How to Build Yourself a Program in the Gym (Beginner)
Walking into a gym for the first time can be scary, exciting and a bit overwhelming. You decided to take the plunge, and now you aren’t quite sure where to start. The good news is, you don’t need to feel confused about what you should be doing. The biggest question new members have upon joining is “where do I start?”. That, and how to navigate the alien-like console of the massage chair. One of the first steps is to set clear and concise goals for yourself. Do you want to lose weight? Great. How much? How long do you want it to take? How will it make your life better? Once you have clear guidelines for yourself, you can begin to build your routine.
In all seriousness, it can take a lot of bravery to set foot in a gym. The White Report 2009–2012 was a study done in the UK assessing the total number of gym members that quit within the first 12 months. Almost half of those members quit before they hit the 12 month mark. The study does not underline what causes this gap, but lack of knowledge can be assumed as a contributor. As a brand new gym member, you have quite a few resources available to you. Personal training (1- on-1 or online), free orientations, group fitness classes and billions of free online content are available to members now more than ever before. So much so, that breaking down information into easy-to-follow steps can seem almost impossible. Upon read -through, you should have enough understanding to confidently put together an effective workout program for yourself.
In order to undertand how to build yourself a program, you have to first understand the main movements of the body. Push, Pull, Squat and Hinge. Anything beyond these main primal movements is generally referred to as “accessory” work (with the exception of Gait and Twist which won’t be covered in detail for the sake of simplicity). Any effective program will include the main movements and some accessory work. Push refers to chest dominant exercises such as pushups, dumbell chest press, barbell bench press etc. Pull refers to back dominant exercises such as barbell rows, dumbbell rows, cable rows etc. Squat refers to front-side dominant lower body exercises such as dumbbell goblet squat, front barbell squat, split squat, step up, lunge etc. Hinge refers to more posterior dominant lower body exercises including but not limited to barbell deadlift, barbell/dumbbell romanian deadlift (also referred to as straight legged deadlift), glute bridge, hamstring curl etc.
An effective way of assembling your exercises is to put your more compound exercises at the beginning of the workout. Compound exercises are exercises that require a large number of muscles to recruit at one time, and are usually multi-joint movements ie. a squat requiring a hinge at the knee joint and at the hip joint. Putting your max effort toward compound exercises will generally be more effective at yielding results due to the high demand on the body’s nervous system but also the amount of mental focus they require to be performed safely. That being said, your body is designed to be able to perform compound movements and therefore you should not exclude them from your program based on fear of performing them improperly. If you are unsure of your form, take a video and assess it yourself or ask for help from a staff member/trainer at your gym. They are there to help. Also, don’t be afraid to utilize the youtube machine.
Following the more compound exercises, more single-joint and/or “corrective” movements can be added. An example of a single-joint movement would be a bicep curl, as the only joint moving is the elbow. An example of a corrective movement would be any sort of movement that might correct an area of pain or imbalance you are experiencing. For example, a common cause of lower back pain could be overactive hip flexors and under active glutes. Therefore, a corrective exercise for lower back pain would be a glute focused movement. For further resources on lower back pain, Dr. Stuart McGill and Dr. Jacob Harden are exceptional.
A good beginner program might look something like this:
Exercise A1 Dumbbell Goblet Squat 3x12–14
Exercise A2 Seated row, cable 3x12–14
Exercise B1 Dumbbell Hip Hinge 3x12–14
Exercise B2 Elevated Pushup 3x12–14
Exercise C1 Dumbbell glute bridge 3x12–14
Exercise C2 Plank 3x25–30 seconds
This type of training can be referred to as Peripheral Heart Action training or PHA because it is a lower body exercise superset with an upper body exercise. This can stimulate an increased heart rate because you are able to do more in a shorter period of time. While your upper body is working, your lower body is resting, and likewise. PHA is effective for fat loss, but also effective as a beginner program because you have greater opportunity for consistency in practicing the primal movements. If you don’t know how to squat, practice squatting! A1 and A2 simply refers to the exercises that are paired as a superset. If you are supersetting 2 exercises, you perform them immediately one after the other, with the option of a short break in between. This type of program won’t require long breaks because you are likely not putting a lot of stress on your body neurologically. (Although your lungs will feel the demand!)
Day 2 of your program will look very similar. Sub in exercises that work the same muscles groups. By keeping your days similar, you can adapt to exercises you struggle with a lot faster. For example:
A1 Split Squat
A2 Bent over Dumbbell row
B1 Kettlebell hip hinge
B2 Dumbbell chest press
C1 Glute kickback machine
C2 Deadbugs
As a beginner, your program does not need to be complex or involve a lot of variancy. Adapting and learning certain movements will require practice. With that being said, your program should change every 4–8 weeks. This is referred to as progressive overload. Progressive overload ensures that you’re challenging your body to adapt to different movements over a longer period of time. For example, once you have mastered the goblet squat, learn a barbell front squat. Progressive overload in its simplist form means that you are always challenging and “shocking” your system. You can manipulate your program to challenge you through many different variables. Tempo, rep ranges, rest intervals, weight, and exercise selection are a few variables that can change to help progress your program. This principle may sound complicated, but let’s break it down. A program that is putting you through progressive overload on a week-by-week basis may look something like this:
Week 1–25lb Goblet squat 3x12
Week 2–30lb Goblet Squat 3x12
Week 3–35lb Goblet Squat 3x12
Week 4 40lb Goblet squat 3x12
This is an example of how progressive overload can challenge you on a week by week basis. Progressive overload will be the difference of if your program can deliver the results you want. It’s important to set clear goals for yourself in your program so that you are less likely to remain stagnant and fall off track. Knowing that you want to lose 30lb in 6 months and be able to squat your bodyweight makes you much more likely to achieve some sort of measurable goal. Falling off track due to lack of motivation and/or lack of direction is highly likely. Use progressive overload to your advantage.
Tying everything together and executing can seem intimidating. Keep in mind that a good program is a long term investment in yourself. Be realistic in your expectations of yourself and find someone who can help keep you accountable. Your body will thank you.
