Making the decision to start a fitness regimen is easy, but the actual business itself can feel pretty daunting for the uninitiated. Losing weight, getting into an attractive shape, or building some carved muscles are some pretty good reasons to start with. But it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the massive sea of information about fitness out there. Many people get confused and demotivated about following through their decision or they can’t decide where to start from. So here’s a comprehensive look at the basics that all beginners to fitness need to know about.
Why do you need to be fit?
This might seem like an unimportant question for those with immediate goals like losing weight or getting into shape. But fitness is much more than just achieving some physical goals. You might already have a body that you are satisfied with, but you still need to be fit for long-term benefits and a healthy life.
Studies indicate that our sedentary lifestyle is even more harmful than smoking. Physical fitness not only makes you feel good about your appearance and boosts confidence, but it has also shown to improve mental health, prevent or cure heart diseases and a host of other health problems. It can even lead to a longer life!
According to research published in the Lancet, physical fitness can actually produce a sense of purpose and self-esteem, help build stronger relationships, and result in improved sleep and reduced stress. So, a fit lifestyle is a long-term commitment that you need to make to yourself.
How to get started
Your fitness routine should ideally be a part of a holistic change in lifestyle. Gorging on junk food or continuing with unhealthy habits defeat the purpose of sweating it out in daily workouts or sports activities. There are a few factors you need to assess and keep in mind before you decide on a fitness regimen.
1. Assess your fitness
You may have a rough idea of how fit you are, but a fitness evaluation helps in deciding what kind of routine you should opt for. You can check and record your fitness levels at the beginning to keep track of your progress as well. There are different fitness markers like body flexibility, muscular and aerobic fitness, and body composition. You can record your Body Mass Index (BMI), your body measurements like waist circumference, arm circumference, your pulse rate, stretching ability, and stamina.
2. Plan your fitness routine according to your needs and resources.
The key to a successful fitness program is good planning. Set a realistic goal and build your exercise routine slowly. Remember that starting off immediately with an intense routine that is beyond your endurance and skill level is ill-advised and can lead to injuries. Always start with a warm up session and cool down after workouts.
You should ideally aim for around 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise every day along with two days of strength training that covers all major muscle groups. Most young people find it difficult to make time for regular exercise. So, it is always advisable to plan your workout according to your daily schedule.
3. Create a multi-focus routine with different activities.
While you may be pumped to start your exercise routine at first, doing the same kind of exercises every day gets boring and monotonous. Cross-training with different activities is a better option and makes for a more comprehensive workout. It involves low-impact varieties of activity like swimming, walking or biking which lower the risk of overstraining your muscles and getting injured. You can couple strength training with low-intensity activities that work on different parts of your body.
4. Allow time for muscle recovery.
Most beginners are unaware of the necessity for recovery. They either don’t give enough time for the body to rest or give up for prolonged periods when their muscles and joints get sore. Overworked muscles are much more likely to get injured. Provide time in your routine for rest and recovery.
5. Consider consulting a professional trainer or expert to guide you through the starting phase and suggest a customized workout for you.
Demystifying fitness jargons
If gym jargon or exercise terms sound Greek to you, don’t fret. Here are all the basic fitness terms explained, so that you can get started in no time. From how to start and end sessions, the types of exercise and training, and the basic exercises, this list covers it all.
Warm up: Warm ups kick start any workout. It is the way by which you prepare your body for the stress that is caused by exercise. You can warm up and activate your body with low-intensity aerobic activities like walking or jogging. It gradually heats up your muscles and joints by increasing blood flow. You should finish your warm-up movements with light stretching exercises for muscle flexibility.
Cooldown: This is again a light intensity exercise that is conversely done to cool down your body after an intense session. It slows your blood flow and stress level gradually instead of abruptly stopping. After a fast treadmill session, you can cool down by walking slowly and inclining for a few minutes till your heart rate and breathing are restored to normal. A cooldown also involves stretching.
Aerobic Exercise: Aerobic exercise and aerobics are not the same. Aerobic exercises depend on the body’s use of oxygen to work on different muscles and joints. They are exercises tend to be less intense forms of running, swimming, cycling, rowing, and other such activities that you can keep up for an extended period of time. Its complement is anaerobic exercise, which doesn’t use oxygen.
Anaerobic Exercise: Anaerobic exercises exploit the body’s energy reserves, instead of oxygen. So they can only be practiced for short, high-power sessions. They include intense exercises like lifting weights. or sprint for the bus, you are doing forms of anaerobic exercise. Both aerobic and anaerobic forms are used for improving performance.
Cardio Exercises: This is another term that is oft used in association with fitness. Cardiovascular exercises are basically any activities that increase your heart rate and pumps up your blood flow, such as jogging, cycling or workouts.
Strength, weight, or resistance training: Strength training, as the word suggests, aims to improve the strength and functioning of all major muscles. There are particular exercises that focus on strengthening each muscle group.
