First, to put together a training routine, you need to know that you need to intersperse different muscle groups per day. Training the same limbs two days in a row doesn’t allow time for the muscle to recover from the effort made the day before, and overexertion can cause injury.
Like almost everything in life, exercising the body requires dedication and discipline. And we know that this is not an easy mission in the middle of the day-to-day rush, right?
Demotivation and lack of commitment are problems that affect many peoples who want to abandon their sedentary lifestyle and seek healthier habits. That’s why it’s important to set goals and be realistic about them.
It’s no use putting a goal to lose 5 kg in a week if you’re going to train for just three days. Setting realistic goals makes you more likely to meet your goals and stay motivated to keep exercising.
With that in mind, we prepared a guide to help you get organized and create a routine, whether at home, in the gym, or on the street, the thing is to have no more excuses for not training. Here we go.
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Workout routine for beginners
It’s time to get out of inertia, put on some comfortable clothes, have a good pre-workout meal, and get going. The first step is always the hardest, so let’s start with our goals.
1. Set realistic goals
Be kind to yourself. If you’re not used to training, why not start with a realistic target frequency?
A good goal to start your routine is to establish a training frequency. Interspersed days favor the rest of the muscle groups and you have a little more time to rest between one activity and another.
2. Divide your training by muscle groups
Dividing the activity into types A, B, and C, or at least A and B is a great way to not demand too much from muscles in the same group, preventing you from having injuries.
The division of training by muscle groups is very common among physical instructors. If one day you train abs, biceps, and back, the next you can dedicate yourself to chest, glutes, and triceps. How about booking an exclusive day to train legs?
Did you see it? With just these ideas, you already have an A, B, and C workout to start with! Just find the exercises that are right for you.
3. Book specific times to train
When you set a goal to exercise, but don’t set a time in your schedule to do it, the chances of you “letting go” of doing what you promised is much greater.
After all, routine things appear and, if you don’t get organized, you’ll end up not training one day, and then the next… and there goes the routine.
That’s why it’s so important to set aside time in your day to stop everything you’re doing and stick to your exercise routine. Remember the discipline we mentioned at the beginning of the text? So it is.
4. Don’t forget the aerobics and stretching!
One of the ways to avoid muscle strain and injuries is to stretch before and after physical exercise.
Always reserve five minutes before and after activities for stretching. Thus, the chance of you feeling pain the next day also becomes much smaller.
And let’s not forget about them: the aerobic exercises! Yea! Warming up on the treadmill, jumping rope, riding a bike, or using a walking simulator can be good ways to incorporate these activities into your routine.
In fact, aerobics are exercises that cannot be left out of a weight loss training routine, as they are one of the main factors responsible for weight loss, along with a regulated diet guided by a nutrition professional.
Did you notice that so far we haven’t mentioned anything about gym equipment? We know that it is often difficult to attend a training space such as a Crossfit box or a regular gym, whether due to distance, limited mobility, or lack of time.
But we also know that this is not an excuse to stop training! So check out our next topic with tips for training at home.
workout routine at home
Training at home also requires a lot of discipline, after all, it is easier to think about all the obligations you have to do at home than to set aside some time to exercise.
Therefore, set aside some time in your schedule, let the family know that you will be unavailable at that time, and get ready to sweat.
Those who think that training at home demand a very large investment are mistaken, buying equipment and accessories for the exercises. There are training modalities that only require your body weight, shall we try them?
HIIT training
High-Intensity Interval Training – High-Intensity Interval Training is perfect for those who are short on time but want to work hard when it comes to working out. After all, caloric expenditure happens in a much shorter time in this modality.
There are several free classes that you can find on the internet and the activity works as follows: the exercises are separated into blocks and you must do each block for an uninterrupted interval of 40 or 30 seconds with 20 or 10 seconds for rest.
The idea is that you do an intense workout in a short time, with little rest. After finishing an exercise and having its rest time, the sequence continues with another 40 seconds of intense activity and more rest.
The idea is that you do lots of different exercises and repeat the sets three to four times to burn a lot of calories in a short time using nothing more than your own body weight. Cool huh?
Jump rope
A rope made with used shoelaces or that piece of the old clothesline is okay, what’s not worth is making up excuses not to train!
