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The Beginner's Guide to Training

NEW MAGAZINE, NEW YEAR, NEW YOU! As your resident personal trainer, I want to start off by getting you in to the gym. This article is for the reader who wants to get fit and in the most efficient way possible. Maybe you're too scared to go to the gym, maybe you were going to the gym but just gave up. I want to get you in the gym, sure of what to do and succeeding in your goal. Let's get you started right!

Having this knowledge will also allow you to set achievable goals. The reason most people stop going is because they set unrealistic goals, overestimating what their body can do. Gaining muscle, losing weight or getting cardio fit takes time. Patience is key - as is consistency and determination.

Unfortunately, achieving your goal doesn't happen overnight. This is why a lot of starters quit. They can't see anything in the first month and think nothing is happening. They finish just when their body was starting on the way to their desired results. A realistic goal is more like six months whenever you start any weight-training program - and remember that is to either lose or gain weight.

There are three areas to cover when it comes to your fitness - the workout, the diet and rest. All three components are vital to ensure that you achieve maximum fitness. Diet is so important, I'll be covering that in my next article.

The Workout

For those starting out at the gym, you need to focus only on the three major muscle groups - chest, back and legs. I also add in one abdominal exercise to start strengthening your core muscle groups. Shoulders, arms, calves and forearms can all come later after your body is prepared for the extra work.

As a beginner, you are also better off starting on machines. Your co-ordination just simply isn't there to start putting dumbbells and barbells over your head. You could do yourself some serious injury by performing the movement incorrectly or by using too much weight too soon.

You see, when you start training, a lot is going on both physiologically and neurologically. It's more than just pushing and pulling! Now you've started training. What you are actually doing in the gym is breaking down your muscle. You are putting it in a catabolic state. Don't worry! This is a good thing. It's when you leave the gym that the body starts to repair itself - putting it in an anabolic state. This is when you grow. Quite simply, no one ever gained an ounce of muscle IN the gym. You gain it outside with your diet and rest.

So, physiologically, your digestive system has to step up a gear. It's been used to just pulling out the necessities of what you've been eating just to keep things ticking over. Now that you've started breaking muscle down, it's going to need more protein to start to repair itself. Your body will need more water to help fill up the muscles - and for use in all the increased chemical reactions that start taking place all over your body. As a beginner, you really don't need to buy all the protein powders out there. A good healthy diet is more than sufficient.

Neurologically is where a lot of changes are occurring. The body will always take the path of least energy expenditure - hence the difficulty some people have in losing weight. To this end, it will try to recruit as few muscle fibres as possible to lift a given weight. In other words, it will fire only enough nerve fibres to contract muscle fibres. You are now working against that. By lifting weights and increasing the amount you are lifting [progressive resistance], you are training your body to recruit more fibres. You are firing nerve fibres that have never had to be used before. You are teaching your brain new tricks!

Unfortunately, all of this doesn't happen overnight. You may certainly notice the physiological at first. You are going to start getting hungry more often but the neurological can take anything up to six months to be completely functional. This is why a lot of starters quit. They can't see anything in the first month and think nothing is happening. They finish just when their body was starting on the way to their desired results. A realistic goal is more like six months whenever you start any weight-training program - and that is to either lose or gain weight.

So now that you know what is happening internally, let's sort things out externally. Try the following workout three times a week. In the first week, do only two sets of everything. This will help minimise soreness. WARNING! If you've never trained before, expect some soreness. This will decrease when you keep training and there really isn't anything that can be done about it. Stretching has been shown not to alleviate the pain. All I can recommend is a nice hot bath and to keep training. The pain goes away after the first week.

If you are a first timer, before attempting any of these exercises make sure you understand the movement that is involved. If you have any doubts, ask a member of staff at your gym for instruction. They should only be too willing to help.

Warm Up

You should prepare the muscles, ligaments and joints for the stresses and strains of a workout. The best way to do this is to do two sets at a lighter weight than your exercise weight for the first exercise of each body part. For the first set, start at 50% of your exercise weight. The second, 75%. These two sets do not count towards the total number of exercise sets!

Chest

Incline Smith Press. Lie on an incline bench, making sure the incline is no more than 45 degrees. Any higher, and you start training your shoulders. Ensure that your upper chest is under the bar. Grasp bar with a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. Push the bar up and rotate out of the lock position. Lower weight to upper chest. Do not bounce the bar on the chest. Press bar until arms are extended.

Machine Press. Sit on seat with upper chest just above horizontal handles. If available, push foot lever until handles are within grasping range. Grasp handles with a wide overhand grip; elbows out to sides just below shoulders. Release foot lever. Press lever until arms are extended. Return weight until chest muscles are slightly stretched.

Back

Lat Pulldown. Grasp cable bar with a wide grip. Sit with thighs firmly wedges under the supports. Pull down the cable bar to your upper chest. It's best for this exercise that you always look up while you are doing it. This ensures not only correct form - but you won't slam your head with the bar! Return the weight slowly until your arms and shoulders are fully extended.

Machine Row. Sit on the seat and position your chest against the pad. Ensure the pad is adjusted so that you need a good stretch to grab the handles. Grasp lever handles and pull back until elbows are behind back and shoulders are pulled back. Return slowly until your arms are extended and shoulders are stretched forward.

Legs

Leg Extensions. Sit on the machine with your back against the padded support. Place the front of your lower leg under the padded lever. Position your knee so that it is line with the lever fulcrum - you may need to adjust the back support to do this. Grasp handles at the sides for support. Move lever forward by extending your knees until your leg is straight. Give your thighs a good squeeze at the top. Slowly return to the original position.

Leg Curls. Lay down on the bench with knees just beyond edge of bench and lower legs under lever pads. Grasp the handles usually found on the underside of the bench. Raise the lever pad to the back of your thighs by flexing your knees. Lower lever pad slowly until your knees are straight. Most machines are angled at the users hip to put the hamstring in a more favorable mechanical position.

Abs

Crunches. Lie supine on the floor, your knees and hips bent. Put your fingers on your temple and your elbows on the ground. Flex your waist to raise your upper body - making sure your lower back does not leave the floor. Return slowly until the back of the shoulders contact the floor.

In your first week of doing these exercise, you need only do two sets of ten to twelve repetitions. From the second week, do three sets. Rest between sets for one to one and a half minutes. When you can do three sets for twelve reps comfortably, it's time to increase the weight. Remember to keep a journal to measure your progress.

Finally, don't forget that you have to keep changing the exercises in your workout at least every eight weeks. And you have to change not only the weight and reps you are doing but the exercises themselves. The body will try to find a way of getting through the workout by expending the least amount of calories. Changing your exercises means that your body can't get used to the exercises that it's doing. This also helps in relieving boredom for you!

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