Starting a fitness routine

I am just starting a fitness routine for the first time. What are the factors I should consider when trying to design a program for myself?

Let me congratulate you on having enough motivation to start yourself off on the right track to a healthier lifestyle. It took almost all of last year to convince one of my friends to get his lazy ass in the gym, so it is to your credit that you are doing it by yourself. That said, I think the most important things to consider when first starting out on a fitness routine are your goals.

A goal can be pretty much anything you want to accomplish with your training. The first thing to set is a long-term goal, something to be accomplished over time. It doesn't necessarily have to be a feat to be accomplished all at once _ rather, it is something to work towards, an end to always have in mind. For example, do you want to put on some muscle mass? Increase your cardiovascular endurance? How about lose body fat and tone up? Those are all good general goals to start off with. Once you have narrowed down your basic goals, it is time to get more specific.

Try to break up your ultimate goal into smaller, short-term ones. If you want to increase strength, tell yourself you are going to increase your bench press by ten pounds in the next month. If you want to get in better cardiovascular shape, tell yourself you will be running an eight-minute mile before two months is out. By setting attainable, short-term goals, you stay motivated and it enables you to look more realistically at your long-term goal as something you can accomplish.

Another factor to think about when designing a routine for yourself is how many days per week you want to come to the gym. Obviously, if you are pressed for time during the week, and can only make it to the gym three times or less, your workout will be different from someone who can make it to the gym four or five times a week.

Something else to consider are your eating habits. It is generally pretty easy for you to tell whether or not you are eating healthy. If you are eating hamburgers a few times a week, added to fried foods and heavy desserts, you are probably not following a very healthy diet. When you start your fitness routine, you should put more thought into what you put on your plate at mealtime.

Eat smaller, more frequent meals to help your metabolism stay active throughout the day. Try to break the calories from each meal up into 20 percent fat, 35 percent protein, and 45 percent carbohydrates. This way, when you put in your best effort in the gym, you are not sabotaging the hard-fought gains while you are eating.

Take the aforementioned factors into consideration, and, with a smart training program, you will see that your progress will surpass all expectations.



I did legs about three days ago and they're still a little bit sore. Should I train them again today?

The general rule of thumb is to never train a body part that is still experiencing DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness). While at times, (if the DOMS is mild enough) you can get away with it with some serious stretching before the workout, I would generally not recommend it. Give your legs another day or two of rest. Make sure they are fully recovered before you hit them again. To decrease recovery time, make sure to eat well and get plenty of sleep. Stretch them periodically, and you should be back in the gym with legs that aren't sore in no time.