In my line of work, I often meet people who find it difficult to start working out. Some don't have enough hours in the day, others lose motivation after a week, and some just find it hard to step into a gym because it seems like everyone around them is a pro. This article will help you understand your deep-seated motivations: you might realize you're not ready for workouts, or you might decide to buy a membership straight away.
We'll look at various cases from which athletes start and offer tips on making the beginning comfortable. This will help you enjoy your workouts, make them a pleasant part of your life, and not just chase results.
How to Start Working Out If You Don't Have Money
Tips on how not to spend a fortune. These tips are suitable for students, schoolchildren, those who are currently having financial difficulties, and simply thrifty enthusiasts.
Use the city's sports facilities: To enter any gym, pool, or sports center, you need to pay for a one-time session or get a membership. If you don't have spare cash for this, try independent outdoor workouts: in parks or on the sports fields of your city. Usually, they have running tracks with special soft surfaces and outdoor fitness equipment. This is enough to start and get into physical fitness: do a little cardio, warm-up, and then a few exercises on the equipment for all muscle groups: legs, back, chest, arms, and abs.
Attend free trials at clubs: Almost all fitness clubs offer a free test drive - the first workout where an athlete gets acquainted with the club, equipment, and atmosphere. A good option is to "visit" several clubs, train at each one, and choose the most convenient.
Look for free sessions from fitness clubs in parks: Some clubs hold group workouts outdoors in city parks during the summer. Every summer, group program instructors train everyone who wants. Yoga, stretching, dancing, strength training, and much more.
Keep an Eye on City Sports Festivals: We're sure they take place in every city: yoga festivals, mass cycling events, obstacle courses, or marathons. It's great when you can try different activities without spending money. Find out the details of such events on city portals or social media groups.
Work Out at Home: While home workouts might not be as super-effective as gym sessions, they are much better than nothing.
How to Start Working Out If You've Recently Given Birth
Supporting moms and advising on how to safely start exercising after childbirth. It's best to start with breathing exercises. Proper breathing will help restore your organs to their places and regain the function of the deep parts of the lungs that didn't work to full capacity during pregnancy. After breathing exercises, you can move on to workouts for relaxing your back since it took all the load during pregnancy. We've written a separate article about fitness after childbirth. Check out how to perform breathing and back exercises, and find out which exercises are not recommended for new moms.
The main condition for postnatal workouts is to give yourself time to recover. Start exercising only with the approval of your doctor, gradually and carefully. If you weren't working out before pregnancy, delay training for six months, but if you were active before, start in 2-4 months.
How to Start Working Out If You're Very Tired
Helping integrate workouts into a dynamic lifestyle. Modern life is hectic. In 24 hours, you need to manage everything: work, spend time with family, cook food, clean up, pick up kids from school and take them to extracurricular activities, and more. By evening, you just want to lie down, scroll through your phone, and have a tasty snack—to reward yourself for a hard day and get some dopamine so it doesn't feel so tough. After all, tomorrow will be another challenging day.
How to Start Working Out If You're Very Tired (Continued)
Getting up and going to the gym in this case is a Herculean task. The moment you start thinking about it, the fatigue intensifies: "My head hurts and there's a pinch under the ribs... And I still need to make a craft for kindergarten and check the homework. No, definitely no gym today."
Our entire body wants to conserve energy—so it will have the strength to run away if a saber-toothed tiger suddenly appears, or fight if attacked by a neighboring hostile tribe. This is a game of the mind, evolution, and nature. This is how our psyche works, led by the brain.
Another group of people has learned this: despite fatigue and busyness, they go to the gym. They get dopamine not from food, but from a workout. They enjoy it and derive pleasure, so they no longer need to force themselves to go to the gym because they know that satisfaction and new energy will follow. We advise taking a cue from this group: try not to pity yourself but make a small effort, like going to the gym for 20 minutes just to walk on the treadmill, taking an evening walk after work, or doing a small set of exercises right at home. In this case, starting requires doing.
Try not to pity yourself but make a small effort, like going to the gym for 20 minutes just to walk on the treadmill.
Such small workouts can even be arranged during lunch breaks at work. Another option is to find a gym near the school and arrive a bit early to pick up the kids.
How to Start Working Out If It's Your Second, Third, Fifth, or Tenth Attempt
Understanding why workouts become a temporary hobby and how to make them a way of life. You quit because it becomes hard or you lack the motivation to continue; perhaps there are no results, and it negates all efforts, or maybe it becomes boring due to monotony? The answer to this question will help you understand how to proceed.
