I recommend beginners get efficient with their workouts, i.e. do a lot of work in a short amount of time.  The idea is to push yourself hard to get a full workout done in an hour. 

Beginners often struggle with two things. 

  • The first is being consistent in the gym, often saying they don’t have enough time to get three or more workouts in during the week. 
  • The second is when they are at the gym, they often have less than optimal workouts because they are too busy getting distracted.

Both of these can be solved by having a clear workout program that is designed for beginners and can be done in under an hour.  This will keep you focused and feeling like you’re accomplishing a lot by the end of the workout.

Once you get three workouts a week at an hour each, and you are doing all your exercises every workout with efficiency, look to add another workout in the week to take your results to the next level

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5. Put Your Phone on DO NOT DISTURB Mode

I suggest you turn your phone to not disturb mode, and switch over to airplane mode so you cannot access social media or emails. 

The phone is a huge distraction in the gym. Most lifters will rely on their phone for everything: looking at their workout program, texting people during workouts, surfing social media, and answering emails (or even taking calls).

I understand some lifters have their workouts on a mobile app (like Fitbod), which is great, but do NOT use that as an excuse to do other things on your phone.

6. Stay Off Social Media

Stay off social media! We live in a time where everyone is connected on social media, and the gym is no different. Too often I see people (not just beginners) on Instagram, Tik Tok, and Facebook mindlessly scrolling between sets. 

This is one of the fastest ways to lose precious minutes in your workout, and not lose focus. I tell my clients that if they have enough time to do mindless things between sets, they have rested long enough. 

You should be working hard enough to warrant your rest period, which typically consists of you sitting down, catching your breath, shaking your muscles, and mentally recovering for your next set. 

Any more than that, and you are just waiting time.

7. Time Your Rest Periods

I often find beginners either rest no time at all or rest an eternity between sets. Both are wrong. The reality is, most beginners can get by resting 90 seconds between sets.

This allows you to recover from a tough set, but also keep the stimulus on the muscle enough between sets to have a  compounding fatigue effect (basically, over the course of the workout you want the muscles to tire out).

While more advanced lifters may need longer than 2 minutes, most beginners are not strong enough relative to their body mass and abilities to warrant a very long rest period like you would see in elite-level powerlifters.

8. Review Your Workouts BEFORE Walking Into the Gym

Taking the time to review your workout before you head into the gym is something many lifters do not give enough attention to. 

I recommend that at the very least you look long enough at your workouts to know most of the movements you need to do in those sessions off the top of your head.

By having a clear understanding of the movements and goal of that day (for example you have leg day today), you are able to move more quickly within the gym and can visualize yourself attacking the movements beforehand.

Lastly, if you are unsure how to do something in your program, you should review your exercises BEFORE you go into the gym, as this again will cut down the time you are spending on your phone.

Fitbod has videos that you can review of each of your lifts so you know what the technique is supposed to be prior to stepping foot into the gym.