How to Start Working Out

As with many things in life, the best way to get started with exercise is to begin slowly, get expert advice, and make it a habit.

Overview

Consult your doctor, Tracy Anderson, or the latest scientific research, and they’ll all tell you the same thing: Regular exercise is important. Of course, you already know this. You’re here because you want to know how to start working out — whether it’s for the first time ever or the first time this decade. 

As with many things in life, the best way to get started with exercise is to begin slowly, get expert advice, and make it a habit. When you first start working out, you might aim for three to four workouts a week, lasting 30 to 45 minutes each.

We’ve got advice on how to make a workout plan, how to start exercising if you’re a newbie, and how to get back into working out if you’ve fallen off the wagon — no shame here.

The Basics

Before you start working out, you need to know what to do. There are many different types of exercise, each with its own benefits. Eventually, you’ll want to incorporate all exercise styles into your routine. But don’t worry — you don’t need to do it all at once. 

Here’s a cheat sheet for the basic types of exercise you’ll encounter on your journey:

Cardio

Cardio — aka cardiovascular exercise or aerobic exercise — includes activities that get your heart pumping, such as: 

  • Hiking

  • Jogging

  • Cycling

  • Swimming

  • Group exercise classes

  • Sports like tennis, badminton, and pickleball

General guidelines state that you should aim for at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio a week or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardio a week.

You may want to shoot beyond those numbers to lose weight or get more health benefits. But not yet — for now, you’re just getting started.

Cardio can improve everything from heart health to mental health, and it can support weight loss.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

HIIT is when you do short bursts of vigorous activity followed by periods of rest. Think 30 seconds of sprinting followed by 30 seconds of walking or bootcamp-style classes with intervals.

Research shows that this style of exercise is great for reducing body weight, body fat, and waist circumference. And it’s best for improving cardiorespiratory fitness (heart health and endurance). 

Strength Training

Strength training helps you build and maintain muscle. You should aim for at least two strength sessions a week, targeting all muscle groups, including your lower body, upper body, and core.

This can include: 

  • Body weight exercises (like squats, lunges, push-ups, and pull-ups)

  • Using resistance bands or machines

  • Weight lifting

Try picking a few exercises and doing 10 reps each (performing the move 10 times). Take a short break and go again. Repeat for three to five sets (also called rounds).

Get started with lower weights or just your body weight, and slowly increase how much weight you train with.

Flexibility

There are no set guidelines for this one, but you might consider adding some flexibility or balance exercises to your weekly routine. They can help keep your joints and muscles healthy and minimize your risk of injury.

Consider yoga, tai chi, or pilates.

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Things to Consider

If you’re just getting started with working out or getting back into exercise after a hiatus, there are a few things to consider before jumping in:  

  • Your starting point. You don’t need to — nor should you — jump into intense exercise right away. Starting slowly can help you build up your fitness level, avoid injury, and find motivation to keep at it.

  • Your goals. There are many reasons to work out, and your goals may dictate what types of exercise you focus on and how much of it you do. For example, if weight loss is your goal, you might prioritize aerobic exercise and strength training (research shows that the combination is more effective for weight loss than either type of exercise alone).

  • Your schedule. You might want to do an hour-long workout five times a week, but your schedule may not allow for it. Don’t let that put you off. Fit in what you can and make changes to your schedule as needed to prioritize exercise.

  • Your limitations. If you have any medical conditions, take certain medications, recently had surgery, are pregnant, or recently gave birth, it’s particularly important to be medically cleared for physical activity.

Your healthcare provider might have safety guidelines to follow or suggest specific types of exercise. Keep these in mind when you set your fitness goals and create your workout routine.

Steps to Take 

Ready to get start working out? Follow these steps to develop a healthy exercise routine that you can stick to. 

1. Make a Weekly Workout Plan 

Following a plan helps you stay motivated throughout the week. It removes one of the most common barriers to working out, knowing what to do and when to do it. 

An ideal workout routine for beginners (or anyone, really) will include a mix of all types of exercise spread out through the week.

If you’re a fitness novice, don’t sweat it — or, do sweat, but don’t panic. You don’t need to incorporate all types of exercise and hit those recommended times all at once.

Find beginner workout plans online, or check out our workout routine to lose weight to get some inspiration. 

And you don’t need to join a gym just yet. At-home workout plans are just as effective when you’re just getting started. 

2. Get Expert Advice

Sure, you can find beginner strength training routines or workouts for beginners online. But sometimes, you can’t beat face-to-face sessions. 

Consider reaching out to a personal trainer or a healthcare provider for advice on how to start working out. They can recommend the best exercises for you, give you a personalized workout plan to follow, and — in the case of a personal trainer — take you through those workouts in person.

Beginner-friendly group exercise classes are another option. The instructors tailor the exercises to people just getting started and offer plenty of guidance along the way.

A pro can also answer all those burning questions like: How long should a workout be? How long does it take to get in shape? And how long should I work out a day? Hint: It’s different for everyone — on all three counts. 

3. Find Workouts You Enjoy

Working out is excellent for your mental, physical, and emotional health. But it should also be something you enjoy doing — most days, at least.

What’s enjoyable for one person may not be for another — and that’s okay! So consider movements you’d actually like to engage in or new things you want to try. Don’t forget to think outside the box (gym)— plenty of activities can make for simple workouts for beginners.

