Getting Started in the Gym….Here’s Some Tips to Get You Started in the Right Direction!

Over my career as a personal trainer I always get the same questions on people getting started in the gym.  So here’s a short article to cover the basics and get you started in the right direction!  These are the two most frequent questions I get asked.

How many days a week should I be lifting weights?

 This is a question I am frequently asked by clients from beginners to advanced that I have trained.  This answer can vary depending on your current level of fitness, training intensity, diet, occupation and many other variables in your life.  That’s something a GOOD personal trainer can determine what is right for you (Dan The MAN could help you decide this!)  But here’s some tips to help you!                                                                                                 

    Starting off resistance training you will see great results from 3 days/week of weight training providing that the intensity is there in the workout and you are using your time in the gym efficiently!  Average workouts should be 30-45 minutes to start.  Eventually increasing time to an hour. So that’s between 1.5- 3 hours a week of weight training.  So you can see you don’t have to live at the gym to see results!  Consistency is the key, doing three workouts one week and none the next week will keep you STUCK without progressing!

Don't forget that when it comes to losing weight or building muscle that at least 75% of your results are from nutrtion. Maybe more!  Only 25% is from your exercise program!

   I have been bodybuilding consistently for the last six years and am still following a four day/ week program right now.  So you can see you can still look good, be healthy and have a life outside of training!  I have NEVER made a client a program with more than five days a week of weight training.  This is what I see a lot in the gym are people trying to build muscle or lose body fat training six days a week! When is the body recovering?  Unless your sleep and nutrition are perfect, it’s probably not.  This can slow down results just as much as training inconsistently.

How Much Cardio Should I be Doing?

  The problem I see with people doing cardio in the gym is they are doing it for the wrong reasons.  If i see someone in the gym that is doing hours on end of cardio everyday and ask them why they are doing it they usually say to lose weight, looked toned or drop body fat.  Well that is for all the wrong reasons!  Cardio is not the ideal way to burn body fat!  My weight loss clients are started out doing an hour of walking split up into 20 min periods 3 times a week and increased from there.  Unless you are training for a marathon cardio DOES NOT need to be done daily especially if your following a resistance training program as well.  Weight training and nutrition is the key to burning body fat.  To much cardio (depending on the intensity and duration) can actually lead to muscle loss which will slow down metabolism and actually be counter productive to your weight loss goals.  Not sure how much cardio is right for you? contact me for your cardio plan today!