Starting a new exercise plan can be tough.
New habits always are.
- Waking up early
- developing new eating habits
- dealing with achy muscles
- getting outside of your comfort zone
- and more
Getting in shape can be a shock to the system, but you must be careful in the beginning. Many new exercisers are motivated and want to do everything they can to get in shape fast. Their enthusiasm is usually short lived and can lead them into to doing too much, or trying things that they are not prepared for. Below, I will walk you through three common mistakes that people make when they are starting a new workout plan.
If you’ve been sitting at a desk for the last five years, without exercising, then loading up the bar and trying to throw it over your head is a BAD idea.
Ever seen someone sprint to first base and pull a hamstring?
When anyone has been sedentary for over a month, its important to assess, test mobility, work on range of motion, develop body awareness and to work on laying a foundation of strength, before moving onto complex lifts and adding intensity.
At Innovative Results, we start everyone out with foam rolling and then use the warm up to mobilize and train basic movement patterns like crawling, squatting, pushing, running and more. These simple movements have huge benefits and help people ease into movement, without placing too much demand on the body.
Start simple, lay a good foundation, stay consistent and add intensity later.
We all lead busy lives. Work can be stressful, kids are busy and there just don’t seem to be enough hours in our days.
Adding a new workout plan to an already stressful schedule can be too much.
Exercise is a stress on our bodies.
Our hearts pump faster, we breath more rapidly, nerves fire muscles, muscles contract, we move around, react to our environment and then try to recover in between sessions.
Its pretty amazing when you understand all that is happening when we are moving around.
At the same time, exercise can become overwhelming. Our bodies can only handle so much and its important to stimulate our system, not annihilate it.
If you are sore for a week or injure yourself, you went too hard.
If you go from nothing to training hard everyday, odds are, you are going to burn out.
They key to making long term, permanent changes in your life, is consistent effort. Start with 2-3 days per week, using simple exercises. As your body adapts, then we can add more volume, intensity or complexity.
Read this: Are you Overtraining or Making Progress Toward your Goals?
We have all probably seen crazy exercise videos on Youtube or TV.
Big athletes, lifting huge loads, racing through an obstacle course or similar.
Its cool to watch these people perform, but many fail to realize that these guys and girls have been training for years, while you’ve been sitting at a desk.
The tough reality is that most of us lead sedentary lives, leaving our bodies stiff, weak and dysfunctional.
When someone starts a new workout program, they want to try all of the cool stuff, but may not have the ability to do it safely.
Its better to start simple. Work on mobility, balance, crawling, pushing, pulling, squatting and other foundational movement patterns. This will help you develop the strength, coordination and body awareness to move efficiently. Once you move efficiently and have a good foundation, then we can learn more complex lifts, try new things and add intensity.
Here are a few basic exercises: 7 Exercises That Everyone Should Include in Their Workouts
Starting an exercise program is an exciting time. We have literally watched thousands of people transform, improve, and overcome over the last few years. By using some of the principles discussed, you can avoid some common pitfalls and speed up your progress in the gym this year. Start slow, stay consistent and you will be happy with the results.
Innovative Results was voted #1 gym in Orange County and is quickly becoming the ‘household name’ for fitness in Southern California.
Aubrie Pohl says
The beginning of a fitness journey can often be overwhelming because of the infinite amount of information thrown around the media. Innovative Results has decades of cumulative experience and knowledge and is a great place for someone to start their journey because the trainers know how to create a proper foundation and progress from there. They know how to gradually increase the performance, emphasize recovery, and stick with the great simple and foundational movement patterns. From the very beginner to the athlete stuck in a plateau, Innovative Results will structure a plan to get the most out of one’s workout.