Developing a personalized workout routine takes time. It’s like finding a new book to read. Sometimes you have to sift through a couple before you find a real page-turner, something you’ll appreciate on a daily basis.
As a beginner searching the web for workout ideas, you’re confronted with an overload of information; it quickly becomes overwhelming! Our suggestion is to spend less time researching and more time working out. Before long, you’ll notice which routine feels right, and you can start building on that with additional research.
If you don’t feel like doing the research, or if you’re the kind of person who would prefer working with a professional directly, hiring a personal trainer is an easy way to develop a customized workout plan (and a few variations) to suit your specific needs.
What should a beginner do at the gym to lose weight?
Firstly, you don’t need to go to a gym to follow a workout routine. However, if you feel like you lack the discipline to work out at home and often feel unmotivated, a gym might be a good idea.
Sometimes literally investing in your health through a monthly membership at a gym helps you stay committed to your weight-loss plan.
When you start going to the gym, you may be tempted to use all the machines and weights that you don’t have at home. Make sure you are well-informed on how to use these machines (or ask someone at the gym for guidance) and be very cautious about lifting heavy weights as this can easily lead to injury.
A basic gym routine should always start with a warm-up and end with a cool-down. During your warm-up, include light cardio for about 10 minutes to get the blood pumping and release stiffness. Following the light cardio, do 7-10 minutes of stretching.
During your cool-down, make sure you stretch the muscles you used during your workout routine to avoid feeling sore the next day or two.
The routine you do between your warm-up and cool-down should be composed of exercises that you’re physically capable of completing without strain, but that still challenge you. This is important; if you don’t feel like it’s work, you’re not working out.
How long should you exercise each day to lose weight?
As is the case with most health-related topics, there is no universal approach; every person has different goals, needs, schedules, and stamina levels. The workout routine you develop should work for you.
An important fact to realize is that if you haven’t been working out and this is your first time trying it, pretty much any exercise you do each day will help you lose weight. This is because your body will be burning more calories than it usually does, and you will create a calorie deficit, so long as you’re not adding more calories to your diet. Learn more about calorie tracking here.
So even if you’re only exercising for 10 minutes a day, that’s 10 minutes more than you were physically exerting before, and it will have an effect on weight loss.
Everyone’s schedule is different. Some folks can commit to their new workout routine for 40 minutes per day. However, if you include the right exercises in your workout, even a 10- or 20-minute daily routine can yield results!
Best Workout Routine to Get You Started
Apart from exercises like walking, swimming, cycling, lifting weights, and even stretching, there are some highly effective ones that you can incorporate into a simple 20-minute daily workout routine as you get started. These don’t require any equipment, though a yoga mat will make the floor exercises more comfortable.
Complete the entire workout (unless there’s a particularly painful exercise) and note which exercises you liked the most and why. Which activity was the most challenging? Did any cause discomfort?
5-minute Warm-up
- 3 sets of jumping jacks for 30 seconds, followed by a 30-second rest in between sets
- 2 minutes to stretch neck, shoulders, hips, and legs
Set A: 3 sets of the following exercises (around 3 minutes in all)
- 20 squats with your arms extended outwards (If the squats prove to be more challenging to do, you can try a modified version to begin; instead of lowering your body all the way, just go down as far as the seat of a chair.)
- 20-second Russian twists
- 20 seconds high knees
Set B: 3 sets of the following exercises (around 3 minutes in all)
- 12 mountain climbers (This exercise can be modified, like so.)
- 12 donkey kicks
- 12 leg lifts (You can start with a very simple variation sitting down.)
Set C: 3 sets of the following exercises (~3–4 minutes total)
- 30-second bear crawl
- 30 seconds of flutter kicks
- 20-second shoulder taps (A variation of this is the standing shoulder tap)
5-minute Cool-down
Take this time to breathe deeply and relax. Stretch the parts of your body you feel worked the hardest and notice any discomforts.
From here, adjust the workout routine by substituting exercises or changing the amount of time and repetitions required for each activity.