Personal Training With Lisa

Common “Things to Know” for the Exercise Beginner

If you are thinking about starting up a workout routine as a beginner, there are some common tips to help you know what to expect in your workout and pointers to guide you to success I want to give you. The number one motivation I can say to you before anything else is consistency is key to making anything in life become a habit; so stick with your new exercise routine and you will reach your fitness goals.

1. You are going to be sore.  Muscle soreness is very common for anyone starting a new exercise routine, whether beginner or Olympian.  Your muscles will be sore the next day, and possibly up to two days, after your workout. You will be using your muscles in a way they are not accustom to, so they will need time to adjust to the new movements. This soreness use to be attributed to lactic acid buildup in the muscles, something your body produces to keep muscle energized during your workout. However, new studies show lactic acid burns off soon after the end of your workout and doesn’t stick around long enough to make you sore for days afterward. Instead, studies say muscle soreness is due to tiny muscle tears, called microtearing, your body experiences during exercise. This is called DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness. The soreness helps build muscle fiber and make them stronger.  Muscle soreness is ok.  If you are super sore after your workout go on a light walk to help ease the soreness or do some simple stretching. Keep working out and soon your body will build up muscle so you won’t have to experience the sorness.
2. Start with simple exercises that you know how to do.  If you don’t know how to do any exercises, contact a personal trainer, like myself, who can point you in the right direction.  The worst thing you can do is hurt yourself because you are doing the exercises incorrectly. An easy beginner’s full body workout can include light cardio followed by squats, push-ups, crunches, and end with a plank. Simple workout routines that are very effective and easy to follow can be found on Youtube. My personal Youtube channel can be found here , where I have posted many step-by-step guides on how to do basic exercise moves as well as simple workouts you can do at home.
3. Include both strength training and cardiovascular exercises into your new routine. A very common misconception some beginners have is that doing exclusively cardio will help them lose weight fast and they avoid strength training because they are afraid it will cause them to bulk up. I have talked extensively on my thoughts about how mixing cardio and strength training will give you the best results in my previous article How to Lean out and Change Your Body. I strongly encourage you read it to fully understand this concept. More than anything else, including both in your new fitness regiment will build muscle, which burns calories faster, shrinks fat from the body, and increases your health health aka the one of your most important muscles.

For more tips and hints on how to begin your new journey into fitness, schedule a health assessment or personal training session, or to check out what Body Works has to offer for you, please visit our website or call us 715-262-2053. You can also contact me, Lisa, with any questions via my email: ptwithlisa@gmail.com.  If you prefer online training check out this website