ALL ABOUT BEING A BEGINNER IN THE GYM

Being a beginner in the gym or when starting a new physical activity is much harder than it seems. You need to incorporate a new habit into your routine that is not comfortable and that you struggle doing. It gives little to no satisfaction in the beginning and it puts you in a quite vulnerable position. As a trainer, I often try to put myself in the shoes of a beginner (and I was one myself) and it’s hard to start and even harder to continue and make it a permanent thing in your life.

Being a beginner in the gym or when starting a new physical activity is much harder than it seems. You need to incorporate a new habit into your routine that is not comfortable and that you struggle doing. It gives little to no satisfaction in the beginning and it puts you in a quite vulnerable position. As a trainer, I often try to put myself in the shoes of a beginner (and I was one myself) and it’s hard to start and even harder to continue and make it a permanent thing in your life.

'What I would tell myself when I started working out' – these are my best tips:

👉Learn what you need to do before starting to do it. Don't simply go to the gym with no knowledge at all. Get a personal trainer. Or ask a friend to show you the moves. Watching tutorials might be useful, however, it could be difficult to assess your correct position since you don't have a mirror all the time when you perform exercises in the gym. 

👉Set a goal and make a plan. If you train without a well-defined plan you will see no progress and end up losing your motivation. 

👉Mind your foods! Keep in mind that working out without taking care of what you eat will lead to minimal results. 

👉Do train according to your level of fitness. If you're a beginner, do not go to 5-6 workouts per week. That will be too much too soon and it will easily become unsustainable.

👉Be realistic when you set a time frame for your goals. Don’t expect quick results because it will only lead to disappointment.

👉Find a routine that you can stick to. Otherwise, you will give up easily or become frustrated when you need to work out. If you suddenly decide to wake up at 6 to train, but you are not a morning person, your plan will last no longer than a week. It’s important to assess from the beginning the right time of the workout and the number of sessions you can incorporate into your schedule.

👉Take photos of yourself before you start. Many times the weight is not an accurate indication of our progress so it’s always better to use photos in order to track your progress.

How often should I train my muscles to see results as a beginner?

In order to see results, you need to train each muscle group at least two times per week. I would say these two ways of grouping the workouts would be the most suitable for beginners:

🟡 OPTION 1: 2-3 Full Body Workouts/ week

When training all muscle groups in one workout involves spending more time in the gym. If you go with this option, I advise choosing 2-3 compound moves so that you can train multiple groups at the same time.

🟡OPTION 2: 2 x Upper Body Workout + 2 x Lower Body Workout
This one is the most common workout split for beginners.

P.S. I am not a big fan of the PUSH/ PULL split for beginners.