Gym Success for Beginners

Succeeding in the gym is so much easier than you think!

It’s the beginning of a new year and that means it’s time to finally get in shape . . . you know, like you promised yourself you would last year. OK. That seemed harsh, but maybe the time has come for some tough love. I want you to succeed. You can succeed, but in order to do so, you will have to stop doing the things that experience has proven, do not work.

Let’s keep this simple. Do the five things listed below, and you will see changes in your attitude toward fitness and in the results you experience. This stuff is not very complicated. You can do this if it is important to you. Let’s get started!

1: Create a daily routine

Making workouts a part of your daily life is not as difficult as people make it out to be. (I share this idea in most of my posts. You really need to accept this.) Go to the gym every day (5 days per week) at the same time and stay for one hour. After about 2 weeks, it will become automatic.

Believe it or not, once you have done this for 2 weeks, you have conquered your greatest obstacle to getting the body you want! I’m completely serious! That’s all it takes to set you on the path to amazing results. Now, let’s see what else you can do to improve your chances of success.

2: Stick to the basics

This is a HUGE issue for beginners! I cannot tell you how often I see newcomers to the gym doing exotic exercises, or fine-tuning exercises that are meant for bodybuilding competitors. This makes no sense. It’s like signing up for Karate lessons and trying to break a brick with your forehead on the first day. (Probably not a good idea.)

You should only do simple, basic exercises for each body part. Get into a good, consistent routine. Learn to do these exercises properly and safely. Get stronger, and improve your endurance before moving to any, more challenging, exercises or routines. You are in this for the results, not to prove anything to anyone.

3: Alter your diet

If you’re training wisely, you should also eat wisely. Don’t put cheap gas in a good car. Try to begin adding good, healthy foods into your diet. Then, slowly begin removing the high-calorie, unhealthy foods. Think of food as fuel more than a source of pleasure.

You can still enjoy a tasty meal, once per week. Just try to avoid eating yummy, but unhealthy, foods for each meal. Also, eat 5 or 6 small meals every 2 hours or so. This will speed up your metabolism and it will shrink your stomach.

4: A new mental approach

Rather than thinking of fitness as something to be suffered through, to get where you want to be, try to make this an enjoyable journey. Start doing things on a regular basis which are both physical AND fun. Get outside and enjoy yourself!

In the gym, if you are trying to “get in shape” or lose weight, try this. Start by building strength. This is where you will see results first. This is important because when you see progress, it will make you feel good about what you are doing. You will want to improve more, and you will find yourself motivated to work out.

The next thing that will happen is, you will begin to see muscles develop. This is cool for everyone, but I love when women experience this and find that they like the experience more than they had expected. I love seeing anyone get excited about their progress.

5: Be patient

Look, what I’m asking you to do WILL work. It will also take some time. Learning, or building, anything worthwhile will take time, dedication, effort and consistency. There is a reason that so many people quit the gym so easily. I don’t care what excuse they give, the reality is, they just couldn’t make the commitment.

You can do this. If you follow the steps above, you will be surprised at what you can do. I believe in these steps. I believe in you.

Do you believe in you?