People don’t know what to do at the gym. Up to 73% of those who set fitness resolutions end up quitting before hitting their targets.
If you are a fitness beginner and you are afraid this may happen, stay in this post! Here we’ll tell you the best training exercises you should do to enjoy your trainings and stay on track.
Are you ready? Let’s hit it!
How to Identify a Good Exercise for Fitness Beginners:
- Complete
- Can be done anywhere
- Doesn’t need too much weight
- Doesn’t need of special material
You, as a fitness beginner, don’t have yet the experience to master a technique and be able to lift too much weight.
Your body is not adapted to training, and your muscles are probably not developed yet.
To be a good exercise for you, it must be complete and target more than one muscle at once. You must be able to do it anywhere, so you don’t have to worry about people taking your spot.
Best Training Exercises for Fitness Beginners
Compound or body weight exercises are the best training exercises for fitness beginners. They are complete, can be done anywhere, and don’t require of any special material nor too much weight on the bar.
Push-up
The push-up is a press movement that works all the pressing muscles in the upper body, including your chest, shoulders, and triceps.
They are one of the most popular body weight exercises. Begin able to move your own body weight is a sign of strength, muscle development, and body functionality.
How to do a push-up
- Start in a high plank with your palms on the floor, shoulder-width apart.
- With the legs extended, bend your elbows and take your chest towards the floor.
- With the chest touching the floor, push with your palms to straighten your arms and go back to initial position.
Pull-up
Pull-up is a pull movement that works all the pulling muscles in the upper body by hanging off a bar and lifting your body weight until the chin passes the level of the bar.
This body weight exercise can be done anywhere and it doesn’t require of any special material. All you need is a bar you can hang from, and some motivation to start training!
How to do a pull-up
- Grab a bar with your hands and hang your body from the bar.
- With straightened arms, start the lifting by bending the elbows and taking your upper chest towards the bar.
- Lift until the chin passes the bar. Use elastic bands or weighted support if needed.
- Once the chin has passed the bar, extend your arms again and go back to initial position
Squat
Squat is a strength compound exercise. The trainee lowers their hips from a standing position until their butt is at the height of your knees, and then stands back up.
The squat demands several muscles in your upper and lower body. Whereas the technique is quite complex, a fitness beginner may benefit of all the muscles this exercise involves.
How to Squat for Fitness Beginners:
- Take a bar and place it over your upper trapezius. Walk back from the support with the bar
- Push your butt backwards, straighten your back and place your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Take a deep breath, and with a compressed abdomen bend your knees maintaining a straight back line.
- Once your butt has reached the level of the knees, lift the bar by pushing your feet and taking the knees slightly outwards.
Deadlift
Deadlift is one of the most complete and recommended exercises for fitness beginners.
It consists on picking up a weight from the ground by bending at your waist and hips and standing back up. It involves a long list of muscles, helping you achieve a general muscle hypertrophy.
Deadlifting can help you work on your strength, reduce your lower back pain, improve your body posture, and help you build a complete physique.
How to Deadlift
- Place the bar on the floor, take a grip shoulder-width apart, and bend your knees with a straight back line.
- Take a deep breath and lift the bar off the ground pushing with your feet towards the floor.
- Once the bar has passed the knees, do a hip extension and lift the bar until your back is straight and aligned with your body line.
- Keep a straight back, bend your knees and go back to the initial position
Bench Press
Bench press consists of lifting a bar while laying on the bench. As a push exercise, it involves the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
Bench pressing is one of the most complete compound exercises for your upper body. As a fitness beginner, bench press will help you build muscle in the upper body, control your strength, and improve your body functionality.
The technique of this exercise is quite simple, although there are some aspects you may have to consider. Start with light weights and focus on doing a good technique.
How to Bench Press
- Place the bar in the bench support at the height where your arms are slightly bended.
- Lay down on the bench and push your abdomen out to create a small arch between your upper back and your butt.
- Retracting your scapulae, lift the bar off the rack. Take a deep breath and slowly bend your elbows to take the bar to your lower chest.
- When the bar touches the lower chest line, push with your hands to lift the bar until your arms are slightly bended.
Farmer’s Walk
The farmer’s walk is a strength and conditioning exercise in which you hold a heavy load in each hand while walking a fixed distance.
This exercise hits most of the major muscle groups, making it a well-suited exercise for fitness beginners.
Performing the farmer’s walk will help you improve your cardiovascular health and endurance, and promote muscle strength and power.
How to perform the Farmer’s Walk
- Select an appropriate weight and place them on the floor on either side of your body.
- Bend your hips and knees and grasp the dumbbells in each hand. Extend your hips and lift them off the ground keeping a neutral spine.
- Hold the dumbbells with a firm grip. Keep the shoulders, back and core tight, and start the movement walking forward at an even pace.
- Complete the desired distance, stop, and place the dumbbells down.
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Conclusion
There are hundreds of exercises you can do at the gym… but what are the best exercises for fitness beginners?
Compound and body weight exercises are the best exercises for fitness beginners. They are complete, can be done anywhere, and don’t require of any special material nor too much weight on the bar.
Deadlift, squat, bench press, pull-ups, push-ups, or farmer’s walk are great choices to include in your workout program!
