Introduction to fitness training plan for beginners

For novices who have never been exposed to fitness, the introductory program that is least likely to be injured, easiest to adhere to, and has the fastest results is "low-volume training with 4 compound movements as the core, 3 times a week, within 45 minutes each time." There is no need to engage in complicated five-point training, no need to brush fat in advance, or even have to apply for a fitness card. It is more important to practice the correct movement patterns and develop exercise habits first.

When I first entered the industry, I foolishly followed a fitness blogger to practice five-point splits. I practiced chest on Monday, back on Tuesday, and shoulders on Wednesday. As a result, I was too tired to get up on Thursday. I went to the hospital for a checkup and suffered a shoulder impingement due to irregular movements. I rested for less than half a month. After stepping on many pitfalls, I realized that in the novice stage, I really can't bite off more than I can chew. Of course, many people say that novices should first use pure aerobic fat burning. This is correct, but it depends on your own situation: if you have a large body weight and usually get out of breath even when climbing the third floor, then you can walk briskly and ride the elliptical machine for 20 minutes every day in the first two weeks to adapt your heart and lungs first and then use strength.

Every training session really doesn’t need to be too complicated. I’ve seen many novices come in and run for 20 minutes, then spend 15 minutes stretching one by one in front of a stretching video. In the end, they can’t even lift the empty bar, and they run away from exhaustion after 20 minutes of training. This is simply putting the cart before the horse. Five minutes is enough to warm up: walk slowly around the field twice, swing your arms and twist your hips, dynamically pull the front and back of your thighs, and rotate your rotator cuffs twice, until your body is warmed up. There are only 4 core movements, covering pushing, pulling, squatting, and hip joints, and all major muscle groups throughout the body: for pushing, choose kneeling push-ups/empty bar bench press, for pulling, choose elastic band rowing/assisted lat pulldowns, and for squatting athletes, wall squats/kettlebell highs For cup squats and light weight kettlebell deadlifts for hip joints, do 3 groups of each movement, 8-12 times each, with a 1-and-a-half to 2-minute interval between groups. The effort of watching two short videos will be over. You can leave immediately after practicing without any delay.

It’s totally okay if you don’t want to go to the gym. I have a friend who practices at home. For pushing exercises, he does incline push-ups against the table. For pulling exercises, he ties an elastic band to the door handle and does rowing. For squats and deadlifts, he carries two 5L buckets of mineral water as weights. After practicing for three months, he can only do 15 standard push-ups from 2. His bust has increased by 4cm, which is no worse than those who go to the gym to paddle and fish. If you have bad knees, you can replace your squats with box squats. When you sit back, you can get up by lightly touching the bench. This puts much less pressure on your joints, and you don’t have to hold on to the pain to pursue a standard range.

There is also a lot of controversy about supplements. Let me tell the truth: if you can eat a fistful of lean meat and 2 eggs every meal, drink milk in the morning and evening, and consume enough protein, you don’t need to buy protein powder at all. That thing is a convenient source of protein, not a miracle drug or an IQ tax. If you usually eat takeout every meal, and there is very little meat and vegetables, a spoonful of whey protein is more cost-effective than eating two fried chicken legs. Creatine has been proven safe by academic circles. If you want to improve your strength performance, just take 3g of it every day. You don’t have to listen to what people say about swollen face after taking it to store water. The edema will disappear when it stops, and it will have no impact on the body at all.

Some people also ask if they should find a personal trainer? If you have enough budget, it will definitely be more efficient to find a reliable person to help you adjust your movements, but the premise is that it is really reliable. Forget about the kind of personal trainer who asks you to buy 36 classes and train your arms to be asymmetrical. Instead, it is better to follow a reliable fitness blogger and learn the movements slowly in front of the mirror. When you practice, you can make a short video to compare yourself. You can get the hang of it after trying it twice. There is no need to spend thousands just to "get started". Don’t be obsessed with weight in the first two weeks. I taught a colleague last year that he had to lift 20kg weights for the first time to practice bench pressing. As a result, he hit his chest after two bench presses. It hurt for a week and he really couldn’t do it. Even if he holds an empty bar and does kneeling push-ups and does the movements to a standard, it will be 100 times more effective than just lifting dozens of kilograms blindly.

Don’t ask if you can train every day if you have good energy. It’s really not necessary. Muscles grow during rest, not just by spending time in the gym. 3 times a week, just practice once every other day, such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The rest of the time should be eating and sleeping. If you are really free, you can just go for a walk and play ball. Don't give yourself too much schedule and give up too easily. Don't weigh yourself every day in the first two months. Most people panic and give up if they don't lose weight after practicing for a month. It's really not necessary. Just see if you can do 2.5kg more squats and 2 more push-ups this week. This is real progress and is much more reliable than the number on the scale.

In the end, fitness is a lifestyle habit that stays with you for a long time. It is not a chore that needs to be gritted and persisted. Even if you can only do 3 kneeling push-ups for the first time, it is not shameful. It is better than lying on the sofa and watching fitness videos with anxiety. Don’t panic if your muscles are sore the next day after training. It’s delayed-onset muscle soreness, which is normal. Just walk two more steps and stretch, and you’ll be fine in two days. There’s no need to give up just because of the pain. Really, just stick to this plan for 3 months and you will definitely be much better than the 90% of people who just go once after applying for the card.