Beginner Exercise

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  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
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    Don't stress it Andrea - you would have to be running marathons back to back for your body to start breaking down it's own muscles for energy. It's a myth pout about on here by people who are heavily into strength training - which is great in its place but there are a lot of myths and legends posted on here that you should take with a pinch of salt and a bit of Googling!

    If you are concerned about maintaining strength or developing a bit while you reduce fat, why not try some bodyweight exercises. It may be some time before you need to touch weight training at all.

    My favourite is Yoga - people may laugh but Yoga if you get the right class can give you a really good cardio and strength workout and leave you buzzing with energy afterwards.
  • elisabeisme
    elisabeisme Posts: 308 Member
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    Congrats on your loss so far!

    When I first joined my gym a year and a half ago, I started off with a pretty limited range of exercises and then slowly added a bit more by doing one new thing each week. In the beginning, I hadn't been to a gym in over 15 years and was out of breath within 5 minutes. Now, I can do 3 sets of 10 regular push ups, am run/walking 6 miles using c25k and am working my way up to pull ups. I can even bench press 110 lbs! Personally, I started with the elliptical (because it is smoother and less bounce was easier for me) and some basic calisthenics (knee push ups, lunges, etc). I started with a bit of cardio and a bit of strength on the same day because I couldn't manage that many reps or that many cardio minutes anyway. Now, I'm splitting up my days into cardio and strength because my stamina has improved.

    In the beginning, i think the most important thing is to just go. So, start where you are most comfortable. If that's the eliptical, then start there. Once the habit builds, then keep adding stuff and eventually you will be bench pressing in the back with the boys!

    You might also consider doing a personal training session to get started. Most gyms will give you one for free. A trainer can show you a balanced routine of things to do. If you tell the trainer you want to learn strength exercises, then you'll learn some stuff in that session that you can replicate on your own later.

    Good luck. Have fun. You'll do great!

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