The rope is yet another instrument that is easy to find at home and can serve as a cardio activity, just like jumping jacks or burpees.
What’s more, it can be a very nostalgic exercise and remind you of childhood. How about having some fun jumping rope at home?
sit-up session
Sit-ups are great exercises to do at home! That’s because most don’t need any specific equipment to perform. Of course, there are ball crunches, weights and shin pads, but you can find simpler variations of these exercises and adapt them to train at home.
Zumba and Fitdance
For those who like to dance, Zumba and fitdance classes can be the perfect choice to burn some calories and build muscle.
Facing the TV and with a reserved space in the living room, you already have everything you need to do a dance workout to sweat a lot. Choose your favorite songs, a YouTube video and go wild!
This is a great way to exercise and have fun at the same time, as is our next home workout routine idea.
play video games
Exactly what you read! If you have a motion-sensing video game console (like an Xbox with Kinect or a Nintendo Wii), you might opt for sports or dance simulation games to burn off some calories.
On Nintendo Wii, you can find Wii Sports, with options like tennis, golf, volleyball, and the like and you can have fun and exercise at the same time. Be sure to increase the difficulty level, after all more effort means more physical activity.
For Xbox, you can bet on the dance game that is fever around the world: Just Dance. Dance to famous and well-known songs from around the world with choreographies created by experts. The game itself has a training mode with a calorie counter and suggested music sequences according to the intensity you choose for the activity.
Good fun!
Workout routine at the gym
The advantage of training at the gym is being able to count on a qualified professional to guide your training and set up a specific exercise routine for you and according to your goals.
This does not mean that the instructor will work out for you, see. Even at the gym, you need to organize and plan your activities well. After all, it’s no use going only once a week and expecting results, right?
Therefore, the tip of organizing your time is also valuable here. At the time of the physical assessment, make it clear to the instructor what your goals are and how much time you have available for each session.
Be honest with yourself and with the professional who is assisting you, especially on the topic of frequency, as this greatly influences your result.
Get regular physical assessments
When you sign up for the gym, it is quite common that you to undergo a physical assessment.
The instructor will take your measurements and check your body fat percentage. This information, combined with your weight and, later, with the calculation of your body mass index (BMI) will guide the gym professional when it comes to setting up your workout.
In addition, at the time of the physical assessment, you must inform the professional who is treating you of all your physical and health problems, so that adjustments can be made to your exercises if necessary.
But don’t think this is going to be your routine forever. Both the physical assessment and the exercise schedule must be redone from time to time. Ideally, the evaluation should take place every three to six months to monitor results, while progression may take less time.
Remind your instructor to change the training
Generally, gym instructors are responsible for several students, so it doesn’t hurt to remind you to update your profile every three to six months.
Keeping it the same for a long period of time can make the body get used to the movements and no longer present significant evolutions, which is why changing it is so important after a certain period of time.
Another strategy that works in training progression is to increase the weights whenever you feel too comfortable with performing the exercise. Thus, you stimulate your muscles to the gradual definition and prevent the body from getting used to the exercises so easily.
Take advantage of group classes
Many gyms offer, in addition to the usual equipment, group classes such as HIIT, stretching, sit-ups, Zumba, and the like. Taking advantage of these opportunities can be a great way to stay motivated when you’re tired of doing your worksheet exercises.
In addition, in group classes, you can meet people with the same purpose, stay motivated and even arrange with someone to do the activities together. Thus, one motivates the other not to leave the exercise in half.
Don’t leave your training half done
We know that it is often very difficult to go to the gym after a long day at work and the desire to stay at home and ignore the exercise routine can be overwhelming. But, as we said at the beginning, stay focused and think about your goals.
Leaving the exercises in half can harm more than you imagine in your evolution. Basically, it’s like you belittle some muscle groups in favor of others, which can cause, over time, greater wear on those muscles.
Just imagine, having your legs set for summer and your arms flabby because you skipped too many biceps workouts. Our tip is: to put that exciting music on your headphones and finish your exercises! You’ll thank us later.
Despite all these tips, there is not much secret when it comes to putting together a weekly training routine. The key to your success and physical evolution is constancy. Be sure to exercise, however, laziness speaks louder or the conditions are not so favorable.
