Well, this is a good question, since I do hold a certification as a personal trainer and I am a level 4 Certified coach with USA Hockey. I do have a bit of experience here. Let’s get the first misconception out of the way: you can’t outwork your diet, and that is where fitness routines fail. Second progress and results come from some time and consistency, a planned schedule, so that is my segue into the routine, and I will assume you are a beginner with no experience. Before you start the heavy work, always include a 5-10 minute dynamic warm-up to prep your joints and nervous system.
Weight training with progressive overload is the key, and you should track your activity. If you do not take notes, you will not know how or when to increase weight or whether you are progressing. Second, cardio is good; it is needed, but too much cardio (specifically high-intensity cardio done right before lifting) can impact your muscle growth. You want to lose fat and gain muscle. Muscle takes less space than fat, so do NOT focus on the scale going down more than how you feel, look, and how clothes fit.
The goal is not only to get into better shape but also to enjoy it, or you will quit. Now, for the routine, as a new person going into a gym or an exercise routine in general, look to do it 4 times a week, lasting about 1 hour. You want to hit all body parts twice a week, rotating every other day. Rest is important because muscle grows while at rest, as it repairs itself. The gym is where you break it down.
You can look at the routine as upper body on Monday and Wednesday, and lower body on Tuesday and Thursday. The days are not critical as long as the total is 4 days and the workout is broken up. You do not want to work the same muscles back-to-back. Try for 1-2 exercises per muscle with 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions; the last 4 should be a struggle. Now this is where the notes come in. You will not know the weights to use, so the first week or two is evaluation with weights and exercises, take notes, and once you have the foundation of the exercise, the weight, and reps, you start the program. When you reach a point where the last 2-4 reps of a set are easy, add weight (even just 5 pounds) to promote progressive overload. Once you are comfortable with the routine and around the 8-week mark, swap out a few exercises for new ones. Believe it or not, muscles remember, or rather, they adapt to the specific stress, and will slow down or stop progressing when doing the same thing all the time.
Thanks for reading BeingKevin.
In a world built on scrolling past everything in seconds, I genuinely appreciate you stopping here for a moment. If the post gave you something to think about, made you laugh, or even made you disagree, I’d love to hear from you in the comments. A quick rating helps, too, and goes a long way toward supporting the site. And if you’d like to help keep BeingKevin going, a small tip is always appreciated — never expected, but deeply valued. Thanks again for being here
Leave a Reply