#1 Beginner Mistake & 3 Beginner Tips
Beginners, like Rick and Carol, two of my clients back in the day, tend to make 1 big mistake when they start trying to lose fat:
And the #1 Mistake is, “Doing too much, too soon.”
Doesn’t matter if it is walking, jogging, hill sprints, or pushups, if a beginner starts with too much of the same thing too soon, they will get an overuse injury (and they’ll get bored).
Beginners are much better off starting with a program that progresses them properly.
Back to my past clients…
You see, Rick was an overweight, non-exerciser who tried to walk himself back into shape. He did 6-7 days per week of hour-long walks, and ended up with ankle problems, tight calves, and back problems.
While Carol, who was an active 40-year old gal, tried to jump back into a fat loss program after a 3-month layoff with hill sprints.
It took 2 years of training and rehab to repair her hips because she did too much too soon!
So here are 3 beginner workout tips for you:
1) Do a short total body resistance training workout
This is much MORE important than trying to out-cardio your belly fat.
Not only will you burn a lot of calories, but you’ll also build your body up to prepare it for real workouts in the future.
Too much cardio only breaks your body down and causes early onset injuries in a beginner’s exercise program.
2) Do NOT train 5 days per week
The more the better, right?
Wrong. Sorry.
Stick to 3 short, total body workouts per week. Stay active on your off days, but keep it to 30 minutes of general exercise and mobility.
Even yoga or pilates is fine, as long as you have a good teacher who respects your abilities.
After all, even 30 minutes of light exercise is still 30 minutes more than what you were probably doing in the past.
Focus on your diet, because that is what will help you lose the most fat when you are a beginner.
3) Choose the right exercises & don’t train “Old-School” style
No need for heavy bench presses, heavy leg presses, leg extensions, or one-size-fits-all weight machines. Those aren’t needed, and will probably do more harm than good right now.
And skip the sit-ups, side bends, endless crunches, and all those useless “old school” ab training methods.
Those are no good for you.
The better way to train your “core” (or your “torso”, as I prefer to call it), is with my TT Total Torso Training program.
So avoid the #1 beginner mistake, and use those 3 tips to choose the right program to get fast results.
You will get fast results when you progress properly,
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Creator, Turbulence Training