Don’t be Afraid to be a Beginner! – Part I

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Everyone starts something new as a beginner, or otherwise known as a novice. This is no different for the person who wants to start a fitness program and has never really worked out before. The hardest part is getting started!
The beginner is defined as, “a person who is inexperienced; novice.” – Dictionary.com. The term beginner can also be applied to the amount of exposure to fitness training and then subsequently the amount of training adaptation or fitness created. Beginners have had limited time under training and have lots of potential to grow and improve quickly.
When I created 40fit, I had in mind a target audience of anyone over the age of 40 who wanted to improve their quality of life and fitness. Obviously, because of the close connection with the CrossFit and barbell training communities, the website and blogs have been tailored to a fitness population. All of the principles presented at 40fit can be applied to all individuals who are seeking more fitness and health. I understand that some individuals will arrive at our site and see the word “athlete,” and the pictures of fit Masters, and immediately exclude themselves from our target population. But please don’t do that! YOU are our target audience if you want evidenced based fitness information and a community to support you! Everyone is an athlete at the game of life! Whether you are starting out on your journey to a fit body, or you are an experienced athlete, there is something here for you.

So, if you are sitting on the couch and not exercising or training at this time, this blog is for YOU! Let’s face it, no one likes to be that person who shows up to the gym and has no direction or idea where to start. It can be extremely intimidating and without a program, coaching or a friend, most people won’t stick with it. The prospect of not knowing what to do, and the feeling of being the odd man out, can be discouraging enough to get people to quit. So where do you start?

Follow these simple elements to get started and you can’t help but succeed!

Effective Elements of a Beginner Fitness Program

  1. The program needs to have a GOAL in mind – what do YOU want from your fitness program? Lose weight, gain muscle, feel and look better, increase your athleticism for sport or competition?
  2. The program needs to have STRENGTH as the foundation and then power, endurance, mobility and skill training-STRENGTH training is the foundation of any fitness program and all other physical abilities rely on it. STRENGTH is the number one physical capacity to decline with aging, so why wouldn’t it be a priority?
  3. Nutrition needs to support the training and developing of a lean, fit body – Without proper nutrition the body can’t grow muscle and lose fat. The large majority of how your body looks is based on your diet and not training!
  4. Sleep and Recovery needs to support training (8+ hrs sleep, adequate rest days between training)
  5. The program needs to be Scheduled as part of your day, not something EXTRA – When you begin to think about your fitness as part of personal daily hygiene, get ready for great results!
  6. Find a supportive Community of like minded people – “For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.” Rudyard Kipling
  7. Where available and resources allow find a fitness Coach – “Each person holds so much power within themselves that needs to be let out. Sometimes they just need a little nudge, a little direction, a little support, a little coaching, and the greatest things can happen.” Pete Carroll (NFL coach)

Stay tuned to the next blog for the nuts and bolts of Beginner Fitness Training!

Coach D

 

2016-05-25T09:49:16+00:00

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