Answer to the top 5 fitness questions every beginner asks
If you google top 10 fitness question every beginner should know you will get 5-10 different answers for every question.
Every website give you a different answer.
Some can have terrible advice, other’s might have great advice, but very few will have the advice you need or are specifically looking for.
So when you are looking for the right answers on getting started with exercise how do you know what the best advice for a beginner? how do you distinguish the difference between good and bad advice? and how do you know which one is best for you to apply?
Thats what this blog is for, we will break down the top 10 fitness question every beginner should know before starting to work out with specific nuances to each question so you know what is best for you to apply.
How often should I exercise?
For optimal health benefits the goal is reaching over 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity cardio or 75 mins of high intensity cardio a week with an additional 2-3 days of full body strength training.
However, optimal may not be practical for your schedule, fitness level, goals, or overall commitment, and thats ok. Instead of looking for a specific number of times a week to exercise take a close look at your goals and your schedule.
1) Analyzing your goals.
If you want to lose fat you’d want a minimum of 3 days a week of strength training.
If you want to build muscle or strength you’d want to shoot for 2-4 days a week.
If you want to improve your endurance 3-4 days of cardio is needed.
Now what that is the requirement of minimal optimal training your schedule may say otherwise, and how much time you can devote to exercise will vary.
Check out the image below to set your self up for success.
Therefore, before you get started with how many days you need its important to 1) make time in your schedule for exercise and plan for the days and time you actually have availiable.
But in general a great place to start is for 30 mins of either cardio, strength, or a mixture of the two, 3 days a week for the next 3 months.
This is your first goal to achieve when beginning to exercise. Once achieved you can then change it up and add another day, increase the amount of time or add to your intensity.
Until you are able to reach more than 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity cardio or 75 mins of high intensity cardio a week with an additional 2-3 days of full body strength training.
2. Is strength training better than cardio?
The most effective exercise plan as a beginner is the combination of both.
However from a disease prevention stand point having a good cardio fitness is more important, but from a fat loss and muscle building perspective strength training is better.
Therefore while cardio is more important than strength training for being healthy and living longer strength training is important for independent living and mobility.
So the answer is do both is better than one or the other.
But as a beginner you are probably want the answer to which one you you should start with
So when it comes to getting started the answer to your question is to choose the one you will be most consistent with and will help you reach your goals.
🚶♂️ If you are beginning your fat loss journey and want to lose fat focus on strength training 3 days a week with 30 min brisk walk daily.
🏋♂️ If you want to build muscle or strength focus on strength training 3-4 days a week. As a beginner this would be ideal since you can make the most gains when you are first starting out.
🚴♂️ If you want to improve your endurance prioritize 4 days of cardio.
It might be optimal to get started with both, but when it doubt pick the one you enjoy the most that will help you reach your goals.
It is better to be consistent with one than to inconsistently implement both at the same time.
3. Are rest days important?
Is rest important?
Rest days, rest between sets, and rest time between work outs are super important for your health, recovery, cellular repair, and strength.
However, most people take too much rest and don't work out hard enough. While few work out too hard and don’t rest enough.
So here is what you need to know and how to properly apply rest to help you on your health and fitness journey.
🧘♂️Rest days.
Rest days do not mean be sedentary.
Proper rest is making sure you are hitting your steps, going out for a walk out in nature, hydrating, eating enough protein, getting quality sleep, and taking time to stretch or do mobility work.
Resting is actively participating in your health and recover, not pigging out or being sedentary all day.
This sounds counter intuitive but when you put effort into being restful you actually help your body rest.
Research shows that active rest is more restful than pigging out and being sedentary all day.
Don't get me wrong those days are needed once in awhile but they shouldn't be the primary way to get quality rest.
Rest is time to move your body in healthy ways that prepare your body for movement again.
🛌 How often should I rest
Generally, 24 hours is more than enough recovery time for cardio and working out separate muscle groups.
If you did < 5 miles you can go run again the next day again,
but keep in mind this run should not be at the same intensity, switch up the pace, or get on an elliptical or bike.
If you are lifting you’d want to give your muscles 48-72 hours of rest before working out the same muscle group depending on your soreness.
For example, if you did legs on Monday, you don’t need to take Tuesday off.
You can work out upper body Tuesday. The goal is to give the same muscle group rest but still work out a different muscle group.
Now if you worked out your full body then you would want 48 hours of rest before working out your full body again.
And even if you are working out twice a day, resting for 5-7 hours in the same day can be enough.
This provides you enough days of exercise while still giving you enough rest throughout the week.
🏋♀️Rest between sets should be rest.
You should work out hard enough to need rest. If you are shadow boxing, doing abs, or cardio during your "rest" you did not work out hard enough.