For instance, some of these exercises might strike your fancy:

  • Jogging or walking the dog

  • Playing a sport, like tennis, soccer, pickleball, or basketball

  • Yoga, pilates, or barre

  • Strength training (with resistance bands, dumbbells, weight training machines, or your own body weight)

  • High-intensity interval training (HIIT) with CrossFit classes or sprint training 

  • Biking or indoor cycling

  • Joining an aerobic group fitness or dance class

Especially on days when you’re not feeling very motivated, it can be helpful to make your workouts a social event. Invite a friend to run with you, use a buddy pass at the gym, or sign up for a group class.

And don’t be afraid to mix it up week after week to keep things fresh and exciting. 

4. Start Slow and Gradually Build Up 

Starting exercise for the first time can be daunting, especially when you find yourself looking at the recommended guidelines and thinking, “How could I ever exercise that much?” 

But you don’t need to jump in all at once. In fact, that’s a recipe for injury and burnout.

So, start slow with low-intensity movements and gradually work your way up. 

Some ideas: 

  • You could start by adding a 20-minute walk to your routine, then consider jogging for a few minutes of that walk and slowly increase your overall movement time.

  • Or start with some bodyweight exercises — like lunges, squats, and push-ups — and graduate to dumbbells or resistance machines when your strength increases after a few weeks.

Your stamina, strength, and potentially a genuine love of exercise will build over time. The amount of time you spend working out and the number of reps will increase too.

Feeling overwhelmed? We’ve also covered how to lose weight without exercising and how to lose weight without dieting.

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Tips and Strategies

Here are a few things to keep in mind to make working out a little easier: 

1) Fuel yourself properly before and after

Eat a balanced meal or healthy snack before exercising to boost your energy levels and avoid fatigue and low blood sugar. And, if needed, refuel afterward with high-quality nutrients. 

2) Warm up

Warming up your muscles with stretches and light movements helps loosen up your body, prep it for more strenuous movements, prevent injury and soreness, and improve your range of motion.

3) Hydrate 

Dehydration is never good, especially when exercising and sweating. So don’t forget to bring water to your workout. If it’s hot out, you sweat a lot, or you have a long workout planned, you might consider adding electrolytes to your water.

4) Listen to your body

Try being in tune with what your body tells you about what exercise feels good each day and how hard to go. It’s okay to do shorter or lower-intensity workouts some days. And be sure to stop what you’re doing if you ever feel pain or dizziness.

5) Cool down

Bring your heart rate back down after a workout by stretching, walking, and sipping water.

6) Rest 

Give your body a chance to recover regularly with intentionally lighter workout days or rest days. And don’t forget about sleep! Getting at least seven hours of shut-eye a night can help you recover and feel your best when working out.

Why is it so hard to lose weight? We go over potential reasons and setbacks.

Health and Safety 

If you’re new to exercise — or you’re getting back into the swing of things — you may be at greater risk of injury.

To minimize that risk, ease yourself in.

That doesn’t just mean easy exercises or light weights, though. It means slowly building up the amount of exercise you do. 

How to Work Out Safely

Even when starting a very basic exercise routine, listen to your body. It’ll tell you if you’re doing something too intense or demanding. That burning pain in your hamstring? Yeah, maybe find a low-impact exercise or work on your upper body today instead.

Not only is checking in with your body vital for injury prevention, but it also helps prevent burnout. Mental toughness and dedication are good, though if you’re not feeling it, it’s okay to take it easy or have a rest day.

Another piece of advice to avoid injury is to speak to a personal trainer. They can make sure you’re exercising with proper form and following the right plan for your needs and goals. Workout routines for beginners at home should also come with plenty of health and safety guidance to avoid injury. 

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What to Do Next 

Now that you’ve got the basics of how to exercise and how to get in shape down, here’s how to keep the workout train rolling:

  • Make it a habit. Consistency is key with fitness routines. To keep motivation high, try working out with friends, trying new activities, or putting your workouts on your calendar like you would a meeting. Connecting with your “why” can also help you stay motivated — whether that’s to lose weight, improve anxiety, or keep up with your kids.

  • Log your workouts. If you need extra motivation or you enjoy looking back on your progress (who doesn’t?), consider logging your workouts. There are plenty of fitness apps that connect to your phone or smartwatch, or you might prefer the old-school method of writing in a paper planner.

  • Think beyond your workout schedule. Think about getting regular movement (like getting more steps in), eating nutritious foods, and getting enough sleep. These things are essential for general health and well-being as well as for weight loss.

Remember, everyone’s fitness journey is unique. If weight loss is your goal, medications — like Ozempic® Wegovy®, and metformin — may also be useful.


5 Sources

  1. Chiu C, et al. (2017). Benefits of different intensity of aerobic exercise in modulating body composition among obese young adults: a pilot randomized controlled trial. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5571495/
  2. Ho SS, et al. (2012). The effect of 12 weeks of aerobic, resistance or combination exercise training on cardiovascular risk factors in the overweight and obese in a randomized trial. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-12-704
  3. Patel H, et al. (2017). Aerobic vs anaerobic exercise training effects on the cardiovascular system. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5329739/
  4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2018). Physical activity guidelines for Americans. https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf
  5. Wang H, et al. (2023). Comparative efficacy of exercise training modes on systemic metabolic health in adults with overweight and obesity: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10823366/
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