Starting a workout routine can be a bit daunting to a beginner. Where are you supposed to go? What exercises should you do? How long should you exercise for, and how often? These are all questions you might be asking yourself when you first start a workout routine. To find out the answers to these questions and get into a workout routine with ease and confidence, read on.

Start By Learning The Basics
Starting a workout routine will help you build your strength, tone your muscles, and improve your overall physical fitness. Figure out what is most important for you and your workout routine and go from there. Knowing what your objective is will help you shape your workout to suit your needs. If you don’t have a main objective and just want to get active, that’s fine too. It’s not a bad idea to just start small and figure things out as you go along.

Finding A Local Gym Or Fitness Center
People work out at home, but this is not nearly as beneficial as working out at a fitness center. Working out at home requires a lot of money and space for exercise equipment. It is a much better idea to just get a membership at a fitness center and workout there instead. At a fitness center, you can exercise alongside other people, learn from them, and gain motivation from them. A lot of people you find at fitness centers are dedicated to keeping themselves in good shape. Having these types of people around will show you how to become a more physically fit person and will put you on the right path.

Getting Over Intimidation
Maybe you’re scrawnier and smaller than most people who work out and lack the experience and confidence to workout in front of other people. This is a common problem that prevents many men from starting a workout routine. If you are intimidated by going to the gym and feeling really out of place, there is a lot that can help you get over this and build your confidence.

The first thing you can do is educate yourself, which is something you’re already doing by reading this guide. Learn more about various exercise machines and how to use them properly. The next thing you can do is go with a friend who also works out. This can be a huge help because you can have someone you are already comfortable with show you the ropes. Another thing you can do is to meet up with a personal trainer the first time you go to the gym. A personal trainer will show you how to properly use various exercise equipment.

Planning Out A Workout Routine
Decide what areas you want to work on specifically. Maybe you want a bigger upper body and want to focus on your chest and shoulders. Find a variety of exercises you can do that will work those areas and see how long it takes to complete those exercises. Experiment with different times until you find out how long it takes your body to get a good workout. Allow at least a day for rest in between each workout. One good schedule is to workout on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This will give you a day in between workouts, and the weekend off.

For the first couple of weeks, your body will likely be very soar after each workout. If not, you are either not working out enough or are already in very good shape. After the firs couple of weeks, your body will begin to quickly adjust to your workout and you will have to gradually change your workout routine so you don’t get into a rut. This is where keeping a workout log comes into play

Keeping A Workout Log
A workout log is simply a log of all of the exercises you have done. We recommend taking notes with a pen and paper during the workout and putting the data into a spreadsheet later. Workout logs usually include the following information: date, exercise, sets/reps, and weight. Adding different information to this basic template is fine too. Find what works best for you and work from there. Or just play it by ear and develop something that works for you.

Keeping a workout log will show you how much progress you make and, more importantly, it will show you if you are plateauing. When you start plateauing, you can immediately see it by examining your workout log. Hitting a plateau is not always a bad thing, but can start to minimize the effects of your workout.

Making Your Workout A Habit
This can be the hardest thing when it comes to starting a workout routine. A lot of times, people lose motivation and fizzle out after a while. Make sure you can afford to devote the time and energy required to workout. Also, set goals and reward yourself when you reach those goals. This will help you stay motivated and keep you going. And make sure you keep that workout log updated. Being able to see how much progress you make will give you a big boost in your drive to continue.