Fitness and bodybuildingMotivation
You are determined to change your body. But you probably don’t know where to start. This article provides all the necessary information to help you achieve your goal.
Author:
Shannon Clark
You spend your days studying articles on fitness and bodybuilding, but have never started a program to change your body. You are overcome by excitement, worry, longing and fear. You need some extra incentive. A little more information before the start.
Whatever your reasons for opening this page, you've come to the right place.
If you're tired of spending every evening on the couch or if you haven't been to the gym for a long time, then this article is for you. You feel awkward and insecure. This is fine! Remember, even Rocky once had to start from scratch. With the help of this guide for beginners, you can achieve your goal.
Check, inspection
The body transformation program must begin in a doctor's office. Checking your health is not the most pleasant procedure, but it is necessary to know your body’s capabilities. During the test, some abnormalities may be discovered, which can be eliminated with a balanced diet and proper exercise. Your motivation will increase and new goals will appear.
If serious illnesses are detected, the doctor will advise the optimal diet and/or training regimen. If you can't remember the last time you had a full physical examination, now is the time to do so.
Most importantly, you will receive comprehensive health indicators, the changes in which can be analyzed after completing the body transformation program. Focus on: cholesterol/triglycerides, blood pressure, fasting glucose, and possibly bone density (BMD) for older women. After 12 weeks, you must be examined again to analyze changes in indicators. You need to take care of your health. Fitness is not just about looking good; This means good health and a high quality of life!
Workouts for entry-level training. What are they?
If you are completely new to the world of fitness, by “newbie” I mean a person whose last participation in sports/fitness was very long ago, for example, at school or college, or the break was more than 3 years, then definitely you you need to start doing fitness very carefully and gradually, but “carefully and gradually” you can start doing my workouts, which are intended for an average level of training, but with one small nuance: you will need to simplify these workouts yourself. How to do it?
Firstly, you need to pay attention to strength training, of which I have a sufficient amount on my channel, this quantity and variety will last you for a long time.
All strength training is divided into groups:
— workouts for buttocks and legs ⇐ open playlist with workouts
— workouts for arms, chest and back ⇐ open playlist with workouts
— abdominal workouts ⇐ open playlist with workouts
— workouts for all muscle groups ⇐ open playlist with workouts
From these playlists, you can choose any workout and practice, simplifying it.
There can be several ways to simplify:
- use lighter weight dumbbells than in my video;
- do fewer repetitions;
- give yourself short rest breaks of 10-15 seconds in order to take a breath and continue. This applies to those workouts that take place non-stop, that is, with a large number of repetitions without rest.
- do fewer laps. If I advise you to repeat this complex for 3 more laps at the end of the workout, then you do it according to your strength, it can be 1 or 2 laps.
These are all ways you can use to make strength training easier.
Why don't I film workouts for beginners at a snail's pace? It’s all very simple: my experience as an instructor of group programs has shown me that a person with very poor physical fitness improves it much faster by training in strong groups.
Older women also came to me for strength Pilates, where the level of load was quite high, and they performed all the exercises at the same level as young girls. Moreover, their level was not so high right away. Initially, they came to the group physically very weak, but just a few months of regular training at the same level as the younger generation turned them into simply the strongest and most resilient women. So, since then, my position has remained unchanged: if you want to achieve visible results, then you don’t need to sign yourself up as a beginner and chill out in workouts that involve “two stomps, three slams.” As the saying goes, “It’s better to be the worst among the best than the best among the worst.”
So we've sorted out strength training, but in addition to strength training, you will also need to do cardio.
On my channel there are three cardio workouts for beginners, two of them are purely cardio workouts: Cardio without jumping , and also cardio, which is called Cardio workout for burning fat| FOR NEWBIES! , and there is also Interval training for beginners , it is cardio-strength, so it can even be performed as a separate workout, and not after strength training.
Now let's talk about training frequency.
For beginners, I recommend starting with 2 strength training sessions per week and 2 cardio sessions.
After 2 weeks, you can add one more strength and cardio workout, and that will come out per week: 3 strength training and 3 cardio workouts, which are best done immediately after strength training (about 10-15 minutes), but if this does not work out, then you can choose one type of training - either strength training or cardio - the main thing is that your workout lasts about one hour.
