When it comes to starting fitness, it’s easy to become confused. Online there are thousands of workouts and endless differing points of view, all of which make fitness seem overwhelming. However, your first month in fitness doesn’t need to be complicated; it just needs structure.
Let’s break it down.
Weeks 1 to 2: The Basics
Your first goal isn’t actually to get “fit,” but rather to understand how to move and to start developing the habit of working out.
Focus on:
- full-body workouts
- lighter weights (or bodyweight)
- learning proper form
You’re not going out and trying to blast your body to exhaustion at this point; you’re teaching your body how to move the proper way.
Don’t Go Too Hard
A lot of new people start off thinking the harder, the better. Wrong.
Instead:
- keep intensity low to moderate
- rest as long as needed between sets
- do not always workout to failure
Your body needs time to adapt, it doesn’t want to get shocked.
Week 3: Develop Consistency
Once you’ve got some momentum with the basics, it’s time to get more consistent.
Try:
- three workouts a week
- same training days
- doing the same exercises in your routine
It’s repetition which will give you more gains and improvements with form.
Week 4: Get Progressive
Once your body adjusts to the workouts you’re doing, it’s time to start increasing intensity and load.
You may:
- increase the weight
- increase reps
- control the reps and form better
The goal here is for it to not feel forced, you should still feel natural progression.
Avoid Overload
A big trap new fitness-ers tend to fall into is trying to learn everything all at once.
Don’t worry about:
- crazy diet trends
- complicated plans and programs
- random pieces of advice from all over the net
Choose a simple plan and stick with it.
Summing Up
Your first month in fitness is not going to be about transformation, it’s about foundation.
If you build the habit and learn the basic techniques and remain consistent, things start getting easier down the road.
Fitness is not a sprint, it is a system. And you’re just starting to build yours.
