Fitness Workout Program to Try for First Time Exercisers (2024)

If you're a beginning exerciser or its been a long time since you worked out, you may be wondering exactly where to start. You'll need to decide how much cardio and strength training you should do. Fitting it all in while avoiding getting too sore or, worse, getting injured, is a challenge as well.

Overview

Your first step is learning the basics of how to set up a workout program. Luckily, you don't have to figure it out yourself. Experts have already come up with the most important components of creating a quality exercise routine and that involves focusing on F.I.T.T.

The F.I.T.T. principle guides exercisers in setting up a complete workout program, whether you're doing cardio, strength training, or both. Using this principle, you can manipulate different aspects of your workout to make changes, progress to higher levels, and keep things interesting.

F.I.T.T.

These are the elements of F.I.T.T. and how to change them for your workout program:

• Frequency: This refers to how often you exercise. If you check out the program below, you'll notice you're doing cardio three times and strength training three times, which follows the basic exercise guidelines for getting started and improving your health. Over time, you can add more frequency to your cardio workouts as you build endurance and get more comfortable with exercise.
• Intensity: This refers to how hard you're working. As you get started, your focus will be on cardio workouts at a moderate intensity, or about a level 5 to 6 on a 10-point perceived exertion scale. As you progress, you can gradually change the intensity levels of your workouts with interval training.
• Time: This refers to how long your workouts are. Your cardio workouts start at 20 to 25 minutes. Each week, add a few minutes to your workouts to progress without overdoing it.
• Type: The type of exercise can be walking, running, cycling, weight training, Pilates, etc. It's important to start out with activities you enjoy, but it's also important to cross-train and mix things up to keep both your body and mind engaged. Once you establish an exercise habit, consider trying a variety of activities to keep things interesting.

When you workout at a sufficient intensity, time and frequency, you'll start to see changes in your weight, body fat, endurance, and strength. When your body adjusts to your current FITT levels, it's time to manipulate one ormore of them.

The workouts are only suggestions and won't work for everyone, so please modify them as needed to fit yourfitness level,schedule,and preferences.

Cardio for Beginners

You can use any cardio machine or activity for this workout. Cardio machines include the treadmill, elliptical trainer, stationary cycle, rowing machine, ski machine, and stairstepper. Cardio activities include brisk walking, running, cycling, and swimming.

Complete each segment of the workout, setting speed, incline, resistance, or ramps to match the suggested perceived exertion levels.This is very subjective and it may take you a few workouts to match how you're feeling with how hard you're working.

Your baseline level should feel harder than your warm up, taking you just out of your comfort zone.Keep in mind that your settings may change as you get deeper into the workout and start to get tired.

The idea is to find your baseline wherever it may be, even if you have to reduce your speed, incline, resistance, etc. Modify the workout as needed to fit your fitness level. Slow down or stop the workout if you feel any pain, dizziness, or shortness of breath.

1. Warm up at an easy-moderate pace (5 minutes).You should feel comfortable and be able to talk easily.Allow your heart rate to rise gradually by slowly increasing your pace, resistance. or incline throughout the warmup. This is a perceived exertion of 4.
2. Baseline (5 minutes): Increase speed, incline or resistance (or use a combination) to find your baseline.In this phase, you should be just a little out of your comfort zone and feel that you're working, but able to talk, a perceived exertion of 5.
3. Increase your incline, resistance or ramps (2 minutes): Start with one to two increments at a time and go from there until you feel you're working a little harder than at baseline. This is a perceived exertion of 6.
4. Reduce your incline, resistance, ramps or speed (3 minutes): Get back to your baseline level.
5. Increase your incline, resistance or ramps (1 minute) until you feel you're working a little harder than baseline.
6. Return to baseline (3 minutes). Reduce incline, resistance, ramps and/or speed to baseline.
7. Increase your incline, resistance or ramps (1 minute) until you feel you're working a little harder than baseline.
8. Return to baseline (3 minutes). Reduce incline, resistance, ramps and/or speed.
9. Cooldown (2 minutes): Reduce incline, resistance, ramps, or speed until you're working at a comfortable level to end your workout.

Beginner Workout Plan