A fitness guide for extreme beginners.

[Nomad92]

Hello.

I have seen many people searching for the " right-workout " to get fit. I've also seen  people who are more busy working on their excercise-schedule rather than actually focusing on their actual workout.

This is why I am going to post an extremely simple to understand excercise-guide/plan in to this comment, so every beginner who is willing to give it a go, can just COPY and PASTE it in to a text-file and just go on with it for several weeks, months or even years. 

PLEASE NOTE: You can or even SHOULD double the amount of sets and amount of time you are running IF you feel it is not challenging you anymore at all. Be also aware that I am not an authorised fitness-coach nor medical-carer. I've gained my knowledge from years over years of martial art and workout practice. Again, I am NOT  an authorised or licensed trainer. Just someone who is physically extremely healthy and fit due his own workout and knowledge I have gained all by myself.

Well, let's get it on. The schedule I am going to post will be very very basic, if you should not be able to understand how certain excercises work, just copy and paste the name of the excercise in to google and you will usually find several results, but choose your source wisely.

Preparation: 15 minutes basic warm-up and basic-stretching.

Cardio before workout: 45 minutes run. ( in your own pace, with slow to normal-speed intervals if necessary ).

Basic-press-ups: 10x4 

Spiderman-press-ups: 10x3

Tricep-dips: 25x3

Standard-crunch: 20x3

Reverse-crunch:12x3

Side-Crunch: 15x2

Basic-plank: 35 seconds x 2

Dorsal-hold: 1 minutes x 2

Squats: 20x3

Explosive-diamond-press-ups: 10x2 ( explosive literally means fast and with a lot of power )

Explosive-bicycle-sit-ups: 10x2

Scissor-kick-crunches: 3x20 seconds.

Cooldown: You are able to find basic cooldown videos on youtube and other sources.

PLEASE NOTE: You should make a 10 seconds break between each set, if you feel extremely exhausted, allow yourself to rest a little bit longer. This schedule is something you can do every other day. I am following schedules usually every day with exceptations of the weekend, I am also not believing in leg days and arm days, I believe in the full-program on a daily base, and a good and long nights sleep and a good and healthy diet. Your body will rest enough when you get your 8 hrs sleep each night and a relaxing weekend, but this of course is my individual opinion and experience, and not the opinion of the public.

PS: You can of course modify this schedule as you want, I have just created the basics for very beginners who have never or hardly worked out before, HOWEVER, this schedule includes excercises for your core abs, uppers and lower abdomials, legs, arms and back. If you follow this schedule as it is like 3 times a week ( to begin with ) you are doing pretty well !

No hate, no flame, no hard feelings. Either like it, or leave it. Worked for me and many other friends I've advised.

Cheers.

[FitBeforeFifty]

I don't think there is anything wrong with your routine, there are a million different routines that can work but a 2 hour workout seems like a lot for a beginner. How many beginners can run for 45 minutes ? Even if they could run for 45 minutes, how many would have enough endurance to even think of strength training afterwards. I can do it but I'm not a beginner.

[Nomad92]

I've wrote 45 min because I want beginners to push themselves. This is why I recommend intervals in which they run extremely slow paced and then push themselves for like 30 seconds to run a bit faster. If someone is seriously exhausted to run 45. He/she can modify and just, let's say run for 15 - 20 minutes.

No life depends from this schedule, I just wrote it as I would create it for a male/female who is average weight, average height, average daily activity, average health.

An average beginner is able to push to 45 and do the schedule, but some might can't do all sets, this is totally fine and will come within weeks and months.

The schedule is meant to be simple in it's structure and in it's way of guiding, but it is meant to be a challenge for your body. Because this is what workout is, hard work and sweat.

Cheers.

[A_Lurker]

My first weight training session in a very long time (so as close to an extreme beginner) is copied below.  When I first did this many years ago it pretty much killed me.  Even getting back to it I ended up on the floor afterwards.  I wouldn't have lasted likely through the routine you posted.  It might be okay for extremely fit beginners, but that's about it.

