Dear Young Fitness Friends…

Every one of us that has been in this fitness game for any length of time, started off as a newbie.  In our early stages of fitness, we were eager to learn, but had no idea where to start.  I was the same way.  I loved playing sports as a kid, and as I hit my freshman year in high school, I also started to incorporate lifting weights “here and there.”  I loved it from the get-go, but really had no idea what I was doing.

Am I doing this right?

This led me to do some investigating; what are the best exercises?  Do I do a set of one exercise, rest and then do the same exercise?  Or do two different exercises, alternating back and fourth?  Cardio before weights, or the other way around?  How many days per week should I lift?  What are the best rep ranges?  And the more I looked into it, the more confused I got.  The “answer” to one question just led to whole new set of questions.  But then, things started to change for me.  I met a person that greatly influenced me.  His name is Cy Willson.  He was a guy at the local gym that was known for being very smart, with a very good physique.  One day I approached him with a few questions and he was more than happy to help me out.  He answered every e-mail that I sent him (100s of e-mails!!!) and even met with me one day to go over a notebook full of questions I had for him.

Cy also new Dr. John Berardi and told me that I should start reading some of his work.  So I did – and I learned a ton.  Dr. Berardi was also gracious enough to answer many questions that I had and I’ve since attended a few seminars that John has presented in.

I talk more about the coaches that have influenced the most, in THIS POST.

Since I’ve always been so appreciate of people like Cy and John, I feel it’s my duty to “pass it on” to people that are just getting involved in fitness and are a) not sure where to start, and/or b) looking for more information to help them achieve greater results.

With that said, here are seven tips to help the newbies get started on the right path in their fitness journey.

#1) Show Up

What’s a better exercise for your triceps – the close-grip bench press, or overhead tricep extensions?  It doesn’t matter at all if you don’t CONSISTENTLY get to the gym.  Showing up is the first step and probably the most important step.

#2) Keep A Training Log

It’s hard to know what’s working and what isn’t if you are just “winging it” every time you go to the gym.  Having a plan and recording your training sessions can teach you a lot.  And just as important, a training log is a huge for motivation.  Human nature has us wanting to outdo our previous performance.  Lets say that last Monday you totalled 24 chin-ups over the course of 4 sets.  Well, when next Monday rolls around and you have 18 total reps going into your final set, believe me, you are going to dig down a little deeper to be able to get 7 reps on that last set (for a total of 25 reps).

One. More. Rep.

#3) Form First

I tell my new clients the golden rule is, FORM FIRST.  I don’t want them to worry about adding weight until they’ve mastered form while using a full range of motion. It’s important for new trainees to put their bodies through many, many, many “perfect” reps to be able to get an idea of what the exercise should feel like.  Grooving that proper pattern is key.  Once this is mastered, there may be a little room for some “body english” from time to time.  But for staying healthy and performing optimally over the long haul – form first!

#4) Compound Movements

Exercises that use many muscles at one will get you results much faster than doing isolation exercise after isolation exercise.  It will also save you time and set you up for better results down the road.  Yes, there DEFINITELY is a time and place for isolation exercises (i.e. bicep curls).  But make compound movements (i.e. push-ups, chin-ups, deadlifts, squats) your staple – especially early on in your “career.”

#5) What You Drink Matters!

You can be “money” when it comes to the food that you put in your mouth.  But if you are not being equally as strict with what you drink, you may just have to kiss the idea of getting great results, good bye.  It’s very easy to guzzle down sugar filled drink after sugar filled drink without even realizing it.  So, be careful here.  Make water and green tea your staple beverage.

#6) Have Fun

Have fun while you are working out.  But just as importantly, enjoy life outside of the weight room (or track, or pool, or pilates studio, or wherever it is that you are working out).  I’ve always tried to make sure that I include cheat meals and fun – a few beers here and there, a pepperoni pizza, reese’s pieces, etc., from time to time.

Man I love these things!

But the key is, to get RIGHT BACK ON TRACK and truly treat this kind of behavior as a treat, NOT a staple.  Life is too short to be so strict and never enjoy a little fun here and there.  But it is also too short to be average.  So find that happy medium … work hard, but don’t be afraid to “play” from time-to-time.

#7) Have A Great Support Group

If you are really excited about making fitness a big part of your life, but your closest friends spend the majority of their time playing video games and smoking cigarettes, then chances are it’s just not going to happen for you.  There’s nothing like having a good training partner there to help hold you accountable, push you harder than you thought you could be pushed, and someone to enjoy your time with.  As I mentioned in #6, if you must have fun.  If you hate your experience in the gym, it probably won’t last.

So there you go my newbie fitness peeps – soon to be sexified fitness peeps.  My top tips to help you get started.  If you’re a veteran in this game and have some other greats tips for the newbies out there, let us see them in the comments section below.

And if you have any fitness friends looking for a place to start, feel free to share this (and/or hit the like the button below) with them.

You can find me on twitter @DannyMcLarty