Beginner looking for a workout

RCrawford855

So, I'm a recently graduated college student, and I had to admit to myself that I'd been sitting far too long. For the past four years, I've been much more sedentary than I could've been and should've been. Sometimes, yeah, there was actually time for working out and whatnot, but what's done is done, and all I can do is look to what I can do now, and learn from my mistakes.

That being said, I've never planned a workout before. I don't know... really anything about fitness. I need to work towards it, that much I know. I know I need to do it to stave off diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. But my problem is that I don't know how, and that's why I'm here.

No matter where I've tried to search or dig, everyone is handing out free advice, but none of it is concrete. They say things like "plan a workout," but I have no idea how to do that. I don't know what exercises I should do, how many I should do, how long I should do it. So, I was hoping to get some advice from someone around here. I would consult a personal trainer of some kind, but I'm not exactly rolling in cash.

Now, I would start providing information that might be helpful, but I honestly have no idea what one would need to know in order to help plan a workout, so I'll just leave it open for you guys to ask me. Because, again, I have no idea what I'm doing.

I hope I'm not coming off the wrong way here.

cecsav1

Start slow. Incorporate some cardio and some strength training. Always always warm up first and stretch when you're done.
Re cardio: depending on your current level of fitness, you can walk, jump straight into a couch to 5k, or simply do jumping jacks and burpees from home.
Re strength training: compound lifts are more efficient than isolation lifts (squats, pull ups, bench press rather than bicep curls, leg presses). Make sure you're hitting all of your muscle groups, front and back. Give each muscle group 48 - 72 hours of rest before training the same muscles again. Major muscle groups: shoulders, back, chest, bis, tris, abs, quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves. As a beginner, I'd suggest full body workouts or an upper/lower split. Proper form is *extremely* important.

All that being said, of course, consult a doctor to make sure you can safely exercise.

Good luck!

Robertus

For those starting at a total beginner's level, I would recommend going for a walk. First day, walk a mile, see how long it takes. Probably around 20 minutes, which is 3 miles per hour. Next day, do two miles. Keep doing two miles a day and walk faster when you feel up to it. Eventually start jogging for a few seconds, a few minutes, a few hours. Go at your own pace. Increase the pace when you feel up to it. Pretty soon you'll be running 5k, 10k, and if you really enjoy it, a 26.2-mile marathon.

vegangela_

For me working out at home and planning a workout has not been successful. I hate exercise so I had to find something I enjoyed, I now go to a pole dancing class once a week and I love it and it makes me want to do other exercises through the week that will improve my strength for pole. So my suggestion is that you find a class you can enjoy and in that class you will probably learn loads about exercise and fitness and it will motivate you to want to work out.

Kiraei

Look at nerd fitness! They have a great beginner bodyweight workout.

aliciamariaq

If you are an absolute beginner on a budget, I definitely recommend you start slow and easy. As Robertus and cecsav1 said: walking is a great way to start and you can progress at your own pace. You could also swim, can you afford lessons?
There are tons of apps and Youtube videos to get you started at home for free. Fitness blender is a great site with lots of excercises for any level.

The important thing is finding something you enjoy so that you are more likely to stick to it.

Good luck!

shagerty777

Are you planning to workout in a gym or at home? That makes a difference on the programs available and doable. If you want to stay away from a membership check out darebee.com for some great info and an amazing variety of programs you can do.

aliciapastorlecha

It just depends if you want to workout at home or at a gym. Gyms usually offer a great variety of classes for beginner. If you choose to workout at home, there are also great programs, that come with the schedule. YOu can find workouts for beginners too.

beautifulwarrior18

RCrawford855 wrote: »

So, I'm a recently graduated college student, and I had to admit to myself that I'd been sitting far too long. For the past four years, I've been much more sedentary than I could've been and should've been. Sometimes, yeah, there was actually time for working out and whatnot, but what's done is done, and all I can do is look to what I can do now, and learn from my mistakes.

That being said, I've never planned a workout before. I don't know... really anything about fitness. I need to work towards it, that much I know. I know I need to do it to stave off diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. But my problem is that I don't know how, and that's why I'm here.

No matter where I've tried to search or dig, everyone is handing out free advice, but none of it is concrete. They say things like "plan a workout," but I have no idea how to do that. I don't know what exercises I should do, how many I should do, how long I should do it. So, I was hoping to get some advice from someone around here. I would consult a personal trainer of some kind, but I'm not exactly rolling in cash.

Now, I would start providing information that might be helpful, but I honestly have no idea what one would need to know in order to help plan a workout, so I'll just leave it open for you guys to ask me. Because, again, I have no idea what I'm doing.

I hope I'm not coming off the wrong way here.

Well hard to tell you when I don't know what your resources or goals are. If you have access to a gym you could easily do something like this http://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-routines/complete-mf-beginners-training-guide-0.

If you have the funds and don't want to think about creating a plan you could hire a personal trainer or try CrossFit. They make the workouts for you, you just have to show up.

If you are unable to join a gym there are plenty of at home workouts you can create or programs you can buy and do such as insanity, p90x, etc.

Or, if the thought of hanging out with a bunch of lunks in a gym makes you want to cut your wrists you could join a specialty fitness gym like boxing or martial arts, join city wide leagues for various sports, etc. There's a lot of options out there you just need to choose the one you're going to stick to.