1. Ease Into the First Few Weeks of Training

I find beginners are ready to crush themselves in their very first workout. In other words, go too hard, which is not advised. 

I recommend that lifters ease into their workouts by stopping just shy of all-out failure on all exercises, at least for the first two weeks.

This doesn’t mean you are not training hard, it means that you’re giving your body the chance to adjust to the extra stimulus.

The reality is as a beginner you are literally starting from nothing. 

You can do very basic exercises, with moderate to hard effort, and get good results. 

While those beginner gains will last only a few months, it is important not to go too aggressive as it won’t help you get anywhere faster. 

In fact, it may derail you right out of the gates due to injury, excessive soreness, and the inability to work out multiple times a week because you are too “beat up”.

2. Focus on Completing At Least 12 Workouts in the First 30 Days

I give all my new clients a goal of working out 12 times in their first month. 

If they can master carving out time to get 12 workouts in (on average 3 per week) over a 30-day period, they will have made the necessary behavior changes to stick with going to the gym long-term.

Getting started as a beginner can be tough, as you need to create a new lifestyle routine to accommodate you going to the gym, working out, and then coming home. 

If you also have to do that before or after work, you will need to pack a bag and some meals.

Like any habit, working out is all about repetition and making consistent practice. 

12 workouts in 30 days not only provide the muscles with enough stimulus to get stronger, but it gives you the opportunity to create a whole new system on how to allocate your time.

3. Choose 5-6 Total Exercises to Do Each Day 

I suggest that every beginner finds a program that has them doing no more than 6 exercises on a single day. 

Ideally, you would be choosing 2-4 compound exercises, and another 2-3 isolation-type movements to build out a good workout program.

As a beginner, it can be tempting to do every exercise you see on social media on a single day. You are constantly bombarded by “new cutting-edge workouts and exercises”. 

If you train more than 3 days a week, you would simply just add more workouts during the week, but still, keep the same number of exercises per workout.

Check out these workout ideas: