Fitness introductory plan for beginners

For the vast majority of ordinary novices who have no basic knowledge and can spare 3-4 hours of free time every week, the introductory plan that is least likely to give up and has the quickest results is "differentiated training three times a week + basic diet adjustment + regular work and rest". There is no need to buy expensive supplements or endure the intensity of 6 training sessions a week. If you insist on it for 3 months, you will see obvious changes in body fat reduction, strength increase, and shoulder and back lines. There is no need to torture yourself with a complicated system.

When I first applied for a fitness card, I stood in the equipment area for three laps without touching the barbell. I was afraid that I would be laughed at if I made a wrong move. I followed the "6 workouts per week plan for beginners" I searched online for four days. On the fifth day, I fell down with a fever and my fitness card was idle for three months. Later, after chatting with an older guy at the gym who has been practicing for almost 10 years, I learned that the most taboo thing for newbies is to push the intensity as soon as they get up. If you try to run before you learn to walk, you will only fall more miserably.

There is a lot of quarrel online about the frequency of training. One group says that novices have a faster metabolism and recover better, and they will gain strength quickly by practicing 5-6 times a week. The other group says that novices’ movement patterns are not finalized, and more training will make them more likely to get injured. My own experience is that unless you are a student with a lot of time, ordinary office workers can do it three times a week, every other day, such as Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, which just gives the muscles enough time to recover, and it does not take up too much personal time, making it easier to persist.

It doesn’t take two hours each time, 45 minutes is enough. Don't lie down on the bench press as soon as you come up. I just met a freshman last month. He came in and directly carried 20kg of weights. As soon as he pushed the third shoulder, he twisted his shoulder. He squatted on the ground holding his arms and couldn't get up for a long time. Ten minutes of warm-up is enough, including jumping jacks, shoulder circles, and walking lunges. Just make your whole body slightly warm. If it's winter, just jump for two more minutes. Don't be too troublesome. A strain can last for two months, and it will waste much more time than this.

After warming up, 30 minutes is enough for strength training. Beginners don’t need to strictly separate the shoulders, arms, legs, chest and back. They can just divide the pushing and pulling legs into three parts: the first practice of pushing is the empty bar bench press, dumbbell shoulder press, and kneeling push-ups. Do 4 groups of each movement, 12 times each. Choose a weight that will make you feel a little sore after 12 reps but still controllable. Don’t try too hard. Movement deformation is much more harmful than light weight.； The second time to practice pulling is assisted pull-ups, high pull-downs, and seated rows. The same 4 sets of 12 times. If you can’t find the feeling of exertion, lower your shoulders first. Don’t just rely on your arms to pull. ； The third leg training is air bar squats, free-hand lunges, and glute bridges. Don’t be afraid to make your legs thicker. The amount of training you have is not enough to grow muscle mass. After practicing the legs, your metabolism will be high and you will lose fat faster.

Don't rush to walk after strength training. Just walk slowly or ride the elliptical machine for 5 minutes. You really don't need to run a half-hour marathon. I used to run for 40 minutes every time after training, and I was so tired that I couldn't even climb the stairs. Next time I thought about working out, I felt intimidated and couldn't persevere. The first task for a novice is to develop a habit, not to tire yourself out.

As for food, don’t just search for fitness meal recipes. I had boiled chicken breasts and broccoli every day. After eating it for three days, I couldn’t help but eat instant noodles in the middle of the night. Instead, I gained two pounds. Just eat normally, have fist-sized protein in each meal (eggs, chicken, fish, shrimp, tofu are all fine), drink less pearl milk tea, less fried skewers, and eat hot pot and barbecue once in a week. It's totally fine. Oh yes, there is also controversy here. Many people say that novices must strictly count calories, even if the difference is 100 calories. Several friends around me are anxious about eating even if they count calories, and they gave up within two months. In fact, as long as novices stop eating high-sugar and high-oil snacks, 80% of the effects will be achieved. There is really no need to push yourself so hard.

And rest. Don’t hold your phone until two or three o’clock to watch short videos after training. Last time I stayed up late to watch the World Cup after training. The next day, my thighs hurt so much that I had to hold on to the wall when going down the stairs. It took a whole week to recover. The training effect is directly reduced. Seven hours of sleep a day is enough, and there is no need to deliberately pursue eight hours of beauty sleep. How can office workers have so much sleep to sleep, right?

Oh, by the way, and what everyone is most concerned about is whether to hire a private tutor. This is really a matter of opinion. If you have enough budget, find someone who has a good body shape and has a serious coaching certificate. First, buy 10 lessons to learn the movement patterns. It is better than trying blindly for half a year. If you don't want to spend this money, there are a bunch of free movement tutorials for beginners on B.com.

Finally, a few thoughts, don’t stare at the scale every day. I just started training for two weeks and my weight increased by three kilograms. I almost gave up. Later, I found that the tight jeans I wore before could actually fit a fist into it. I realized that it was because the muscles were congested and the weight went up. The body fat was lost and the circumference was smaller. This is much more reliable than losing weight. Also, bring a towel when you practice. Wipe your sweat after using the equipment. Don’t lie bare-chested on the equipment. Gym veterans are the most annoying people like this, really.

In fact, novices don’t have to pay much attention to fitness. They don’t need to buy a bunch of sports equipment or expensive supplements. If they can insist on going three times a week and complete the exercises seriously every time, they have already won over 90% of people who have applied for the card and only showered twice. Take your time, and the lines you want will appear sooner or later.