I'll say it again, you don't need a coach or trainer to get in amazing shape or get back in shape. Every question you have is a Google search or YouTube video away. It may take some scrolling but it's there. I get it though, it takes time to do the research for yourself. Still, you may be left with questions and we don't all have that time to spare. So here it is in a nutshell. Do you want to begin an exercise program or fitness program and don't know where to start? We will start with the most important part, and that is to choose a type of training/exercise that you can enjoy. Fitness takes discipline but if it's something you can enjoy, it takes far less discipline to commit to. Fitness takes true commitment. If you start a program, kill it for 8 or 12 weeks, get in great shape, you can never stop. If you do, you will in much less time than it takes to obtain those results, lose it, like it never happened. It's a true lifetime commitment to consistency, so ensure you commit to something you can enjoy. If you like to walk, you can get in shape walking, or running, dancing, hit cardio, ordinary cardio, cross fit. The list goes on, find something that doesn't feel like a huge chore. When it comes to types of training, my personal favorite is the weights. I've always been a fan of muscle and I like to lift. It also happens to be the most effective type of exercise that exists. While some forms of exercise, may actually consume muscle, lifting weights builds muscle, which builds the metabolism. Like most of us, I love to eat so this is important. Training with weights strengthens the joints, promotes healthy skin, keeping you looking and feeling young, amoung many other positive benefits. Lifting builds the physique men crave and the "toned" physique women crave. And ladies, you will never get too bulky, you will never "look like a man". We simply do not have the genetics to do so naturally.
For beginners in the world of lifting weights, my advice is simple. The first thing to do is to practice and master the basic compound movements. These movements include the bench press, overhead press, squat, deadlift, row, and I include the pull-up and push-up here as well. These lifts and the many variations of these lifts, will always give you the best bang for your buck. The best results for your time and effort and we all want that. The reason these are always going to be the most result driven lifts is because, unlike single-joint movements, these multi-joint movements target the largest muscles in the body, while also working a number of other muscles. For example, the bench press isn't just a chest movement, it will work the triceps and delts as well. The deadlift isn't just a leg or back movement, it puts the entire body to work, including the core. When designing a program, compound movements should always take priority. I like isolation movements as well, but these are always placed at the end of a workout, lower priority. Plan to work each muscle 1-3 times a week with approximately 10-20 sets per muscle, per week. You can workout 2, 3 or 5 times a week. This will depend on your schedule and your life, what works for you. Simply devide your targeted weekly sets into how many days a week you will be able to workout. Start at the lower end of frequency and sets, increasing as you become adapted to your workouts. In the beginning, you will see great results from much less work. You will need to increase the work as your body demands this progression to continue seeing progressive results. A great split to begin with would be to choose 1-2 compound lifts per workout, to practice and master. Aim to target each muscle for a total of 10 sets a week. Increasing weight and sets as the weeks and months pass and as you progress. When it comes to reps for each set there are many to chose from. All rep ranges will give results, rep ranges are tailored to your goals. The most effective rep range for building muscle is around 6-15 reps, and the rep range best for building strength is around 1-5 reps. I recommend to spend time in all rep ranges or cycle threw the rep ranges. Stick to one rep range for several weeks and change it up for the next several weeks. If your goal is to build strength, you can absolutely stick to the 1-5 rep range. If you have injuries or limitations or you are simply training to build muscle, you can absolutely stick to the higher rep ranges. As long as you are progressing, adding more weight, able to get more reps or sets in, you will see results. The most important aspect of rep ranges is getting in meaningful reps. If aiming for 12 reps, you should be lifting a weight you can lift for no more than 13-14 reps. We are not aiming for failure here but we are getting dang close, leaving only 1-2 reps "in the tank". And that's really the basic knowledge it takes to create your own workout plan. That was long-winded I know and we haven't even began to talk nutrition. The first thing we do here is calculate daily caloric needs. How many calories does YOUR body consume on a daily basis? This is calculated by height, weight, age, sex, and activity level. Visit my page 'How to calculate calories' or utilize one of the many free calculators available online. Your macros if you choose or need to monitor them, there are several free calculators to do so. Your caloric consumption and daily caloric deficit when seeking to lose weight, will be tailored to how many pounds you will work to lose each week. A healthy weight loss is between 0.5-2 lbs a week but I like to aim for no more than 1lb per week, to conserve muscle. There are 3,500 calories in a pound, so if you were on a 500 calorie deficit, you would lose 1 pound per week. To lose 2 pounds per week you would have to be in a 1000 calorie deficit daily. Remember, the more drastic the weight loss, the more likely your body will burn muscle as well as fat. Your body perfers to consume muscle over fat, we have to work against that. This is why for the best results, the healthiest results, you must put that muscle to work. AND prioritize protein. When planning your daily caloric intake you want to include 0.7-1 gram of protein per pound of body mass. If you are obese, you may calculate this per pound of lean body mass or targeted body mass. So, now we are prioritizing protein, we have calculated how many grams we are going to get in daily and how many total calories we will consume. Now it's time for fats and carbs, and guess what? I've literally never counted them, not for myself. I find I don't have to. Some people do, carbs can affect people differently. For example, someone who struggles to maintain their blood sugar, or someone looking to shred down to competition-level lean, these folks will need to monitor carbs and/or fat. Of course there's the rather effective low carb diet but I've never done it, I love carbs. Like alot. For basic fitness, and especially while pared with an effective lifting routine, I find that while filling my diet with real, healthy, unprocessed food, fats and carbs don't need monitoring. What truly matters for most of us is going to be total caloric intake and of course protein. Now you know how to structure your diet, how to plan your meals? Well, it can be simple, begin with a list. Just healthy foods and protein sources that you enjoy. If you like chicken and broccoli, put it in the fridge. Some of my favorites include chicken, shrimp, steak, eggs, fish, artichokes, peppers, potatoes, Greek yogurt, bananas, mango, and strawberries. And I say no processed foods but I do like protein shakes. Technically processed, but there are some very clean powders out there. A protein shake is a great way to meet your targeted protein intake. They can also be a nice and filling treat, as some taste amazing. So, fill your diet with healthy foods that you enjoy and can stick to. Take the time to prepare healthy, nutrient dense meals that are awesome, so you want to eat them. Measure your portions, monitoring caloric and protein intake, tailoring it to your goals. You can track all this with many different free apps or even pen and paper. Do it long enough and you will be calculating in your head, I promise. And that's it, the basic knowledge it takes to get fit, and all you have to do to remain that way is not quit. And that doesn't mean you can't order a pizza, go to Taco Bell or make brownies. You absolutely can and I certainly do, just not every day and consider your caloric intake. Consistency is key to all of this, training, choosing healthy foods, consuming a healthy amount of calories, etc. I hope this information guides some to create their own successful plan for fitness. And for those of you who would like further guidance, please explore the coaching I have available.