Beginners to lifting might want to do a shorter warm-up, get into your routine, then add HIIT at the end.  When I was at my fittest (please note that I was still well over 250 at that point)  I used to end the work-out with planks and such outside, then do slow and all out laps around the pool... eventually ending up in it.  I'd rather be tired at the end without a bar over my head. 

(copied from an earlier post)

- 10 mins warm up (walked around, did some walking lunges)

- 8 squat to stand

- 2x5 lateral lunges

- 2x5 reverse lunges with overhead reach

- 8 inchworms

- 8 bodyweight squats

2 x 15 barbell squats (bar only, bar+5lbs)

2 x 15 push-ups (doing 60-degree at the moment)

2 x 15 bent over rows (bar+5, bar+15)  <-- this definitely could have been heavier

2 x 15 step ups (onto 8" step, each leg)  <-- this killed me

2 x 8 prone jackknife <-- I still have a tendency to fall off the ball  

The squats create an issue as I have to lift the bar on to my shoulders.  I likely will never go that heavy with it, however, I am doing this with a bodyweight still over 300 lbs.

[GershonSurge]

@Nomad92,

I'm glad you started this topic. In my opinion, the term "extreme beginner" needs to be defined based on the person's physical condition and their knowledge of resistance training. 

You might say I'm a beginner. I'm 63, 6'0 tall and weigh 170 pounds. I've been into cardio most of my life, but have never lifted weights. That changed on Jun 19th. I'd sprained a back muscle, so I couldn't run anymore until it healed. I decided to join Planet Fitness since it is close to home, inexpensive, and open 24 hours.

I'm working with an excellent trainer from Planet Fitness and we meet every Friday for accountibility and to refine my workouts. One of the guys who works there is a former powerlifting champion for the Marines, so he is another source of advice. 

I workout every day and rotate emphasis on different parts of the body every day with a three routine cycle. There is some overlap, so some body parts get attention every day. The workouts take up to 90 minutes. I'll be increasing the number of exercises in each routine to 15 as I add a few things. I've only missed one day since June 19th. 

For exercises that are not done with body weight, I do three sets with reps of 10, 8 and 6. I gradually increase the resistance. For body weight exercises, I keep the same ratio and do three sets. For instance with pushups, I'd do 20, 16 and 12 reps. 

Here are my beginner routines.

Day 1

Date Level Completed	Barbell Curls	Barbell Tricep Extension	Dumbbells - Arnold Press	Dumbbells Lateral extension	Bench Leg Raises	Bench V-ups	Dumbells, Goblet Squat	Dumbbells Side Lean (Left and Right)	Push ups	Flutter Kicks	Situps	Extensions (Ab Room)
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12

Day 2 (Exercise machines)

Leg Press: (Setting 6)	Leg Extension (Setting: L)	Leg Curl (Setting: L)	Chest Press (Setting: 6)	Lateral Pulldown (Setting: 5)	Seated Row	Shoulder Press	Preacher's Curl (Setting 7)	Tricep extension - Preachers (Setting: 7)	Abdominal
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10

Day 3

Pull-up,  (Wide Handles)	Pull-up,  (Middle Handles)	Pull-up,  (Inside Handles)	Dips	Dumbbell Bench Press	Dumbbell Bench Press, 30 Degrees	Barbell Shoulder Press (Military Press)	Standing Dumbell Upright Row	Barbell Shrugs, Straight Bar	Barbell Behind the Back Shrugs - Straight Bar	Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise	Palm up Dumbbell  Curl Over a Bench	Palm Down Dumbbell Curl Over a Bench
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13

In a few days, I'll be adding an hour and a half run each day after resistance training

[Nomad92]

Very interesting, this schedule would fail every beginner though.

Beginners don't want to buy equipment nor want to make the way to the fitness-studio every other day.

A beginner usually wants to just start and workout, this is why I strongly recommend calisthenics.

Your guide would rather be " How to start off in body-building ".

However, thanks for your detailed schedule, maybe there is one or the other beginner who would like to go the way of metal and steel rather than blood and bones.

Cheers.