Everyone has to start somewhere, right? This goes for people who want to start lifting weights as well. This means when you see the guy in the corner of the gym bench pressing 400 pounds that you shouldn’t get intimidated. That same person started out in the same situation as you. So don’t get intimidated, just focus and you will be just fine. Don’t be intimidated by all the convoluted looking weight machines either, as eventually you will learn what they all do.

A Few Things to Consider Before You Start

• Diet: If you’re going to be working out, you will be putting stress on your body, in particular your muscles. In order for your muscles to repair themselves, you will need to eat a lot of protein. The number suggested range wildly, but around one gram of protein per pound of body weight will be fine under most circumstances. Also, don’t forget that even though you need lots of protein, you still need your carbohydrates and fats as well. Just remember, John Atkins died of a heart attack, so don’t follow his diet.
• Supplements: Buying a lot of supplements before working out is kind of like spending a lot of money on brand new shoes before you start running. Sure it may help you out a bit, but the guy running in that five dollar pair of secondhand shoes can get just as much exercise as you. Just don’t rely on supplements to make your gains for you.
• Overexertion: This is something that a lot of beginners do. They go into a gym and see all the bodybuilders lifting huge stacks of weights. They think to themselves “I can do that if they can.” Don’t. This is one of the top reasons why people new to lifting weights quit is because they overexert themselves and pull something or are too sore to continue. Don’t forget days for rest either. Without resting between workouts your body has no time to recuperate and your gains will be greatly diminished.
• Form: Form is just as important as everything listed above. If you don’t use proper form when lifting, you will limit your gains, and almost inevitably cause injury to yourself. Just take it slow, learn the exercise properly and slowly add weights, making sure that you don’t add too much weight. If you to get the most out of your training, lift up quickly (this trains the nervous system) and let the weight down slowly (this stresses your muscles). This way you will get the most out of your workout
• Hydration: As you should be doing throughout anything in your life, stay hydrated! This is good for your health in general so you should be doing this anyway. Muscle is comprised of about 75 percent water so if you neglect this you are neglecting your muscles.

Now that you’ve got these ideas swimming around in your head, it’s time to start working out. You should develop a routine so that you’re not wandering aimlessly into the gym only to do random exercises. One of the best out there is the Somanabolic Muscle Maximizer by Kyle Leon. More or less the goal is to work different sets of muscles every time you go to work out so that each muscle group has enough time to recuperate and rebuild. The following routine is just an example, feel free to mix it up or change it as you wish.

Workout 1:

• Squats: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
• Rows: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Workout 2:

• Deadlifts: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
• Overhead Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
• Pull ups: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Now all you have to do is alternate between these two workouts with a day of rest in between, and take the weekends off. So now that you’ve got the easy part out of the way, put this to use! It’s time to become a healthier, stronger you.