Weight training is an important part of strength training. Some beginners have the impression that weight training is meant only for bodybuilders. But lifting weights is necessary for strengthening your muscles. Compact and strong muscles help in shedding calories. It may use dumbbells, weight machines, kettlebells or a combination of them.
Resistance training involves exercises that work by using your own body weight against you, such as weight lifting with resistance bands or pushups.
Circuit Training: Circuit training workouts combine a number of strength and cardio exercises for maximum impact which burn a lot of calories and fat. Circuit routines are usually repeated thrice with little or no rest after each set.
Set: This is a term usually used with strength exercises. It implies the repetition of the same exercise for a given number of times.
Reps: Reps or repetitions refer to the number of times you need to perform an exercise during a single set. For example, you can be asked to do 10 reps of a certain weight lifting exercise for 3 sets.
Compound Movements: Compound or functional movements are also known as complex exercises or multi-joint exercises. They make use of multiple muscles as a functional unit and result in high calorie burn. These movements also improve stability. Some examples are pull-ups, squats, and bench press.
Push-ups: Push-ups are probably the most widely known exercise. A full traditional push-up may be difficult at first. So you can practice half push-ups with your hands placed on a stable chair instead of the floor, or with your knees resting on the ground.
Squats: Squats are another basic exercise. For additional support, you can use a chair here too. You need to place your feet directly under your hips and put your weight on your heels.
Bench Press: Bench press is an upper body exercise. The multi-joint activity aims to strengthen the upper torso, the shoulders, as well as the triceps. This is advisable under supervision by a trainer, especially for newbies.
Dips: Dips are another gym exercise. They are practiced on a dip machine, bench, or captain’s chair. The exercise works on triceps, chest, and the shoulders. Dips are great as they target the three major muscles groups while also strengthening the core.
Planks: Planks help to stabilize the core. They keep the body weight on the toes and forearms and strengthen the obliques, abs, and lower back.
Side Lunges: Side lunges are also part of most exercise routines. You need to keep your body weight on your heels and your toes facing forwards. Move to the left into a deep lateral lunge while maintaining your knee above your toes. Repeat with alternate legs.
Basic workout for beginners
After some warming up and light stretching, there are three main groups of exercises you need to perform for a comprehensive fitness session. They focus on cardio movements, strength conditioning, and flexibility. You don’t need to include all of them every day, but try to incorporate them in a week.
Start with light aerobic activities for warming up like walking or running. Move on to strength exercises that cover major muscle groups. Slowly add more weight, or increase the number of repetitions or sets once you think you are ready to handle more intense weight training. You should follow with flexibility exercises. Perform static stretches three to seven days each week. Flexibility training helps to improve agility and works on muscle conditioning. This will also prevent your muscles from stiffening with age.
Primary Exercises
The following categories of exercises make for a full-body fitness program. Choose one from each type. These will help you to add body mass, lose weight, and strengthen your muscles:-
Squats, pushing exercises, single-leg exercises such as lunges, pushing exercise variations, pulling exercises, hip hinges, and core lifts.
You should consider joining a gym or hiring a personal instructor to learn how to perform some of these exercises properly, especially for weight training.
Basic home-exercise equipment
Jump Rope: Jump ropes are usually ignored but these are great for strengthening your cardiovascular system. They can help you burn as many as 15 calories every minute, and also promote agility. Jumping will tone your calves, thighs, calves, back, upper torso, and shoulders.
Physioball or stability ball: A physio ball or a stability ball is not only cheap but also multi-purpose. They can be used to do ab exercises, stretches, or used in along with hand weights. Exercises with a physio ball work on core muscles as well. The key is to get the right fit that will improve your posture, tone your abs, and ensure a healthy spine.
Dumbbells: Dumbbells or hand weights are also great primary exercise tools. They help to build muscles and sculpt the body. You can gradually increase the weight as you progress through your routine. You can also increase the intensity of different exercises by adding weights, such as with lunges or squats.
Resistance Bands: Exercise bands are very useful for resistance training. You can decide on a band according to your ability and the kind of exercises you plan to do. They are available in different resistance levels.
Treadmill: Treadmills are the most widely sold exercise equipment. This is perhaps because they don’t need much guidance and can be used while multitasking. You can watch a motivational video while walking on a treadmill. Walking on a treadmill will help you fulfill your regular quota of aerobic exercise if you don’t have time for outdoor physical activities.
You can also buy some good exercise tutorial videos or subscribe to a TV channel that airs exercise routines. These will help you to properly execute exercises, guide you through difficult parts, and motivate you to complete the whole routine. You can alternatively join a good gym or hire an instructor. Another good idea is to join personal-training sessions or normal gym workouts along with your friend, sibling or partner. This motivates you to follow through with your fitness goals and also makes for an easier start, especially if you are anxious or under-confident. It’s best to choose a workout partner who has a fitness level close to you.
