Novice fitness introductory training course schedule

> Week 1 (press type: chest + shoulders + triceps): Barbell bench press 4 groups × 12 times → Seated dumbbell shoulder press 4 groups × 10 times → Incline dumbbell bench press 3 groups × 12 times → Rope push-down 3 groups × 15 times → Dumbbell lateral raises 3 groups × 15 times → Plank support 1 group × 60 seconds

> Week 2 (pull type: back + biceps + core): high pull-down/assisted pull-up 4 sets x 10 times → deadlift 4 sets x 8 times → seated row 3 sets x 12 times → dumbbell curls 3 sets x 12 times → bent-over dumbbell flyes 3 sets x 15 times → crunches 3 sets x 20 times

> Week 3: Rest, or do low-intensity aerobic exercise such as brisk walking or cycling for 30 minutes, don’t run hard

> Week 4 (legs: glutes + core): Barbell squats 4 groups × 10 times → Lunge squats 3 groups × 12 times/leg → Hip thrusts 3 groups × 15 times → Leg presses 3 groups × 12 times → Standing calf raises 3 groups × 20 times → Suspended leg raises 3 groups × 10 times

> Week 5-7: Repeat the pushing training on Week 1 on any day, and rest as needed or do light aerobics for 20 minutes on the remaining two days.

The weight is chosen by you. When doing the last 2 reps of each group, you must grit your teeth to ensure that the movements are not deformed. Novices should use empty bars/light dumbbells to feel the movement in the first month. Don’t compete with others and add weights. It is really unnecessary.

Oh, yes, if you can’t squeeze in 3-4 days a week and can only spend 2-3 days training, there is no need to force this plan. There is also a school in the fitness circle that supports novices to use a whole-body differentiation class schedule. Each time, all the major muscle groups of the body are trained, 2-3 times a week, with at least 1 day of rest between each time. It is more efficient for people who are short of time:

> Each training action: 4 groups of bodyweight squats × 12 times → 4 groups of push-ups/kneeling push-ups × 10 times → 4 groups of high pull-downs × 10 times → 3 groups of dumbbell shoulder presses × 12 times → 3 groups of hip thrusts × 15 times → 3 groups of abdominal curls × 20 times

I used to take care of a boy who worked in Internet operations. He often had to work overtime and practiced up to two times a week. He used this whole-body differentiation plan. He could see obvious chest muscle contours in 3 months, and the problem of rounded shoulders was also improved a lot.

Some people may want to ask, so many bloggers on the Internet recommend a 5-part curriculum and practice one part a day. Isn’t it delicious? To be honest, 5-partition is more suitable for enthusiasts who have trained for more than one year and have strong muscle nerve recruitment ability. Newbies can only train one part once a week, and the stimulation intensity is not reached at all. On the contrary, it is not as good as 3-partition or whole-body division. Each muscle group can be stimulated twice a week, and the muscle building efficiency is much higher. I once met a kid who just went to college. He followed the 5-partition plan on the Internet and practiced 6 days a week. After practicing for two months, there was no improvement at all. After switching to 3-partition, his bench press increased from empty bar to 40kg in one month. The difference is really obvious.

Speaking of which, I have to mention a rather controversial point: Should novices brush fat first and then practice strength? One school of thought believes that if you have high body fat, you should do aerobic fat brushing first, otherwise the muscles you have built will be covered by fat and invisible; the other school of thought believes that novices should first practice strength training to build muscles. As their basal metabolism increases, they will naturally lose weight and it will not be easy to rebound. In fact, you can choose based on your body fat: If your body fat rate exceeds 30%, just add 20 minutes of jogging or an elliptical machine after each strength training session. You don’t need to run for two hours every day, which will hurt your knees; if your body fat is within the normal range, you can concentrate on strength training first, and then apply fat when your muscle mass increases. This is much more efficient, and there will be no side effects of dieting such as hair loss and auntie disorder.

There is another point that many people tend to overlook: warm-up is really much more important than the weight you train. When I first started training two years ago, I found it too troublesome. As soon as I entered the gym, I just did the 60kg deadlift without even doing a warm-up. My waist collapsed on the spot and I lay at home for half a month, unable to even go to work. Now I run the elliptical machine for 5 minutes before every exercise, then do shoulder circles and hip circles. I do an empty bar warm-up set for each movement, and I have never been injured again. Don’t sit there and scroll through Douyin for half an hour between sets. Rest for 90 seconds for pushing movements and 2 minutes for pulling and leg movements. After two hours of training, you spend one and a half hours playing with your phone. It’s better to go home and lie down for comfort.

If you are temporarily unable to go to the gym, this schedule can also be changed to a home version: bench presses are replaced by push-ups, lat pull-downs are replaced by elastic band pull-downs, squats are replaced by bodyweight squats, and hip thrusts are replaced by glute bridges. As long as the movements are standard, the effect will not be much different. Don't use the lack of a gym as an excuse. Oh, yes, there is no need to engage in extreme diets like boiled chicken breasts at the beginning. Eat normally, drink less milk tea and eat less fried food, eat an extra punch of protein (eggs, milk, lean meat, fish and shrimp are all fine) and eat an extra punch of vegetables at each meal. It is better than anything else. If you ask too much at the beginning, it is easy to not stick to it.

As for whether to hire a private tutor, you don’t have to listen to other people’s lies. If you have enough budget, find a coach with an ACE or national vocational certificate who doesn't just sell you classes. He will teach you the standard movements in 10 classes, which is very cost-effective. If you don't have enough budget, go to Station B to find fitness instruction videos from Jeff or the State Sports General Administration.

In fact, there is really not so much mystery about fitness. If you find a class schedule that suits you and stick to it for 3 months, it will be more useful than changing 10 Internet celebrity plans. If you feel tingling or severe joint ringing during exercise, stop immediately and don't push yourself. We exercise for physical comfort, not to go to the hospital and pay medical bills if we get injured during exercise, right?