If it becomes too hard—take a break. Perhaps you've hit "overtraining"—this is what athletes call the state when the body doesn't recover from heavy loads. Symptoms include muscle pain that doesn't go away, a depressed state, irritability, and constant anxiety about the deteriorating results. Here, a 1-2 week rest will help the body fully recover.
If it becomes boring—change the type of sport or workout. Instead of the gym, try a group class, dancing, or swimming. Just go for a run outside! Sometimes we need a change of scenery, new activities, and new people. This way, workouts will be varied, you'll try something new, and still keep the results.
If there are no results—hire a coach. Sessions with a coach will definitely become more effective—they will write a program considering your fitness level, teach you the correct exercise technique, and monitor your performance. Training with a coach is paid, so you're less likely to skip without a reason, plus the coach is always waiting for you, which obliges you to attend workouts and not quit.
In summary, get a coach's support, start training gently, and then gradually increase progression. Don't be afraid to change programs and sports—this will engage the maximum number of muscles. And don't forget to rest well and take breaks if it feels too hard.
How to Start Working Out If You Know Nothing
In short, hire a trainer or study the information yourself. The easiest way to start working out when you know nothing is to trust a professional. Just as we don't fix our own teeth but go to a dentist, or repair our car ourselves but take it to a service center, it's the same with sports. A trainer is a professional who knows exactly what is needed for results, they will select the right load and prescribe exercises. In general, they will do everything for you, you just have to show up for workouts. We wrote a separate article on how to choose a trainer correctly. It will help you find a true professional without making mistakes.
If you haven't decided on personal training yet, you'll have to prepare yourself. That's why we run a blog where we discuss all the nuances: from how to get rid of a beer belly to how to properly steam in a sauna and hammam after a workout. It has three sections: "Nutrition," "Workouts," and "Health," including breakdowns of the most popular exercises, nutrition tips, and easy instructions on how to lose weight effectively.
Your first day in the gym will be easier with our article "How to Start Working Out in the Gym." It will help you not get lost on the first day, remember to bring important things, and decide how to train: alone, in a group, or personally with a trainer.
How to Start Working Out If You're Lazy
You'll have to make an effort and endure until the first results. Starting something new is always hard: your whole body tries to sabotage the process, your brain comes up with brilliant excuses, your muscles ache after the load, and it seems like it's no big deal if you skip a week.
Let's be honest: at the beginning, you'll have to force yourself to work out. It's important to work on discipline, build a habit, and not skip workouts even if you really want to. It's like getting up in the morning for work: you might be incredibly lazy, but everyone does it. Imagine that workouts are your second job: come without thinking and regardless of your mood.
With this approach, at the end of the month, you might not receive a paycheck, but the huge hormonal and energy boost, good mood, and first results will be 100% guaranteed. And after the first results, you won't want to quit; on the contrary, you'll be motivated to keep going.
All of this will work if you are determined to change yourself and your lifestyle. If you're planning to lose weight by summer, New Year's, or a birthday, it's a dead-end path. We don't recommend this approach because after the desired date, bad habits will return, and so will the extra fat.
How to Start Working Out If You Think Everyone in the Gym Will Be Watching You
Everyone in the gym is focused on themselves. You're not alone; almost every beginner faces this misconception. You walk into the gym, and a machine bigger than a "KAMAZ" with muscles like Mr. Olympia passes by, someone better than Usain Bolt is running on the track, and you don't even know how to turn on the equipment. Plus, the leggings highlight all the imperfections on your buttocks.
But here's the reality: Mr. Olympia came to the gym underweight, and the Usain Bolt competitor has been training for a marathon for 5 years. The important thing to understand is that people come to the gym to change themselves.
Not to laugh at others, not to scrutinize how many extra pounds they have, but as clichéd as it sounds—to be better, healthier, stronger, and more beautiful than yesterday. And the fact that you've taken the first step and come to a workout is already a big achievement; you're in the "club," and you're one of us! A duty trainer can help you understand the equipment, advise on exercise techniques, and spot you where needed. Or take a few personal training sessions to feel more confident.
How to Start Working Out If You're 40+
Just like in your 20s: gradually, wisely, and with self-care. Fundamentally, workouts after 40 are no different from workouts at 20, but we recommend hiring a personal trainer to avoid injuries and not harm your health. Often, athletes who had a long break in training want to recall their 18-year-old selves and repeat what they could do back then. This is dangerous; the body must be ready for such loads, so the trainer will select starting weights and increase them very gradually, considering health features that may appear at this age. In general, they will help you recall youth and preserve your health.
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