you’re going to work strength training exercises using weights and resistance bands to target the areas you want to work. If you’re looking for exercises to burn belly fat, the focus will be on lighter weight, high-intensity exercises that can work to burn fat and tone. These can range from cardio like running, swimming, and the stair-stepper, to battle ropes, and hitting the heavy bag.
How Do I Avoid Getting Hurt?
People get hurt at the gym for a variety of reasons. A lot of injury is avoidable, so paying attention and being aware of your surroundings and what you’re doing at all times can be a good start. For example, it’s probably a good idea to unload a little bit of weight off each side of the bar at a time if you just squatted three-hundred pounds. Stretching and working range of motion helps your muscles be ready for different positions and the increased workload you’re about to endure. Start slow, warm up, and pay attention to your form as it’s the difference between putting your body in an awkward position vs. getting closer to your end results.
Taking the Next Step
Working out may be one of the greatest decisions you can make for your overall health, setting clear goals early on can help make the most of the time you allocate to the gym. Once you’ve determined what it is you’re trying to do, you can start fine tuning your new plan with experimenting on different workouts, training types, set/rep ranges, and nutrition regimen. You’re going to be sore, but it should never be excruciating when attempting to perform your lift. As you start lifting, it may be a good idea to consider massages and a chiropractor to help your body recover and always be at its best to perform an exercise. As with anything, work with your doctor to determine if remedies like chiropractic care are right for you.