So you’ve built up the courage to start taking care of yourself, your health, and your well-being? Great! But you need help figuring out where to start with your workout routine? No problem.
Common barriers beginners face are confusion about where to start, fear of doing it wrong, and a lack of time to work out. With a simple, structured approach, you will build the confidence and consistency to begin your workout routine and start your fitness journey on the right foot.
In this article, we’ll go over how beginners can overcome the fear of starting a workout routine by simplifying the process and providing practical, actionable advice that builds confidence and consistency. We’ll outline setting the right mindset, defining goals, planning, exercise selection, and progression.
Setting the Right Mindset
Mindset can make or break almost everything in life. You have to believe that you can accomplish the things you set out to achieve.
You have to change your mind in order to change your life.
Start small and focus on progress, not perfection.
Fitness isn’t about being perfect; it’s about progress. Every rep, every healthy meal, every extra hour of sleep adds up over time. Focus on the small, consistent steps you can take each day—like drinking more water or adding five pounds to your lifts.
These small wins build momentum, and that’s where real change happens. Celebrate progress, no matter how small, because perfection isn’t the goal—growth is.
Consistency beats intensity every time. Showing up is more important at first. Would you rather have $1,000 right now and only once or $10 a day for an entire year? If you chose $10 a day for a year, you’d have $3,650 vs. the $1,000 you could have had in one day.
The small amounts done consistently add up and almost always beat out one big burst done infrequently.
Defining Your Fitness Goals
It’s extremely important to define your fitness goals. Goals provide you with direction and motivation to reach your objectives. You’ll want to choose specific goals that can be measured.
Examples include:
- I want to bench press 225 pounds.
- I want to lose 25 pounds.
- I want to jump 5 inches higher.
Action step: Choose 1-2 specific goals to focus on initially.
Creating a Realistic Schedule
It’s great that you feel motivated today to start working out, but motivation is temporary. You may feel like you could work out 6 days a week for at least an hour a day, but that might be hard to sustain over time.
Realistically, you should try to create a routine that you believe you could stick with for years. A good place to start is by taking your initial ambitious workout routine goal and cutting it in half. You probably can’t work out for an hour 6 days a week like you feel you can right now, but maybe 3 days a week for 30 minutes a session sounds more doable.
Start by cutting your initial goal in half and think about whether this routine is something realistic for you to stick with in your current lifestyle. If not, then keep cutting it down until it fits into your schedule. Starting with fewer sessions will help you avoid burnout. One day is still worlds better than no days!
Choosing Beginner-Friendly Exercises
Focus on a few simple, effective movements:
- Strength: Goblet squats, incline dumbbell bench press, dumbbell rows, assisted pull-ups, dumbbell sumo deadlifts, Arnold presses.
- Cardio: Walking, biking (stationary bike or bicycle), or light jogging.
- Flexibility and Mobility: Stretching, yoga poses, mobility drills.
Example Workout:
Day 1
- Warm-up (5 minutes): Walk and/or light dynamic mobility stretches.
- Workout (15 minutes): Goblet squats, incline dumbbell bench press, dumbbell rows. Do 2 sets for all exercises with a rep range of 8-12 reps and rest for 2 minutes after each set.
- Cool-down (5 minutes): Stretching all major muscle groups.
Day 2
- Warm-up (5 minutes): Walk and/or light dynamic mobility stretches.
- Workout (15 minutes): Dumbbell sumo deadlifts, assisted pull-ups, and Arnold presses. Do 2 sets for all exercises with a rep range of 8-12 reps and rest for 2 minutes after each set.
- Cool-down (5 minutes): Stretching all major muscle groups.
Focusing on Progression
Progression is the key to results. You can’t challenge the body without progression, and by challenging the body by increasing the intensity of your workouts, you force your body to adapt and grow stronger over time.
Without this process, your body will eventually plateau and your results will stall. This applies to building strength, increasing endurance, and improving overall fitness.
Action Steps to Progress:
- Add Weight: Gradually increase the weight you lift by 5-10% each session while maintaining good form and technique.
- Increase Reps: If lifting heavier isn’t an option, increase the number of repetitions. For instance, move from 3 sets of 8 reps to 3 sets of 10 reps. This helps build endurance and strength.
- Add Sets: Increase the total number of sets you perform for each exercise. For example, move from 2 working sets to 3 or 4 sets over time as your fitness level improves. This increases training volume and helps promote further gains.
- Add a Workout Day: Increase the frequency of your workouts if your schedule allows. For example, if you’re working out three days a week, consider adding a fourth day focused on a specific area like core, mobility, or accessory work.
Bonus Tips:
- Track Your Workouts: Use a log to track weights, sets, and reps to ensure consistent progress. Use free apps or good old pen and paper. Don’t rely on memory to track your workouts!
- Celebrate Small Wins: Reaching a new PR (personal record) in reps or weight lifted is great and should be celebrated. Celebrate sticking to your workout routine for a period of time. Small victories boost motivation and reinforce the habit of progressing. Progress isn’t always linear, but it’s the pursuit of progress that should be highlighted. Push yourself!
- Balance Progression with Recovery: Progression is important, but so is allowing your body time to recover. Overtraining can lead to fatigue or injuries, so ensure you’re sleeping enough, eating well, and taking rest days. Push yourself, but rest is crucial to avoid injuries or burnout. Stay consistent and focus on long-term growth.
Overcoming Common Challenges
Common challenges to starting and sticking with a fitness routine include: motivation, lack of time, and intimidation at the gym.
- For Motivation: Set rewards for consistently following your fitness routine. This could be new workout gear, a massage for recovery, or a fun experience like a hiking trip—things that align with your fitness endeavors.
- For Time: As discussed earlier, shorter workouts of 15-20 minutes are enough to see results with consistency. Even if you can’t exercise for 20 straight minutes, another great tip is to break up your session throughout the day. For example, if you have a pull-up bar at home, do 1 set of pull-ups and come back an hour later to do another set when you have time.
- For Intimidation at the Gym: Luckily, there are ways around this. You can work out in the comfort of your own home. If you must be in a gym, bring a friend for support. Building confidence in a comfortable environment helps you stick to your routine.
Conclusion
Starting your fitness journey might feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Focus on the simplicity of starting small—one workout, one healthy meal, one day at a time. Progress is built step by step, and every little effort you make compounds into something much bigger over time.
Consistency is what sets success apart. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about showing up, even when it’s hard. Real transformation comes from embracing the process, celebrating small victories, and building habits that last. Remember, every rep, every walk, every stretch is a step closer to the healthier, stronger version of yourself.
Your Challenge:
Try the sample workout from this article and commit to one week of consistency. Just one week. Track your progress, celebrate the fact that you’re taking action, and feel the momentum grow. Fitness isn’t about where you start; it’s about where you’re headed. The best time to begin was yesterday—the second-best time is now.
Your future self is cheering you on. Are you ready to take the first step?
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