Fitness introductory plan for beginners

The core entry-level logic for newbies to fitness is not to sign up for sky-high-priced private lessons, hit heavy weights, or eat strict diets. Rather, it is to first understand the three common pitfalls and then gradually advance according to a 4-week low-threshold implementation plan. There is no need to pursue perfection. A plan that can last for more than 3 months is a good plan for you.

I have led 7 friends who have no basic knowledge to get started. I have seen too many people give up on the first day after squatting and unable to get downstairs. I have also seen people gain three kilograms in a week by boiling chicken breasts. After going through many pitfalls, I discovered that the most common mistake for novices is to hold themselves to the standards of professional players as soon as they start.

First of all, we need to get rid of a misunderstanding: there is never a standard answer for "it must be done in this way to be called fitness." A topic that has been debated in the fitness circle for many years is whether newbies should follow a full-body compound training program, or should they do differentiated training of the chest, shoulders, back and legs from the beginning? In fact, both sides make sense. If you like the sense of accomplishment from lifting irons, then starting with compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses is indeed very efficient. ； But if you feel intimidated as soon as you enter the strength zone, then dancing Zumba, practicing yoga, or even running around the neighborhood twice after get off work can be considered effective fitness. There is really no need to force yourself to perform scenes you don't like. I have a colleague who has never touched a dumbbell. He does bouncing boxing exercises three times a week. His body fat has dropped by 7% in half a year. The hyperlipidemia indicators in the physical examination are all normal. The effect is no worse than that of soaking in the strength zone every day.

And don’t get stuck with diet right from the start. In the past, "clean eating" was popular in the fitness circle. Many novices started eating boiled chicken breasts and broccoli, and few could persist for more than a week. Instead, they overeated after losing weight and gained weight faster than when they were not exercising. In fact, two ideas are very popular now. One is to accurately calculate basal metabolism and the intake of the three major nutrients. It is suitable for people who have strong self-control and like to do data planning. ； The other method is more suitable for ordinary people. First, do "diet reduction": replace the daily cup of milk tea with sugar-free one, skim off the upper layer of oil when eating takeout, and avoid late-night barbecue in the evening. With these small changes, it is not difficult to lose two or three pounds of body fat in the first month. Once you develop a habit, you can slowly adjust the diet structure. It is much more reliable than the extreme one. A little girl I took care of before didn’t do any calorie counting when she first started working out, so she replaced her afternoon milk tea with iced American style. She lost 4 pounds in a month, and she didn’t even feel burdened.

There is another point that is easily overlooked: recovery is much more important than just cramming in training days. I met a college student before who was very enthusiastic about getting a fitness card. He went to the gym for two hours every day for a week. In the end, he suffered rhabdomyolysis and was admitted to the hospital. The gain outweighed the loss. Different people have different opinions on the frequency of training. Some people say that practicing once and taking a break is the best, while others say that practicing three times a week is enough. In fact, the core criterion is just one: you don’t feel sore or listless when you wake up the next day. The muscle recovery speed of novices is inherently slow. After practicing the same part, you need to leave at least 48 hours of rest time. There is really no need to insist on practicing just to post on Moments. If you are injured during training, resting for half a month will not be as effective as practicing three times a week.

After understanding these consensuses, you can slowly implement the following four-week plan. You don’t need to buy special equipment, and you don’t even need to go to the gym in the first two weeks. You can practice at home:

Do one thing in the first week: get a sense of body. Just take 20 minutes a day and practice three movements: freehand squats, kneeling push-ups, and arm rows against the wall. Do one set of 10 times for each action. Three sets are enough. You don’t need to pursue quantity, just find the feeling of muscle strength. When I first started practicing squats, I went to the supermarket after squatting for 3 days. When I was carrying a shopping cart, I could feel the force exerted on the front of my thighs. If you find the right kind of body feeling, it will be much more useful than doing dozens of sets of squats.

Just add a little more load in the second week. Mineral water bottles at home and backpacks filled with books can be used as equipment. Add a little resistance to each movement, and there is no need to compare weight with others. After you finish a set, your muscles will feel a little sore, but you can still do two or three more, which is just right. If you want to go to the gym at this time, just use an empty bar to practice your movements. Don't get anxious when you see the person next to you squatting tens of kilograms. If you do the wrong movements, no matter how heavy the weight is, it will be useless and you will easily get injured.

In the third week, you can try to find your favorite training direction. If you have tried lifting irons and found it interesting, you can add some more exercises, such as doing a glute bridge or high pull-downs. ； If you feel that lifting weights is too boring, try a group class. You can try spinning, boxing, Latin dance, etc. It is more important than anything else to find something that you can stick to without any effort. A friend of mine tried it for a while, and finally fell in love with climbing stairs. He climbed 20 floors home from get off work every day. After climbing for 3 months, his waistline decreased by 6 cm, and he rarely even took the elevator.

In the fourth week, you can gradually establish the habit. There is no need to set a KPI for yourself that "you must practice 5 times a week." Just practice 3-4 times a week for 30-40 minutes each time. If you work overtime until after nine o'clock on a day, don't insist on going to the gym. Going downstairs for a half-hour walk also counts. Don't regard fitness as a task to be completed, otherwise it will be easy to develop resistance.

By the way, there are a few pitfalls that novices often step into, so I’ll give you a shot in advance:

You don’t need to buy dozens of private lessons at the beginning. Just buy 3-5 lessons to learn the movement pattern. If the coach starts to instill anxiety in you and says that you have round shoulders and a hunched head, you won’t be able to adjust if you don’t buy dozens of lessons. Just turn around and leave. A reliable coach will not force you to pay the price as soon as he comes.

Don’t rush to buy supplements. Protein powder, creatine, and nitrogen pumps will not be used by beginners in the first three months. If you eat one more egg and drink one more cup of pure milk every day, the protein intake will be enough. When you can train stably 4 times a week for more than 40 minutes each time, it will not be too late to consider supplements.

And don’t stare at the scale every day. It’s normal for your weight to gain one or two pounds in the first two weeks of fitness. That’s because your muscles are congested and your body is storing water. It’s not that you’re fat. Dimensional changes are much more reliable than weight.

In fact, after all, there are so many complicated rules for beginners in fitness. The plan you can stick to is the best plan. Don't set a high goal for yourself at the beginning of "training to achieve the vest line in three months." Practice for a full month first. When you slowly feel the refreshing feeling of stretching your whole body after exercise, you will be willing to go to the gym without anyone urging you.