Workout Tips For Beginner Women

(Guest post by a NASM Certified trainer)

If you’re a woman starting her fitness journey you’re in the right place. With so much information out there it can be difficult to know what works and what doesn’t. In today’s blog post I am going to share what types of exercises are great for beginners, what types of equipment you can use, and what you should be doing at the gym.

 

Working out releases endorphins and can improve your mood and overall sense of well-being. Even if you don’t have any physical goals exercise can drastically improve your mental health as well. The benefits of exercise aren’t only physical. You will experience dopamine, mental clarity, and increased focus after each workout. You’ll probably experience an increase in energy as well!

Let’s dive in.

 

So, what types of exercise should you be doing?

 

It depends on your goal, but I want to debunk a common myth you may have been told at one point. Strength training doesn’t make women bulky. In reality, you will increase strength and muscle tone. Increasing lean muscle mass also increases your metabolism, decreasing the amount of fat on your body, and making it easier to stay lean or ‘toned.’

 

When you are just beginning there are two things you should focus on, cardio and resistance training. This way you can improve your overall cardiovascular health, burn some calories, and build lean muscle mass.

 

Some cardio options include running, biking, swimming, StairMaster, elliptical, HIIT, Jump rope, etc. Anything that gets your heart pumping. You can even start with a brisk walk.

 

Here are some strength training exercises to get you started without equipment. Once you’ve mastered these movements you can move on to adding some weight as well: body weight squats, sit-ups, crunches push-ups, etc.

 

It’s important to remember to get enough sleep, water, and nutrition. These aspects are just as important as getting your workout in.

What type of equipment is best?

 

When you’re just starting I recommend that you start with lighter weights and get your body used to the resistance to avoid injury. In the future, it’s important to remember to continually overload your muscles to increase strength and endurance.

 

The best equipment for beginners is any free weight dumbbells, kettle-bells, and barbells. If you feel intimidated by free weights or you are struggling with form machines are a great, safe option. However, it is important to practice the correct form at all times.

 

Machines are a great option for beginners, but you should eventually move into using free weights to incorporate balance and core stabilization into your workouts.

 

Resistance bands are another great option for beginners or individuals who prefer to workout at home. You can typically purchase them off of Amazon for cheap.

 

If you don’t have access to gym body weight exercises are a great way to practice strength training especially for beginners.

 

Tips For The Gym

 

For most gyms, once you sign up for a membership they will a lot you one free session with a personal trainer. I advise that you take advantage of this. Having even one training session with a trainer will help you learn your way around the gym, figure out how the machines work, where things are located, and even how to perform certain exercises with proper form.

 

This can make you more comfortable in the gym, save you a lot of time learning the equipment on your own, and even prevent you from injuring yourself. Remember everyone in the gym was a beginner at some point and you’ll have a routine down in no time.

 

What exercise split should I use?

 

It’s totally up to you and there are tons of plans online but I’ll share a simple plan you can follow and adjust to how often you want to workout. You can focus on legs, chest and triceps, back and biceps, and then shoulders on the last day of the week. I like to do cardio each day as well and abs every other day, but it doesn’t matter how you split your workouts as long as you allow enough rest in between workouts, hit each muscle group, and don’t work out when you’re sore or injured.

 

As you progress you will develop what works best for you, but for now, I would just worry about getting into the gym and getting started!