As for which workouts to choose according to muscle groups, I recommend watching the video “ Instructions for my workouts .” There I explain how to do this depending on your problem areas and goals.
Garbage disposal
Remove from your life everything that could be an obstacle to success.
If the shelves in the cupboard are full of cookies, cakes, crackers and other rubbish, it all needs to be thrown away. Why do you need unnecessary temptation? Say goodbye to Snickers and Twixes.
As rude as it may sound, try to stay away from people who do not understand and do not share your desire for a new appearance. Surround yourself with people who will support you, and not in every possible way dissuade you from training and eating right. Remember the movie "Rocky" - now you need Adrian, not Polly. In the initial stages of a body transformation program, you need to spend more time with those who raise your morale rather than with those who suppress it.
It is not always possible to control your environment. In this case, you need to drive away negative thoughts from yourself. Success largely depends on your emotional state. Look only forward. There is no need to focus on difficulties (how to find time not to exercise, how to plan a nutrition plan, how to strengthen muscles, how to find a common language with others), focus on positive things.
Try to maximize the effectiveness of your transformation program based on your lifestyle. If it is difficult to find time for training in the evening, you can go to the gym in the morning. If you have a business meeting in an establishment with bad food, offer another option. Health should be the top priority in your life. You will see, over time you will have a lot of supporters.
If you constantly reproach yourself because of your inability to stick to a diet or imperfect appearance, you need to change the tone of this internal dialogue in a positive direction. Counter each negative thought with two positive statements about your accomplishments. For example: “I ordered a diet chicken salad for lunch today” or “I drank 10 glasses of water throughout the day.” These don’t have to be significant achievements - you managed to lose so many kilograms of fat, gain so many kilograms of muscle; any progress is already progress, i.e. Even small victories are important.
Displacing negative thoughts with positive ones improves self-esteem and increases motivation. The more a person fixates on his failures and weaknesses, the more negativity and fear accumulates. You need to focus on your goals and change your way of thinking.
It will take a lot of time and effort to cleanse your life of “garbage.” But with a clear head and an empty candy bowl, taking the first step towards a new appearance will be much easier.
Where to start a new life and go in for sports?
So, the day has come when you firmly decided to change your life. From now on, sport should become a life priority for you. So where to start? It seems that for most the first thing is to put their physical body in order and develop it. The development of the body is integral to the normalization of health, therefore, as a result, well-being and mood will improve, and there will be a surge of energy. In a word, the quality of life will improve, and this is already motivation for playing sports. A well-developed physical body and good health allow you to:
- be able to do everything everywhere and without feeling tired;
- become more attractive in appearance;
- be in harmony with the outside world, with others;
- increase self-esteem.
Inattention to your body in youth may not be particularly noticeable, but with age this results in health problems and a significant deterioration in the quality of life in general. What is necessary for the physical development of the body? Here we need to solve a twofold problem:
- Start to control your diet - do not overeat, eat only healthy foods.
- Start playing sports in any form - exercise, jogging, cycling, race walking, swimming - but be sure to systematically, at least half an hour a day.
The system will create a habit, the habit will create a necessity, and the body itself will begin to regulate your lifestyle.
Introspection...
The Italian Stallion had to work hard to earn the right to get in the ring with Apollo. The same fate awaits you. You can go to training every day, but the results will largely depend on what happens outside the walls of the gym. If you lead a chaotic lifestyle, you will not be able to achieve your goals.
Control your alcohol consumption and stress levels; get a good night's sleep; keep yourself motivated. Each of these factors plays a huge role on the path to success.
Sleep is essential for normal muscle recovery and metabolism. Chronic lack of sleep will prevent you from giving your best in the gym. A person should sleep at least 8 hours a day. Take this recommendation into account. The difference will be felt immediately.
Stress negatively affects the body of any person. But for fitness enthusiasts, high levels of stress can become a real barrier to achieving their goals. Due to constant hassle, the body does not have time to recover, and there is a risk of overeating. Practice effective stress management techniques: journaling, meditation, talking with friends, long car rides around the city. Better yet, run a marathon like Rocky did. Find out what techniques help you and use them to combat stress.
Alcohol is a toxin that slows down the breakdown of fats. And it makes no difference - either you abuse it on the weekends, or allow yourself only a small glass in the evening after work. The body's ability to burn fat is blocked until all alcohol is removed from it. In addition, alcoholic drinks interfere with normal muscle recovery after exercise. Make your life as alcohol-free as possible.
But most importantly, before you begin the transformation process, you must have strong motivation. If you have one foot here and the other there, try to find stimuli that will relieve you of the slightest hesitation. Find a like-minded person, sign up for a class, pay for the services of a personal fitness instructor, or simply make a list of the benefits that your new appearance will give you. Don't forget to reward yourself after achieving small goals. Use any techniques to fully engage in a new lifestyle. Repeat to yourself: “At any cost, at any cost.”
Remember: maintaining a high level of motivation requires constant effort - even when Rocky had doubts about his victory, he did not stop giving his all in training.
Exercise correctly to have an effect: how?
Gym training starts at home . This does not mean that before the first workout you need to pack an Eye of Tiger bag, watch hundreds of motivational videos or buy leggings for 7 thousand rubles.
All you need to do is just sit down at your computer and study a few articles for beginners. On the website in the appropriate section there is all the necessary information with which you can conduct your first proper training.
You don’t even need to search all over the Internet, moving from site to site, just click on the FOR BEGINNERS (the button is located on the side of the tag cloud or on the button at the top of the screen) and read the articles there.
Having decided on the program, begin studying the technique of performing the exercises. Try to watch a video for each exercise with a detailed explanation. Just not all at once, otherwise your head will explode from an overabundance of information.
Start this way: look at what exercises you do tomorrow . Study them, read the description, watch the video in a calm environment. If something is unclear, look again. Then go to the gym and do all this.
Do this before every workout . If an exercise doesn’t work out for you, watch a video lesson with it right before training. Then you will remember everything better and when you come to the gym you can repeat it.
Actually, that’s the whole secret of where to start working out in the gym. It is simple, but few people follow it.
So, gym exercises for beginners for the first 4-6 weeks:
Setting goals
Goals must be specific and clear. It is desirable that they combine both physical changes (lose weight, gain muscle mass) and qualitative ones (increase the weight on the bench press by 5 kg, run 2 km in 10 minutes). “Dual” goals help maintain constant motivation – even if one of the components begins to weaken. The most important goals are those related to health, as well as lifestyle and relationships. Do you want to have more strength and energy to play with your child? Write it down like that.
The more you strive for a goal, the higher the chances of achieving it.
Where to start training for a beginner
Diseases of the musculoskeletal system, autoimmune diseases during exacerbation, recovery after surgery, acute viral and infectious diseases are contraindications to physical activity.
If a person suffers from obesity and wants to solve the problem through exercise, then it is necessary to lose excess weight under the supervision of specialists - a nutritionist and a personal trainer.
Before starting fitness classes at home, a person should plan a rough workout schedule.
The key to the productivity of sports training is its regularity.
To lose weight, build muscle and train endurance, you need to exercise at least 2 times a week.
If a person who wants to fully train leads a sedentary lifestyle, then he cannot immediately begin intensive training. Several weeks should be devoted to preparing the muscles for power loads. To do this, you can spend half an hour every day running, walking at a fast pace, dancing, or cycling. Cardio exercises train the cardiovascular system and strengthen the musculoskeletal system.
Important! It is important to combine exercise with a healthy diet, which will help you lose extra pounds and maintain a normal metabolic rate.
Be sure to check out:
Exercises with dumbbells at home for women How to build muscles at home: effective exercises for creating an athletic body Shaping programs for losing excess weight at home Exercises for an ideal figure at home: a beautiful athletic figure at home
Make time to exercise at home (#10)
Find out when it's convenient for you to exercise. And make adjustments to your daily schedule to reserve time each day. Will you be training in the morning? During your lunch break? In the evenings? Do not cancel or reschedule your training schedule to another day. After all, this is an important meeting with yourself.
Start right now and do a short abdominal workout:
After all, you won’t miss a meeting with your boss just because you feel tired or not in the mood? No, you will be on time. With a smile on your face. And you will do everything possible to impress. Therefore, regardless of your mood, you take it and train.
