💪 Get Fit

Getting fit can be easy!

Strength training can feel overwhelming at first. What’s with all those dumbbells? How does all that machinery work? Where do you start?

Getting fit doesn’t have to be scary. By following just a few fundamentals, anyone can get started at the gym!

Design Your Workout

The basics: great exercise, great food

It might be tempting to skip all that complex-looking machinery and head straight for the treadmill, but if you do, you’re missing out on the best the gym has to offer. In addition to increased strength and muscle tone, research shows that an effective strength training program provides a major boost to health, including:

Increased flexibility
Decreased likelihood of injury
A boosted metabolism
Improved posture
Better sleep

By supporting your total body workout with well-timed, nutrition-dense foods, you’ll be on your way to slimming down, shaping up, and feeling great every day.

The Muscle Groups

The essential principle of a total body workout is just that – exercise your whole body!

When picking exercises for a total body workout, it helps to think of your body in sections. Each section represents a major muscle group that you’ll want to target with a selected exercise. Pick one exercise for each of the following sections:

Chest
Back
Shoulders
Biceps
Triceps
Thighs
Glutes
Abs

You can do your exercises in any order, but it’s a good idea to keep tabs on how you feel as the workout progresses. Even though each exercise targets a specific muscle group or two, the rest of your body is still working to keep you stable when you move. If your arms are getting tired, try an exercise that focuses on your legs next so your arms can rest!

An Example Workout

Once you’ve selected an exercise, you’ll want to do 3 sets of 8-15 repetitions for each. Each set should be followed by 30-60 seconds of rest, depending on how you're feeling. When first getting started, you can rely on bodyweight to build up stability, but if you’re starting to hit 15 reps without feeling a burn, it’s time to start challenging yourself with dumbbells.

Here’s an example workout to help you get started.

Muscle Group	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Weight
Chest	Dumbbell Bench Press	3	x10	10 lbs.
Back	Standing Dumbbell Row	3	x10	10 lbs.
Thighs & Glutes	Dumbbell Squat	3	x10	12 lbs.
Shoulders	Dumbbell Seated Shoulder Press	3	x8	8 lbs.
Biceps	Dumbbell Bicep Curl	3	x8	8 lbs.
Triceps	Dumbbell Overhead Tricep Extension	3	x8	10 lbs.
Abs	Sit Ups	3	x15	n/a

Of course, exercise itself is only half the equation. In order to make sure your muscles grow, you’ll have to properly feed them!

Nourish Your Body

Nourish Your Body

The Secret is Protein

Exercise pushes us to our limits, which can cause muscle fibers to break. In the long term, this is good, since our body repairs our muscles better and stronger than they were before in order to keep up with the exercise. Its our how muscles grow! But our bodies need nutrients to repair the muscles, and the most important nutrient for repairing muscle is protein.

Protein is a complex combination of amino acids found in foods like fish, meat, dairy, and eggs. If you’re vegan, protein can also be found in moderate amounts in quinoa, amaranth, legumes, and peas.

The Other Secret is Timing

It’s not just what you eat, but when you eat as well.

In order to make the most of your workout, your body will need some energy to burn while at the gym. 45 minutes before your total body workout, have a small meal consisting of protein and carbs. The carbs will give you fast energy, and protein will carry you through the end of your workout.

After exercising, your body immediately sets to work restoring energy to your muscles and repairing damaged fibers. In order to supply your body with everything it needs, eat a post-workout meal consisting of whole foods and 20-40 grams of protein. Getting in your post-workout meal will decrease the likelihood of being sore later on, and it’ll increase your ability to recover. Try not to wait too long after a workout to eat—your body needs that protein within 2 hours of exercising to make the most of it.

Try out these pre- and post-workout meals the next time you exercise!

Pre-Workout Meal (45 minutes before)

1 Medium Banana

Protein: 1.3 grams
Carbs: 27 grams

Greek yogurt (1 container)

Protein: 17 grams
Carbs: 6 grams

Post-Workout Meal (15 mins – 2 hours after)

1 chicken breast

Protein: 43 grams
Carbs: 0 grams

1 cup rice

Protein: 5 grams
Carbs: 45 grams

1 cup green beans

Protein: 1.8 grams
Carbs: 7 grams

Between the fundamentals of food and exercise, you have all you need to get started! But just in case, more resources are available on our FAQ.

FAQ

FAQ

Do I need a gym membership to do total body workouts?

Not at all! Gyms are a great since they provide you with space and equipment to exercise, and let’s not forget the accountability of meeting friends for a workout. However, with the right exercise selection, total body workouts can be done at home. Use your body weight or purchase a small set of dumbbells to get started, then see what you need to improve.

Do I need a personal trainer?

Hiring a personal trainer is an excellent choice for beginners. Much of strength training relies on proper form and building confidence at the gym. If you’re just getting started, personal trainers can help guide you in choosing the best workouts and foods for your individual body. They’re also a great way to build good diet and exercise habits, since a good trainer will help you troubleshoot schedules and hold you accountable. Once you’re feeling confident, though, feel free to break out on your own or ask your trainer for next steps!

How do I know when to increase the weight?

Most strength exercises should include 3 sets of 8-15 reps. If you’re not able to complete 3 sets of 8 reps, try bringing the weight down. If you’re hitting 3 sets of 15 reps without feeling the burn, it’s time to move up (and get an extra set in at your new weight!)

Where can I find exercise tutorials?

YouTube is an excellent resource for free workout tutorials.
Try it out!

Help, I don’t know how to cook!

Food is such an important to building muscle, so cooking and meal planning are essential skills for success. To learn kitchen basics, try out Foodist Kitchen. And for easy meal plans and recipes, CookSmarts is an excellent choice!

💪Get Fit