Larry Hall is a certified personal trainer (AMFPT) that works at Texas Family Fitness in Plano. I’ve decided to ask him some questions about working out for beginners.
P: Lets start out with preparation. What are some things that someone with little or no experience in the gym should do to prepare a workout plan?
L: First meet with a physician to make sure your health is adequate enough to begin exercising. Next set a few goals for yourself, short term and long term. Then build a training routine to achieve your goals. If you don’t know how to build a training routine then hire someone to do it for you (i.e. personal trainer, nutritionist, etc.). Researching fitness information on the inter net is “hit and miss”. By that I mean there is a lot of crap out there and a little bit of truth so you will have to sort through it. Someone with little or no experience in the gym probably doesn’t know what is good information and what is bad so it’s best to ask for help from someone at the gym.
P: Okay, well what kind of essential exercises should beginners include in their workout plan?
L: Beginners should focus on compound exercises that involve multiple muscle groups and avoid isolation exercises that involve only one muscle group. Examples of compound movements would be squats, deadlifts, overhead press, bench press, chin ups, dips, etc.
P: Are these different for gainers than losers? What about males and females?
L: People wanting to lose weight and people wanting to gain weight should perform the same lifts; only their nutrition will differ. Also, gender makes no difference in exercise selection especially for a beginner. These points are some of the most misunderstood in the fitness industry.
P: What should beginners avoid in the gym?
L: Beginners should start with moderate weights and intensity in their workout program. They should continue progressing slowly as their body adapts to the weight and stress of their program. This will prevent overtraining, injuries, and help develop correct lifting form. Avoid going too heavy too fast unless you don’t want to get results. Never perform an exercise or lift a certain way just because you noticed someone else in the gym doing it. Chances are they don’t know what they’re doing.
P: How many days per week should a beginner workout on average and for how long each day?
L: it depends on the fitness level of the beginner, but usually three days per week is plenty. Try not to workout for more than an hour and get plenty of rest.
P: About how many weeks should the beginner continue the same workout routine?
L: 4-6 weeks is usually about how long it takes for someone to “plateau” and results diminish. However beginners may be able to continue for several more weeks or possibly months without hitting a plateau. It depends on the individual.
P: If a beginner chooses to change up their routine after so many weeks, what kinds of things should they change about it?
L: First they should re-evaluate their goals and rebuild around them. After a few months the beginner is no longer a beginner and can start incorporating new exercises into their routine. Be selective when choosing new lifts and always have a purpose.
P: Would you recommend workout supplements for beginners?
L: Yes but beginners should only take a multivitamin, fish oils, and whey protein, nothing else. Fitness levels of beginners will improve quickly without the need for excess supplementation.
P: Before we are done, what are some common issues or problems that beginners tend to have in the gym and what general tips might you have for avoiding or fixing them?
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