How To Create A Realistic Gym Routine For Beginners

Originally published on Relish Growth.

This post will share how to create a gym routine for beginners.

I recently returned to the gym after months of hiatus caused by the lockdowns.

As expected, this set all my fitness goals backwards.

While I did not necessarily need to start from scratch because I knew what I was doing, I had to establish a semblance of a routine.

I also needed to narrow my goals to determine what muscle group I should pay more attention to.

Yes, it’s nice to desire an all-around fit body, but breaking your workouts into muscle groups helps you give them optimal attention for the best results.

So, I renewed my gym membership, got some cute workout outfits for the Summer and readjusted my diet to prioritize protein.

It’s been over six weeks, and my mental health has never improved.

It doesn’t help that I’m also going through a breakup, so I need all the distractions I can possibly get.

The gym has come in super handy at this point in my life.

Anyway, if you’re a beginner unsure how to create a realistic jargon-free gym routine, I hope these tips help you as much as they have helped me.

Here’s How To Create A Gym Routine for Clueless Beginners.

Yes, it’s nice to go for an occasional run or hop on the treadmill occasionally.

But if you don’t have specific fitness goals, you’ll just exercise in circles and not have results to look forward to.

Trust me, having results to look forward to motivates you to get up early in the morning or evening, even when you don’t feel like it.

This brings me to my first point;

Determine your Fitness Goals

As I mentioned, you have no yardstick to measure effectiveness without goals.

So, if you want a toned look, including abs, defined arms, bigger booty and/or thick thighs, you must be honest with yourself.

It’s absolutely fine to desire these things as long as you’re ready to work for them without taking shortcuts.

Determine How Often you want to Workout.

Some people can work out every single day and feel fine.

While those like me can only do three to four days of intensive workouts per week.

I don’t have a quick recovery time yet, so I must rest to prevent injuries.

As a beginner, you must start slowly and not pressure yourself to work out daily for no reason.

As such, one to three times a week is perfect for you.

You don’t want to overwhelm yourself. At the same time, you also need to be frequent enough to encourage consistency.

Plan your Pre and Post Workout Meals

I’m not particularly fond of getting my workout meals from synthetic sources.

I prefer to get mine from actual food.

So be it if it means eating two or three eggs daily or as much salmon as possible.

So, you need to consider nutritious foods you already enjoy that can serve as pre- and post-workout meals.

You also need to consider meals that will give you the energy to sustain you throughout your workout routine.

It goes without saying that for your pre-workout meals, avoid heavy meals that will weigh you down and make you tired.

You can save your heavy meal as a post-workout meal when you are ravenous for food to replenish your energy.

Examples of Pre-workout Meals are;

• Peanut-Butter Sandwich/Bagel
• Greek Yogurt, Granola and Berries
• Protein Smoothies
• Bananas and hard-boiled Eggs
• Scrambled Eggs and Avocado.

While I put more effort into my pre-workout meals, I don’t overthink my post-workout meals.

I just ensure I eat a balanced diet afterwards.

Don’t skip or try to cut corners around food to reach your goals faster.

You’re doing your body a great disservice.

Get comfortable Workout Outfits.

You do not need to break the bank to get cute workout outfits.

They’re comfortable, and you can move around in different directions without them ripping apart.

Then you’re good.

If possible, try to go one size higher than your regular size to ensure enough wiggle room even when they shrink.

If you can afford it, go ahead and invest in branded outfits; otherwise, you’re okay with what you can start with.

Just make sure you have enough that will sustain you for the week.

Create a routine of sorts.

One of the most essential tips for creating a gym routine for beginners is to have an actual routine.

I’ve tried to freestyle my workouts out of laziness, and they never end well.

While I have nowhere close to the knowledge of personal trainers, I know enough to keep me going.

Also, you don’t need too many exercises anyway.

Start with a few core ones and be consistent with them.

I know that exercise is broadly divided into Strength Training and Cardio.

It is okay for a beginner to have a primary routine around cardio.

But then, if you have specific goals like losing weight or building muscle, you need to incorporate strength training as there is only so much cardio can do.

You can also burn twice the number of calories from strength training than cardio.

Top Gym Machines for Cardio Workouts

Here are the machines you can use at the gym for your cardio workout;

• Treadmill
• Rowing Machine
• Recumbent Bike
• Stair Climber
• Airdyne

30 – 45 minutes on any of these machines two to three times a week is a great way to start your gym routine as a beginner.

Strength Training Gym Workout Plan

Many women are scared of the weights sections, and for good reason.

I was once in their shoes until I had to overcome that fear once and for all.

Lifting weights can be quite daunting, but the best way to start is with the lightest weights.

Either dumbbells, weighted plates, or barbells.

Always start small to avoid causing injuries.

The most effective way to get results in strength training is to target the different muscle groups.

The best way to do this is to split your workouts into upper and lower body.

The upper and lower body routines are perfect for you if you work out thrice a week.

If you want to workout four times a week, here’s an idea for a 4 day workout split for females.

But if you’re working out five to six times a week, you can split the upper body further into the chest, shoulders, back and arms.

You can also split the lower body into glutes, hamstrings and quads.

But for the sake of a new beginner, here’s an easy way to split your strength training into two with accompanying exercises;

• Upper Body Training
  • Shoulder-lateral raises Arnold press.
  • Chest – bench press, incline dumbell press.
  • Back – bent over row, standing rear delt.
  • Biceps – bicep curl, overhead press.
  • Triceps – tricep dips, overhead tricep press.
• Lower Body Training
  • Glutes – Romanian deadlifts, Bulgarian split squats
  • Hamstrings – single leg deadlift, kettlebell swings
  • Quads – front squat, leg press

While these might seem overwhelming, you don’t need to do more than four to five exercises in one session. Especially since a lot of these exercises target multiple muscle groups at the same time.

In Conclusion,

I hope you have found this post on creating a gym routine for beginners useful. I hope it has helped you overcome your fear of the gym and inspired you to take that first step.