Today, we will talk about basic but very important workout tips that will help you achieve great results in a short period of time. I didn’t know many of these when I had started working out, and I used to wonder why am I not getting results. I don’t want you to go through the same phase. So, if you are planning to join a gym or have just started working out, I would suggest you stream this video till the end because this video may serve as a complete workout guide for you.
https://www.youtube.com/stream?v=PPBZcXyhH_M
The Beginner’s Guide to the Gym workout
First and foremost before starting any workout, one must warm up his/her body. 5 minutes is considered to be an ideal time for warming up. Do it in such a way that you stretch almost all your body parts and get the blood flowing. One of the major reasons why people get stretch marks is because they do not warm up their body properly. Skipping the warm-up may also lead to injuries in the long run. For warm-up you can do jogging, jumping, skipping, or some form of stretching exercises. Make sure you never miss it. The second tip that I have for you is that you do not overtrain your body. Experts recommend that 1 hour of workout including the warm-up and the cooldown is more than enough. I have seen people spending 2-3 hours in the gym. In my opinion, it is not a good idea. There is enough scientific evidence to prove that after 1-1.5 hours of working out our body starts producing the stress hormone called CORTISOL which may lead to muscle breakdown. So keep your workout sessions a maximum of 60-75 minutes. Moreover, there is no reason why it should take longer than this. If it is then the chances are that you are taking too much rest in between the sets. Keep your rest periods short and workouts rigorous to get the maximum benefits.
Beginner’s Guide to Exercise and Workout
Tip # 3 stays hydrated. Yes, it is very important to drink water while you are working out because if you are dehydrated your body will experience unnecessary fatigue and you don’t want that. So, make sure you take small sips of water at regular intervals throughout the workout. This will increase your endurance and will help you perform better in the gym. Next is include compound movements. As a beginner, your focus should be on building a strong foundation and the best way to achieve that is by incorporating compound movements in the workouts. Compound movements are the exercises that train more than one muscle group at the same time. Bench press, Deadlifts, Squats, Pull-ups are some of the best compound exercises. Make sure you include them in your workouts. Focussing on compound movements will help you build overall strength and muscle faster than only doing isolation exercises like Leg extension and Bicep curl. Tip # 5 is that lift each body part once a week. As a beginner, it is very important to provide ample rest to your body so I would suggest you train one muscle group just once a week and make sure you do not miss out on any major muscle groups. Just because you like building chest and biceps, do not miss out on legs. Try to build your body symmetrically from the very beginning.
If you feel one of your muscle groups is a week, try training it on Monday because generally, that’s when we are most enthusiastic. Next, the breathing technique. The way you breathe will put an impact on your performance as well as results. So, it is better to get used to the correct breathing technique right from the beginning. First of all, you should not hold your breath while working out. Just breathe normally. I will give you a very simple rule. Whenever you exert force i.e. when you are lifting at that point of time you should breathe out. and breathe out using your mouth. And when you are lowering down the weight, that’s when you should be breathing in. And breathe in using nose. You can apply this general rule while doing all your exercises. Let’s talk about cardio. It doesn’t matter if your goal is to build muscle or to lose body fat your focus should be on weight training. Having said this, I would recommend you to include 15 minutes of high-intensity cardio, something like sprinting, 2-4 times a week depending upon your individual fitness goals. Cardio exercise is not only great for heart health but it has numerous other health benefits. Next is cool down. Many people finish their workout with a set of crunches and then head right to the locker room. Don’t do this mistake. Make sure you cool down your body first. Cooling down your body after the workout is as important as warming up your body before the workout.
A proper cool-down releases the tension from the muscles and brings them back to the relaxed state. This not only reduces muscle soreness but also helps attain better posture and alignment. Next is proper form. Now, this one is very important. Right from the beginning make this a habit that whenever you do any exercise, you do it properly with muscle mind connection. Doing any exercise with improper form will fetch you no results. Moreover, that way you are making your body more prone to injuries. So, never shy away from asking your trainer or any of your friends who have been working out for quite a long time. Tip # 10, change your workouts every now and then. This is because if you will follow the same routine week by week, your body will get used to it and it will stop giving you results. So, it is always advisable to make small changes every 6-8 weeks. Small changes like re-shuffling your exercises, re-shuffling your workout days. These small changes serve as shocks for your body and it has no other option than to respond and make you grow. Tip # 11, diet is most important. Consider this, hardcore training plus no meal plan is equal to no results. Yes, I have been a victim of this in the past. I remember, I used to work out like crazy and then post-workout I would have just one glass of mixed juice. Protein was almost missing from my diet and hence, no results. When we do weight training, our muscle fibers break, and then they need amino acids that are present in protein to rebuild stronger and bigger. So, make sure you have a protein-rich diet that is well balanced with complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. I firmly believe that the way our body shapes up depends 80% on what we eat and only 20% on how much we workout. So, do not mess that up. Tip # 12, do not waste money on supplements. There are so many supplements available in the market these days. For every fitness goal, there is a supplement. If you are just starting out, my advice to you is that you do not buy any supplements. Do not go for any mass gainer, do not buy any fat burner. First and foremost, you should fix your nutrition. Believe me, no supplement will ever work until your nutrition is fixed. Also, you should first get consistent with your workouts. Then probably after 6 months of so, you can go for whey protein. But right now, no need. Tip # 13, understand the importance of rest. Most people think that they are growing when they are in the gym lifting weights but the fact of the matter is that our body actually grows when it is repairing itself. And that happens while we are sleeping or during the rest days. Firstly, make sure you sleep for 7-8 hours every night. And then, if you are a beginner I would suggest you not workout more than 5 days a week. Keep at least 2 days for rest. And make sure you do not mess up your nutrition during the rest days. Have a proper diet on your rest days as well. Tip # 14, results take time. Yes, have patience. It is not some kind of a fairy tale that you workout for 7 days and you will get bulky muscles. More importantly, do not get depressed if somebody else is getting bigger in no time. You don’t know, he may be on steroids. Do not fall for that trap. Stay away from drugs and steroids at all costs. You just need to focus on yourself. Three things. Nutrition, workout, and rest. If you take care of these three, you will definitely get results. Finally, consistency is the key. Now, everything that I have spoken boils down to this point. If you are consistent about your workouts and more importantly if you are consistent about nutrition, there is no reason why you would not achieve your fitness goals. Take my word for that. It’s ok if you are finding it difficult at the beginning. It’s normal. But do not stop. A time will come when you will start enjoying it and then you will get results.