3 Things You Need to Know When You Start Training

Being a beginner in the gym can be overwhelming, there is so much to consider when getting started.  I know all of the information out there, whether it be from social media, google or a gym friend, can be confusing and contradictory. Ultimately,  listen to your body and consult a professional with education and experience. As someone with both, here are 3 tips I think everyone should know when getting started in the gym:

1. You need to schedule rest

Rest is important in between sets and exercises, and even between training days. When you rest between sets and exercises your body regenerates energy, strength and power to be able to lift more weight, move faster and fatigue slower. When you rest between training days, you recover better, avoid injury, increase strength and muscle mass. Nothing sounds bad about resting! … well maybe if you get bored easily. 

2.  Warm ups and cool downs are important

 Warm ups prepare you for your exercises, help to avoid injury and put you in the mindset to move. Imagine going into a super heavy squat when your hips are tight, glutes aren’t firing and you’re feeling sluggish, it probably wouldn’t go too well. You could even get hurt and have to take multiple days off working out. How would you reach your goals, then?

Cooldowns prepare you to take on the rest of your day and adjust from an intense mindset to a calmer one. Post-exercise breath work and light movement decreases heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormones. This improves your overall health and mindset for the rest of the day.

3. Find a type of movement that you enjoy

  The movement that you love is the movement that you will actually stick to. If you go into an activity with a positive mindset and understand how the movement will benefit you, you’re more likely to stay consistent and in flow while doing the movement. 

If you love yoga, keep doing it. If you find joy in HIIT classes, keep going. Just because Susie likes her long distance running doesn’t mean you have to, just because Steve on Instagram likes bodybuilding style workouts, doesn’t mean you need to like them too. There is no one-size fits all for health and wellness, you can try so many new styles of exercise these days, even a combination of multiple types. Remember any movement is better than no movement! 

Resources:

Rest intervals: Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Skrepnik M, Davies TB, Mikulic P. Effects of Rest Interval Duration in Resistance Training on Measures of Muscular Strength: A Systematic Review. Sports Med. 2018 Jan;48(1):137-151. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0788-x. PMID: 28933024.

Warm up:

Fradkin AJ, Zazryn TR, Smoliga JM. Effects of warming-up on physical performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Jan;24(1):140-8. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181c643a0. PMID: 19996770.

Cool down:

Van Hooren B, Peake JM. Do We Need a Cool-Down After Exercise? A Narrative Review of the Psychophysiological Effects and the Effects on Performance, Injuries and the Long-Term Adaptive Response. Sports Med. 2018 Jul;48(7):1575-1595. doi: 10.1007/s40279-018-0916-2. PMID: 29663142; PMCID: PMC5999142.