10 TIPS TO START WORKING OUT, KICK ASS AND STAY AT IT!

“Strength does not come from winning.

Your struggles develop your strengths.

When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”

– Arnold Schwarzenegger

 

Let’s admit it – working out and achieving the kind of fitness you want is hard as hell!

It takes immense hard work and dedication. Even for the best athletes in the world, it can sometimes be a daunting task to get off the couch and do what they must do.

Most of us have been there too. There are days when you just don’t feel psyched enough to go and crush your workout.

Let’s face it – every day will not feel like a fitness fairytale. Don’t beat yourself over it, but don’t let go of the steering wheel either.

All you need is the right motivation, a plan, and swift execution to turn your fitness dream into reality.

I have 10 tips for you to embark upon an amazing fitness journey that will bear fruits for decades to come. Use these tips to introspect, research, plan and start some muscle annihilation!!  

 

 

1. FIND ‘YOUR’ REASON TO WORKOUT

 

Ever wondered why some people are obsessed with the gym life and can’t seem to operate without exercising?

Well of course, the reasons to keep working out change as one progresses in his/her fitness journey. But it usually just takes only one good reason, silly at times, to start.

The reason could be anything – attracting the opposite sex, to look great, to become strong, to put on or to lose weight, health issues, to look awesome for a relative’s/friend’s wedding or it may simply be your desire to stay healthy and live to see your grandkids grow up.

The point is, there are many reasons people have, but you have to think about your reason to start. Something that you truly believe in. Something that is important to you. Once you have it, write it down, think about it for a minute and absorb it.

It also makes sense to take a look at this reason from time to time, to remind yourself why you started in the first place, or to modify the reason later based on what gets you motivated at that time in your life.

 

 

2. SET S.M.A.R.T. GOALS

 

You need to have clear defined goals before you start working out. I read this article somewhere online a couple of years ago that talked about the things one should keep in mind while setting SMART fitness goals.

I believe that these 5 things are all that you need to set SMART goals:

Specific: Set clear easy and specific goals. “Getting healthy” is too general, something like “I want to lose weight” is the way to go.

Measurable: Put a number and make the goal measurable.

Attainable: Before you put a number you need to realize that too easy or too difficult can be demotivating. So the number has to be realistically attainable.

Relevant: Set goals that are relevant to the current circumstances of your life. If it’s not relevant, then you will probably not stay motivated to achieve it.

Time-bound: Set a deadline. It will help kick in the feeling of urgency.

So that’s it! Go ahead, set SMART goals and make sure you write them down. Also, reassess and modify when needed.

 

 

3. CREATE A ROUTINE

 

This is something you must do.

A lot of people buy gym memberships, workout for a couple of weeks and eventually stop because they just didn’t enjoy going through those motions.

To keep yourself motivated you have to have a plan. It’s okay if you’re just starting out, and just go and learn the basic movements for a week or two. But eventually, sooner the better, you must know everything you’re going to be doing in the gym long before you even set your foot in there. In fact, you should visualize your workout before you start.

Please do your research, ask a friend who’s already into fitness and there is a plethora of information and routines available on the web. Spend a day or two looking up routines that are relevant to your goals.

 

 

4. INVEST IN WORKOUT GEAR AND APPAREL

 

It’s not something that you can’t do without, but it is a very good idea to buy some cool and comfortable clothes for your workout sessions. They will not only be comfortable during exercises but will help you feel confident and motivated to hit the gym.

You might want to invest in some workout gear as well, such as – gloves, belt, wrist straps, lifting straps etc. The point is, you don’t go to a war without proper gear and ammunition, likewise, you don’t want to step into the gym feeling and looking like you’re unprepared or not serious.

Trust me, it does help in keeping you motivated.

 

5. MUSIC

 

I have this habit of putting on my earphones the moment I head out to the gym. It’s a 20-minute walk for me by the end of which I feel pretty much in the zone to crush my workout.

No matter what happened earlier in the day, good music can help you escape all that negativity. Now it’s still under debate whether listening to music can improve your physical performance, but it certainly elevates my mood and gets me in that pumped-up zone to start working out. I also feel less distracted by my surroundings when I’ve got some great music playing in my ears.

I like to create my own playlists with a mix of old and new songs from different genres and shuffle it up every few weeks. Don’t worry if you already don’t have great music that makes you move, feel free to go through these playlists that were published on BodyBuilding.com:

• 20 Rap Workout Songs
• 15 EDM Workout Songs
• 12 Alternative Workout Songs That are Motivating as Hell
• 13 Hip-Hop Songs To Help You Crush The Weights
• 13 Metal Songs To Get You Pumped
• 21 Classic Rock Workout Songs

 

6. PICK A CONVENIENT TIME

 

The fitness community can be broadly divided into two camps – people who prefer A.M. workouts versus those who prefer P.M. workouts. We have a fair share of fitness experts supporting both the camps.

While a morning workout can make it easier to stay more consistent, an evening workout can help you beat stress more efficiently. An A.M. workout is usually followed by a healthy breakfast and can set a healthy tone for the day, whereas you may feel stronger during a P.M. workout as your body is fueled with the carbs you’ve consumed throughout the day.

While both have their advantages, it is totally up to you to choose what works best as per your convenience.

Just remember, more than anything else, it is the consistency that truly matters!

