How to get started on your lifting journey with No Experience | A step by step Guide
Today we’re going to guide you through the beginning phases of your lifting journey — in just six steps!
If you’re starting from scratch and have never stepped foot in the gym before, you’re going to learn everything you need to know in order to feel confident and prepared to start your lifting journey.
This blog will walk you through:
What to do before you sign up to a gym
How to build mind-muscle connection
Practical ways of addressing gym anxiety
How to structure your workouts for your goals
Progressive overload in your training programs (and the variables that matter)
Finding ways to stay consistent
STEP 1 — LEARN THE BASICS
Start with getting familiar with some of the basic lifting knowledge. You may already be familiar with some of it already!
Basic Anatomy
Understanding where your muscles are located is key to building mind-muscle connection. If you’re going to perform a lat pull down, you should know where your lats are located so that you’re able to target that muscle group properly.
If you feel like you’re just going through with the movement, rather than connecting with the movement, then this is something that you want to continue to work on, because this is often how many end up sacrificing their form.
Begin learning where your main muscle groups are located so that you can begin practicing mind-muscle connection, for step two. You’ll continue to practice and learn this throughout your journey.
Warm-ups
Don’t skip your warm-ups. Warm-ups are crucial for waking up the muscles you’re going to train — and they will allow you to better engage with those muscles.
For example, when we sit all day, our body is in lengthened (glutes) and tightened (hip flexors) positions. If we head into the gym for a leg day without warming up, our performance will be limited. Of course, warming up can also prevent injuries.
Your warm-up depends on your needs and what it is that you’re training that day. For example, if you’re training legs; you should target your warm ups around your legs, and any other areas that may impact your lifts. If you’re training your full body, you should warm-up your full body.
The more prepared you are for your lifts, the better your results will be — and even more importantly, the safer it will be. They don’t have to take long; don’t skip your warm-ups.
Learn the Basic lifting Terms
The two important one’s that you need to know for sure are “sets” and “reps.”
A set is: a group of consecutive reps.
A rep is: the number of times that you perform an exercise’s movement in the set.
In your program, your exercises will be written out like this: “sets x reps.”
So for example:
3x12 = 3 sets of 12 reps
4x8 = 4 sets of 8 reps
3x3 = 3 sets of 3 reps
STEP TWO: PRACTICE mind-muscle connection
Next, you’re going to remove a layer of stress by practicing your mind-muscle connection with some of the most fundamental movements for lifting — and you’re going to do it all from home. Being able to practice in a place that you’re comfortable can be a game changer when you’re just starting.
Learning the fundamental movements in advance will also allow you to more easily transition into using the gym equipment, since many machines mimic the fundamental movements that you’ll be practicing.
For example, learning how to squat can help when you go to perform the leg press machine. The form and muscle activation will be very similar, and knowing the muscles that you want to feel can allow you to better engage during the movement.
To get you started, we’ve created a two day training plan to practice for 1 to 4 weeks before entering the gym.
The goal for this plan is for you to practice mind-muscle connection, muscle activation, and form improvement.
Start EacH day With a Warm-up:
Training Instructions for both days:
This program is designed for you to be able to practice without any equipment. If you do have access to dumbbells, you can use those instead. Otherwise, utilize home items such as soup cans (~1 lb), sturdy shopping bags with equally weighted items, and a backpack with heavy items.
Day 1:
3 sets x 8-12 reps (for each movement)
Day 2:
3 sets x 8-12 reps (for each movement)
This program will allow you to show up and build the habit of consistency before you get into the gym, while also giving you the space to get comfortable from home. After one to four weeks of practicing these movements, you should be ready to get into the gym.
STEP THREE: FIND THE RIGHT GYM FOR YOU
Different gyms have different vibes. Some gyms are more grungy and dark while others are more open and bright. Some gyms may have indoor pools and saunas, but they may not have kilo plates or specialty bars. It’s important to know what your wants & needs are when it comes to a gym.
Crossfit box gym
All women gym
Old school, grungy gym
Commercial gym (like Planet Fitness)
Powerlifting gym
If you’re not sure what type of environment would work well for you, start by exploring your local gyms on google. Check them out in person, get a tour at the gym to check out the equipment they have and the type of vibe the gym has.
You can also check out the gyms that your friends or family members already go to. Having accountability buddies is an extra bonus — and this will also help with building consistency.
STEP FOUR: FOLLOW A PROGRAM THAT MAKES SENSE FOR YOU
This is where we start diving into what other exercise variables go into creating a training program.
While you may not be completely comfortable with creating your own program — understanding your program, at the very least, can give you the trust and confidence in your plan, and it will also give you the ability to at least make simple adjustments on your own when needed!
When it comes to creating a training program, there are a few considerations that should go into it:
What are your goals?
What are your needs?
What are your abilities?
Exercise Selection
Before choosing your exercises you should learn more about what your strength and wellness needs may look like. You can do this by assessing your daily routines, habits, career, and hobbies.
For example, if you’re sitting down for most of the day, you may want to incorporate movements that are mostly standing and engaging your full core, since you don’t have much opportunity to do so as much throughout the day.
You can also look into past injuries and postural issues for areas that may need addressed for a well-rounded program that addresses your needs and goals.
It’s important to be intentional about the movements you’re choosing in your program. There are seven categories of fundamental movements that our bodies need to consistently be moved through for joint health.
