Starting out on any fitness journey can feel like being thrown into the deep end. There’s thousands of voices online telling you the latest trends and the fastest hacks claiming to cut corners and transform you overnight… but how do you start your fitness journey the right way?
We’ve put together 5 tips for starting your fitness journey in straightforward, easy way. Read on to find out how to set yourself up for an effective workout routine and long lasting results 👇
#1 Know your goals
It’s often easy to look at what everyone else is doing and feel compelled to copy them (or copy them because you have no idea what to do yourself). But the truth is, no two people are ever the same, and no two fitness journeys are ever the same.
That’s why only you can know what goals to set yourself to start your fitness journey.
Firstly, you need to think about what fitness goal you’re ultimately aiming for. Is it toning up your core? Is it becoming a faster runner? Or is it mastering a pull-up? Aim big, and from there, work backwards.
Once you have your end goal, you need to break them down into realistic and manageable mini-goals. These are targets you should be aiming for every few weeks or every month. This will keep your training structured and provide you constant steady progress with your fitness journey (and lots of small wins to celebrate along the way). It also means being able to adapt quickly to anything which isn’t working or you aren't seeing progress with.
Let's take an example: if your end fitness goal is to lift 20kg in an exercise, start off lifting 5kg dumbbells, then add 1 kg to this every few weeks. It’s that simple, and is what we call progressive overload. Using these kinds of ‘measurable’ targets makes tracking progress in your fitness journey so much easier.
Tip: with any fitness goals you set, always ask yourself why you’re doing them. To start your fitness journey the right way, your goals have to be something you want to achieve, not what you think you should be doing, or what’s "on trend". Setting fitness goals that don’t mean anything to you will make it difficult to motivate yourself to reach them.
#2 Plan ahead of time
Before your first workout, you need to know the how, the where and the when.
Planning ahead will make your workout routine so much easier, and having that structure in your fitness journey means you’re less likely to find excuses not to!
How: depending on how many workouts you plan to do each week, you can split your workouts into muscle groups. This allows more focused training while also allowing your body the proper amount of rest between workouts. For example, if you’re strength training 4 times per week, 2 your workouts could focus on your upper body, and the other 2 could focus on your lower body.
Where: whether you have a gym membership or you’re doing home workouts, it’s important to be prepared. Take advantage of gyms at your work or anything close to your commute - especially if you’re able to get discounts. If you workout at home, choose a dedicated space that requires minimum effort to set up and pack away. Create a playlist with great workout songs on your phone or laptop in the room.
When: be realistic, but push yourself. When choosing the days you train, be sure to fit in rest days between training a muscle group. This allows your body to recover and repair itself. Also consider when you’re at your most energetic during the day - if you’re not a morning person for example, you’re not going to train effectively first thing half-awake.
#3 Accountability is key
Accountability with your workouts is everything if you’re going to start your fitness journey the right way and stick with your fitness goals long term. That’s true whether it’s getting yourself through those first few reps on your down days or accepting when you need to change your training. But the good news is, there are plenty of ways to do this:
Get a Personal Trainer: this is hands-down the best way to train with accountability. Having the expertise takes the guesswork out of workout plans and nutrition, and offers the outside-the-box thinking to propel you that bit further which another generic YouTube tutorial won’t.
Train with a friend: having a gym buddy means having someone to coax you to the gym on a rainy day and someone to celebrate your progress with. As with anything in life, surrounding yourself with likeminded people encourages you and cements your goals.
Track with an app: being able to chart all your progress on one easy to read screen is invaluable when it comes to tracking everything from nutrition to muscle mass and personal bests. Inputting your goals in apps also gives a great perspective on what’s actually realistic for you.
Don’t forget to celebrate your progress. Sharing even the tiniest hurdle overcome with your friends and family reinforces everything that you’re doing and your commitment to keep going.
Want to try the best of having your own personal trainer and all your progress stats at your fingertips? Then download the trainn app!
#4 Stretching from the get-go
We can’t emphasise this enough - stretching after your workouts is an incredible habit to get into from the moment you start your fitness journey. While many starting out think of it as optional, those further into their fitness journeys know it’s essential, and here’s why:
Flexibility: stretching encourages a fuller ‘range of motion’ in your muscles, or in simple terms, how effectively you can make them move when training. The better the range, the better your reps, and the better your reps, the way better your results.
Injury-proofing: you can have all the motivation in the world, but if you suffer the wrong kind of injury either in-or-out of the gym, your progress will be at a standstill. Keeping muscles flexible with a stretch routine means less pressure on them and your joints.
Better circulation: the better your blood pumps, the easier it reaches your muscles to ensure both a better workout and good recovery on rest days.
Build in a 10-minute stretch routine after each workout which targets the key muscle groups you’ve been training. Remember to keep consistent and to start gentle, your stretching flexibility will naturally improve as you progress.
In fact, there are plenty of follow-along stretch routines in the trainn app, while all the workouts include their own warm-up and cool-down mobility exercises for the muscles you’ve been training.
#5 Trainn: start your fitness journey the right way
It's easy being too eager starting out on a fitness journey, but it’s so easy getting it right too. Starting healthy habits, building a good workout routine, working with sensible fitness goals and incorporating stretches are what will put you ahead of those who don’t succeed. And even more importantly, keeping yourself accountable and consistent with your fitness journey will deliver the long-term results you deserve.
That’s why we know the trainn app would be a great way to start your fitness journey the right way. Ditch the copy/paste workouts and get your own personalised workout routine tuned into your fitness goals, weekly routine and abilities. Stay accountable with your in-app Personal Trainer and take away the guesswork, so you can focus on building your best self.
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