 

 

7. HEALTHY EATING AND SLEEPING

 

This is one of the most underrated and neglected aspects of fitness that most newbies ignore when they start working out. I used to feel that since I’m bulking up, I can eat anything in sight to put on mass. I couldn’t have been any further from the truth!

Now you might have heard some people say – “abs are made in the kitchen” or “what you eat matters twice as much as what you do in the gym.”

Basically, if you are looking to put on muscle, you must know that lifting weights actually damages the muscle fibers, which are only repaired once they receive proper nutrition and rest. Also, you can’t reveal your washboard abs unless you create a caloric deficit by planning your diet properly, eventually resulting in low bodyfat.

You must at least take two factors into consideration while making a diet plan – fitness goal and body type. Fitness goals can be broadly segmented into three categories – gain mass, lose fat or maintenance. There are three basic body types – ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph.

So, let’s assume that you are in great shape and want to maintain. The optimum macronutrient ratios in your diet should be around 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fats.

While if you want to gain mass, the carbs will go up slightly and fats would come down.

And if you want to lose fat, the carbs will significantly drop while protein and fats will go up. Though if you want to lose fat then you need to consume fewer calories than your body needs, to create the caloric deficit that I earlier mentioned.

Based on your body type, you might want to add a few extra calories if you’re on the ectomorph end of the scale, and might want to reduce some calories if you are more of an endomorph.

You can find many calorie calculators online which will tell how many calories does your body need. Then you can divide it into macros depending on your goal. You need to tailor a diet plan around that and ensure that you stick to clean eating.

Find some cool calorie calculators here.

It is also important to stay hydrated. Dehydration can seriously drag your energy levels down, cramp you up and it can be dangerous as well. Try and drink at least 8 glasses of water in a day.

I personally prefer 14-18 glasses. Apart from that, I keep sipping every now and then during my workouts too, as a research shows that 45 minutes of exercise without water can put you in a dehydrated state.

Sleeping 7-9 hours a day is mandatory if your workouts are pretty intense. A good sleep not only helps you with muscle recovery and growth, it also helps reduce stress levels and improves concentration and alertness.

 

8. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

 

Once you start working out it is essential to track your progress.

By tracking I not only mean measuring your weight or waist size every week, but you must keep a track of how you are performing during your workouts. This will help you analyze if you’re actually improving or do you need to change something about your workout.

This will not only show you where you need to improve, but it also proves to be a great motivator when you see that you’ve been lifting twice the weight that you started with a few weeks ago.

You can find many apps that can help you track your workouts and how much weight you lifted on each movement. My personal favorite is Bodyspace. In fact, I use it to track most of my workouts.

I would also recommend that you take weekly progress pictures too. I can’t explain the feeling one gets when you can actually see the transformation. It is a pretty good idea to keep a track of your body measurements as well.

9. SWITCH IT UP AND IMMERSE YOURSELF IN MOTIVATION

 

Now that you’ve got the ball rolling you’ll probably not run out of steam anytime soon if you approach fitness in an organized way. However, we do tend to start slacking once we get too comfortable and cozy with something.

So, you might want to incorporate different variations to your exercises, or maybe add a circuit every now and then, or perform machine exercises instead of free weights. Basically, you want to switch it up so that you never get bored and your body keeps guessing!

If you’re tempted to miss a workout, remind yourself how you regret it later and how strong you’re getting. For most people who never go back to the gym, it starts with missing one workout. Although I’m not saying that you should go and pump iron when the world is under a zombie attack (might not be a bad idea though)!

All I’m saying is that missing your workouts can turn into a vicious never-ending cycle and can throw you totally off course.

It is vital to surround yourself with all kinds of motivation. Sometimes, I watch Pumping Iron all over again and still get psyched!

Watch motivational videos, follow your fitness idols, take inspiration from those you admire at your gym, read inspirational fitness related stuff and very soon this lifestyle will become a part of your “new life.”

 

10. REWARD

 

Remember the mule chasing the carrot? If you’re like most people, you’ll know that a little incentive goes a long way. Seeing great results is of course the best reward you can get in your fitness journey. But sometimes we all need a little extra push to keep moving forward.

You can create a variety of different goals to propel yourself to achieve greatness. Maybe you want to reward yourself on losing 5 pounds, or you want to cross the 250-pound mark on your bench press and then celebrate.

Goals can also be journey-oriented rather than destination/result-oriented. So, you can reward yourself if you haven’t missed a single meal or a workout in two weeks.

Another great but a little complex way is to devise a point system for yourself in which you get specific points for certain actions like – 1 point to have 10 glasses of water, 5 points for not missing a workout in a week, 2 points for an HIIT workout – you get the idea.

Also, you can subtract points in case you go off course.

Create a list of rewards like – 100 points for a massage, 300 points for a weekend getaway, 700 points for a dream vacation and so on.

Quite simply, you use the accumulated points to treat yourself with one of the rewards.

It can be a lot of fun if you sincerely reward yourself for working hard. Maybe you can set goals to get shredded by this summer and then reward yourself with a beach photoshoot!

 

 

We wish you all the very best and hope that you really enjoy your journey towards awesomeness, and inspire people all around you!

 

We would love to hear about things you may have tried to motivate yourself to start working out. Do tell us in the comments below.

Also, if you found this post useful, be sure to share it with your friends right away.