Fitness introductory plan for beginners

Fix it 3 times a week, control it to about 45 minutes each time, use compound movements as the core to polish the action pattern, and stick to it for 3 months before talking about anything else.

A while ago, I helped a post-00s kid who just joined our company to change his plan. He used to follow a sweet potato's "7-day slimming vest line plan", which was arranged 6 days a week, one day each for legs, shoulders, back, chest, arms, and core. On the third day of training, his knees hurt so much that he couldn't go downstairs. The hospital examination showed that the patella was chondromalacia, and I needed to rest for half a month. This is also the pitfall that 90% of novices easily fall into: they pursue a "professional feel" from the beginning, and directly apply the training plans of veterans to themselves, completely ignoring the physical foundation and persistence threshold of novices.

Many people think that the more they practice, the faster they will improve. This is not true. In the novice stage, the recovery ability of muscles and nerves has not kept up. Three times a week is enough to allow about 48 hours of recovery time for the parts trained each time. And for most office workers, the frequency of Monday, Wednesday and Friday is just right. I take an hour off after get off work, take a shower and go home just in time to catch up on the latest drama. It will not take up too much personal time, and it is not easy to produce the resistance of "I have to practice for another two hours today". If you are a student with a relatively loose schedule, it is completely ok to do upper and lower limb differentiation four times a week. You don’t have to stick to the standard of three times. The key to sticking to it is a time rhythm that suits you.

Every time you go to the gym, don't bang the iron as soon as you get up. I've seen too many young men go directly under the bench press rack after changing their clothes. After pressing two sets, they hold their shoulders and leave. If the rotator cuff is strained, let's take at least half a month, which is not worth the gain. First, spend 5 to 10 minutes warming up. Just step on the elliptical machine until you are slightly sweaty. Then, move your shoulders, wrists, and hips, which are easily injured joints. For formal training, just arrange 4-5 compound movements. What are compound movements? It is an action that can mobilize multiple muscle groups at the same time. For example, for squatting, start with goblet squats. There is no need to rush to get on the barbell. Hold a 2.5kg dumbbell to find the feeling of hip and knee flexion. Squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Do not squat too low to press the knees. ； For pushing, you can either do kneeling push-ups or Smith rack bench press. Slow down your shoulders and tighten your core. Don’t slump your waist and don’t tighten your neck. ； For pulling exercises, first practice high pull-downs. Don’t shrug your shoulders. Feel the strength of your latissimus dorsi. Don’t rely on your arms to pull them. ； Finally, add a light deadlift to find the feeling of hip flexion. You can do it with an empty bar. Don't push the weight hard. These movements only take about 30 minutes. If you have a specific part you want to practice, for example, if you want to wear a sling to expose your arms in the summer, add two sets of dumbbell curls. If you want to look good in a pleated skirt, do a 10-minute hip bridge. If you don’t have any needs, just stretch for 10 minutes and leave. The full 45 minutes will not delay you when you go back to pick up the children or go to work.

There must be someone who wants to argue, "I just like to practice single-part differentiation, don't I?" ”, of course no problem. The bodybuilding-style single-part differentiation does describe the muscles in more detail, but it is aimed at enthusiasts who have at least one year of training. The ability of nerves to control muscles in the novice stage is still very poor. When you practice single-part arm curls, there is a high probability that the arm will use more force than the biceps, which is purely a waste of effort. The powerlifting school advocates that novices should practice squatting, pushing and pulling the three major items. However, the prerequisite is that someone can help you keep an eye on the movements. Otherwise, you can easily injure your waist and knees if you practice blindly. Street fitness enthusiasts say that you can do it all with bare hands, and of course they are right. As long as the movements are standard, bare-handed squats, push-ups, and pull-ups can fully meet the muscle-building needs of novices in the first half of the year, and there is no need to apply for a fitness card.

Speaking of this, someone must ask, what should I do if I can't find the movements correctly? Do you want a private tutor? This question really doesn’t have to be black and white. If you have enough budget, find a personal trainer who has obtained the four major certifications of ACE, NSCA, ACSM, and NASM, and buy 3-5 classes dedicated to learning movement patterns. It is absolutely worth it. It is much more cost-effective than spending tens of thousands on going to the hospital after practicing blindly for half a year. But if you encounter someone who asks you to buy 30 classes and gives you a heavy weight in the first class, run away and just cut leeks. Don’t panic if you don’t have a budget. Reliable up-and-comers such as Uncle Jeff and Uncle Zhuo on Bilibili now have free action breakdown videos. Watch them in slow motion. During each group of exercises, take a side video with your phone and compare and adjust the movements yourself. You can basically get the feeling after practicing three times. I learned from the videos when I started, and I didn’t spend a penny on private lessons.

There are also people who are confused about whether to buy supplements. This is also a very controversial point. Some people say that supplements are all IQ taxes, and some people say that novices must take creatine protein powder. In fact, it is really not that absolute. If you can keep up with your daily diet, you should eat 1.2-1.6g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. For example, if you are 60kg, 4 eggs + 200g chicken breast + a cup of pure milk a day will basically be enough protein, and there is no need to buy protein powder at all. If you eat takeout every day and can't get enough protein, it's also very convenient to buy a can of whey protein powder. One scoop contains more than 20 grams of protein, which is more cost-effective than eating two burgers. As for creatine and nitrogen pumps, wait until you can keep practicing for 3 months and your movements are standard before you consider it. The novice benefit period itself will build muscle quickly, so there is no need for these supplements. Don’t be fooled by the anxious marketing of the merchants.

By the way, there is another pitfall that I have stepped on. I must say that novices should not compete with others when going to the gym. When I first started practicing, I saw the older brother next to me squatting 100kg. I also added weights to the bar. After squatting for two sets, my waist hurt for several days. Later I realized that the weight is really the least important thing in the novice stage. If the movement is standard and the force is right, you can grow muscles by practicing on the empty bar. Those who add weight as soon as they start, the gym veterans will stay away from them, for fear that they will hit themselves.

In fact, there really aren’t that many bells and whistles when it comes to getting started with fitness. I’ve seen too many people collect dozens of fitness plans, buy a whole set of fitness clothes and yoga mats, and never step into the gym once for a year. You really don’t need to have so many rituals. Just wear an ordinary T-shirt and sneakers and practice 3 times first. It’s better than anything else. When you can stick to it for 3 months, you will know where to go next.