Introductory fitness course for beginners

First clarify your initial needs, use low-threshold movements to establish continuous exercise habits, and then dynamically adjust the plan according to body feedback - 80% of novices skip the first two steps and go directly to high-level training content. In the end, they either get injured or have no effect and give up.

Last year, I took care of a girl who worked in Internet operations. She set a KPI for herself of "training to gain waistline + losing 15 pounds in two months" when she first started. She went to the gym every day according to the fitness blogger's five-point training chart. After practicing for three days, her knees hurt so much that she couldn't go downstairs. She went to the hospital to check that her meniscus was worn, and she lay down for half a month, and she never stepped foot in the gym again. To be honest, most people's enthusiasm for fitness can reach 100 degrees when they first start, but there is really no need to give yourself full intensity as soon as you start. You are not going to compete.

As for whether beginners should practice strength or aerobics first, the fitness circle has been arguing for almost ten years and there is no unified conclusion. The veteran gymnasts say that the first 3 months are the "bonus period for muscle gain" for beginners. They should first touch barbells and dumbbells to increase muscle mass. The basal metabolism will be raised and there will be no need to starve for subsequent fat loss. What they say is indeed true; but the reasons for people who advocate doing aerobics first are also very real: many people start exercising just to fit into a skirt one size smaller. They can see their weight drop by half an hour after jumping Pamela for half an hour or running 3 kilometers on the same day. The positive feedback comes quickly and is easier to persist. There is nothing wrong with that. There is really no need to worry about which one is more "correct". Just choose whatever your initial motivation is - if you want to put on a small skirt quickly, just do a round of dance first. If you are already thin and want to hold up your T-shirt, just touch the dumbbells. No one will say that you are unprofessional.

Don’t start by challenging compound movements such as deadlifts and back squats. I have seen too many people add weights to the barbell after watching a 1-minute instructional video. It is common for people to lie down for half a month with their waists flashed. Beginners should first understand how their body feels through bodyweight movements: squatting against the wall to practice your legs is 10 times safer than squatting with a barbell. If your knees hurt when squatting, move your feet forward two inches, press your back against the wall, and hold for 30 seconds at a time. Practice for a week. You won’t be out of breath even if you climb seven or eight floors; push-ups against the wall to train your chest and core are much more standard than kneeling on the ground and bending your waist. Once you can easily do 20, then slowly lower the height, switch to supporting a table or a chair, and finally transition to the ground, which is very stable. Oh, by the way, you must spend 5 minutes to warm up before each practice. You can swing your arms, turn your waist, or do jumping jacks for two minutes. It can really help you save most of the money on medical treatment later.

There is no need to boil vegetables all the time when it comes to diet. I once had a student who heard others say that he should "eat cleanly". He ate boiled broccoli and chicken breast for three days, and on the fourth day he showed off three burgers and a cup of full-sugar milk tea. Instead, he gained two pounds, which was not worth the loss. Novices really don’t need to calculate the calorie-to-macro ratio when adjusting their diet. They just need to remember two small details first: chop two bites of vegetables before touching the staple food every time you eat, and drink sugary milk tea and cola at most once a week. With these two things, sticking to it for a month is much more reliable than just memorizing recipes blindly. If you really want to eat hot pot and barbecue on the day after training, just go and eat it. Don't hold it in. Working out is not going to jail. If you eat once in a while, you won't gain weight at all.

As for whether or not to hire a private tutor, it all depends on your own situation. If you have a sufficient budget but are afraid of getting injured by practicing blindly, find a certified coach who won't sell you dozens of lesson packages or brag about the effects of supplements. He can take 4-5 lessons to learn the power generation patterns of basic movements. Don't believe the nonsense that "you will definitely get injured if you don't hire a personal trainer", and don't think that you know more than a coach who has been practicing for five or six years after watching two teaching videos. Everyone has their own choices.

I have been practicing for almost 6 years and have coached more than 20 novices. The most regrettable thing is the kind of people who set their goals too high at the beginning and then give up without seeing the vest line after practicing for a week.健身这东西本来就不是什么需要急功近利的事，你一周抽3次，每次抽出40分钟动一动，练个半年你再摸自己的胳膊腿，再爬个楼梯、提个重东西，肯定和之前不一样。 Really, don’t think too much. Putting on your sneakers and walking downstairs twice is better than saving dozens of fitness tutorials and leaving them in your favorites.