Squat (ie: goblet squats, box squats, front squats)
Hinge (ie: sumo deadlift, romanian deadlift, conventional deadlift)
Lunge (ie: lateral lunge, walking lunge, reverse lunge)
Upper body push (ie: overhead press, chest press, dips)
Upper body pull (ie: pull-ups, rows, lat pull downs)
Rotation (ie: wood chop, russian twist, med ball rotation throw)
Gait (ie: farmer carries, incline walks, stairmaster)
Ensuring that we all have a balance of these movements in our daily lives will largely ensure that we maintain healthy muscles and joints, for life. While the volume and variables will matter, its important to consider your needs and abilities when you’re choosing your exercises as well. Your goals are important, but your needs and abilities must be considered too.
When starting out, you can aim to maintain 2x/ week to maintain your general health goals, and then work your way up with progressive overload over time.
As a beginner, the most important thing is to work towards form improvements, and your lifting progress (“newbie gains”) will happen without much effort in being an excellent programmer. If you know and understand the basics of adjusting the variables for progressive overload, you can begin creating your own program, or at least learn how to better understand the “science behind the structure” from your coach!
Progressive Overload
“Progressive overload” is the concept of gradually adjusting the following training variables in order to make them more challenging over time. Doing so gradually allows for you to challenge your body safely, and in a way that allows your body to fully recover.
The Training Variables:
Volume: This is calculated as sets × reps × weight. Higher volume is associated with muscle growth; lower volume is associated with strength. Adjusting your sets, reps, and weight in different ways will lead to different training adaptations.
Intensity: This is how hard an exercise is for a given set. When starting out, you can gauge your intensity using RPE’s (or RIR’s). If you’re working towards hypertrophy, you’ll usually want to train around RPE 7, while strength athletes will work between RPE 7-10. It all depends on the goal and the progression.
Frequency: This is how often you train a muscle group or movement. When you’re starting out, aim for 2-3x/ week to build the habit. Training 2x/ week is the standard recommendation for meeting general health goals. You can gradually add more days as you build consistency, just make sure you’re doing so gradually, as this also impacts your recovery.
Rest periods: This is the amount of time you rest between sets or exercises. Depending on your goals, you may want to rest anywhere from 30 seconds to 6 minutes per movement. If your goal is endurance, you may want to rest less, as part of the challenge. If your goal is to build strength, you may need to rest the full 6 minutes if you just maxed out and PR’d on a heavy lift. Generally, 2-3 minutes is a safe time to rest without getting cold, but you can always go when you feel ready. Rest is important for allowing more energy to the muscles.
Tempo: This is the speed at which you perform each rep. This is typically broken down into the concentric (lifting), eccentric (lowering), and isometric (pause) phases. Slow tempos can increase time under tension, promoting muscle growth, while faster tempos are often used in power and speed training.
Generally, you’ll stick with a program and these same movements for about 8-12 weeks. Over these weeks, your focus is to progress these movements (via the above training variables) in the ways in which you want to progress.
For example, if you want to build muscle, you may work within the rep ranges of 8-12 while trying to progress the weight over time within those ranges, while leaving some reps left in the tank. If your goal is to build strength, you may work within the rep ranges of 3-6 while trying to max out your weight during those lifts, leaving no reps left in the tank.
When you’re just starting out, you’ll want to work with light weight, focus on form, and start with muscular endurance and hypertrophy. From there, you can really begin to explore other fun areas of lifting that interest you (ie: heavy lifting or metcon), but its important to first build up a strong base so that you do this journey safely.
STEP FIVE: Managing GYM ANXIETY
We don’t want to let gym anxiety stall you from getting into the gym, but know that its normal to feel uncomfortable, and for lifting to feel unnatural, when you’re first getting started.
Following the previous steps will help you build your confidence up, but there’s more you can also do to help when you feel anxious at the gym:
Get familiar with the gym layout before you go (look at your training program and find where all of the equipment is ahead of time, use virtual tours or pictures from their website)
Find spaces in the gym where you can go to as a “home base” if you feel overwhelmed (overlook spots, the treadmills, corners, the stretch area) to recollect your thoughts
Go during off peak hours (less busy hours) for the first month or so to get comfortable
STEP SIX: STAYING CONSISTENT
#1: Find your “Why”
Dig deeper to find a meaningful reason why this goal matters to you. Think of the goal, beyond just the fat loss or muscle gain.
Consider how this healthy hobby can really help you to improve your life in bigger ways. Some ideas may be more time with family, an ability to go on more outdoor adventures, or feeling more ease with existing in your day-to-day.
#2: Don’t stop learning
Embrace the beginning phases of this experience — and don’t try to rush your way out of being a beginner. You will always be learning on this journey, even three and five years from now. In order to stay encouraged, continue to reward yourself in your efforts.
#3: don’t feel Like you Must Marry One Style of lifting
There are several styles of lifting that you can get involved with — don’t feel like you must consistently lift in the same style, if you plan to lift for life. You’ll want to ensure that you’re on a program that follows progressive overload as already mentioned, but its okay to change the variables in your program from one style to another, like adjusting from a focus in hypertrophy vs. muscular endurance.
. For example:
Powerlifting is focused on getting as strong as possible
Bodybuilding is focused on shaping the body in specific ways
Crossfit (metcon) is focused on improving both aerobic and anaerobic training
This is going to be an exciting beginning to your journey — have no expectation to be perfect, and if you want or need help along the way, you can apply for coaching with us below.
Stay strong, friends!