Rest time is needed to see improvements in strength and muscle muscle mass.
Generally 1-2 mins of rest is more than enough but if you are lifting super heavy and hard than you could rest 3-5 mins.
Therefore when it comes to rest, it does take practice and some knowledge, but when properly applied it can be a tool that takes your training and exercise routine to another level.
4. Can I exercise when I am sore?
As you exercise as a beginner it can be common to question whether you should work out when you are sore.
But not every time you work you will you feel sore.
DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) usually happens after vigorous exercise that your body is not used to or a new repetitive movement that your body is not used to. DOMS is that sore, stiff, and heavy feeling you get 24-72 hours after training.
It is not bad for you (unless it is overdone) but depending on the level of soreness you feel and the type of exercise are are doing you should be able to train.
DOMS can make your legs feel stiff and heavy therefore doing explosive movement or plyometrics when your body is sore may increase your risk of injury.
So DOMS can affect the speed at which you exercise and cause your muscle to have a delayed response if they are severely sore.
So you want to avoid doing two heavy or high intensity work outs back-to-back.
But sometimes some soreness can make you feel good and strong.
On the other hand if you are only a little sore and doing machine work at the gym or have a lighter lift that day you will be able to jump right into your work out with out any issue.
In addition, you are still able to switch up your routine and focus on muscles which either aren’t as sore or sore at all.
Something to be mindful of is that:
DOMS ≠ a good work out
DOMS ≠ greater muscle growth
DOMS ≠ great muscle strength
It strictly means you either did something your body is not used to, worked out way to hard (if it’s severe) or worked out slightly above what your body is used to.
While soreness is not an indicator of a good work out you do want to feel slightly sore. However, if you don’t feel any soreness after every workout thats ok and it does not mean it was a less effective.
Because soreness can be do “newness” with an exercise the more consistent you are and the more fit you are the less susceptible you may be to feeling sore.
But as a bigger, to answer your question the best advice is to exercise around your soreness, eat lots of fruits and vegetables to reduce soreness, and work out muscles that are not as sore.
5. How much weight should I lift
Is an extremely common question to ask when you are beginning your fitness journey so you are not alone in asking this question and it’s a great question to ask and the answer is simple choose a weight that’ feels “heavy” for you.
When you choose a weight for strength training there is objectively heavy weight and subjectively heavy weight.
Objectively heavy is weight that is heavy to lift regardless of who you are, but can be easier to lift for others.
For example for you lifting 300 lbs might be heavy but for the the strongest man in the world (who lifts 1,185 lb) it would not be too heavy.
In the same way for you lifting 20 lbs might be easy but for a cancer survivor undergoing chemo 20 lbs might feel heavy.
Therefore the goal is to choose what feels “heavy” for you. No body can decide objectively what that is. However, there are some guidelines to go by to know whether it is too heavy for you when starting out.
1) You should be able to complete all reps in a set with proper form and technique.
2) You should be able to lift the weight and have to push yourself to finish the last 3-4 reps of each set.
3) If you could easily do 15-20 reps it is to light for you and you need more weight. You should not be able to do more than 15 reps. On the other hand, if you’re struggling to do 6 reps it is too heavy.
4) You should always immediately stop if your form is starting to get worse.
Remember your safety is always more important than getting one extra rep and if you can’t lift the weight with proper form than the rep doesn’t count.
How can I get started?
The best way to begin is by taking action and for that we have designed the 10 steps to getting started:
📅 Look at your calendar and realistically figure out how many days a week you could go for a brisk walk.
⌛ Establish the minimal amount of time you can slot in a brisk walk, and determine what’s the maximal amount of time.
🤓Get help ask, join a class, or get a plan.
📈 Work your way up to the full amount of time. Try to give your self 2-3 months to achieve this goal. The longer you work at it, the more consistent you will be.
❌Do not rush the process; focus on consistency. Give your self the next 2-3 months to work on this goal
⚡Increase your intensity to the point where you can talk but not sing, OR see if you can sustain that walk at your minimal target heart rate.
👉Click here to get your free work out plan today.
The plan is already designed for you to get started with today at no cost to you. Because we want you to have one less thing to worry about.
All the exercises are chosen for you to exercise safely and are quick an easy to do with most requiring no equipement so you can work out from the comfort of your own home.
The plan also includes a movement tutorial so you know how to proper do each movement and don’t have to question whether you are doing it right or wrong.
Lastly, you will get free access to an exercise physiologist in case you have any questions and always make sure to consult your doctor or physical therapist when getting started with exercise. and show it to them later to make sure you can do all the exercises.
Click here to get it downloaded for free today 💪
