Your Questions, Answered: Working out for beginners

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New to the gym? We’ve compiled some of the biggest, most burning questions you have - which we’ve been asked frequently by many other people too - and answer them here.  

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Q: Do I have to train every day? 

When it comes to how often you should train, we have 3 simple guiding principles. Consider these in tandem:

1. Train as many times as you can commit to. Training should improve your life, not give you more stress. The most effective training schedule is the one that you can commit to and put into practice. 

2. Train as many times as you can recover from. Training is meant to get you stronger and fitter, but for that to happen, you will need time to recover from each workout. There is such a thing as too much exercise, or over-training, which can be counterproductive and lead to injuries.

3. Train as many times as you can as long as you are happy doing it. Find joy in what you do so that you can sustain your fitness journey for a long time. 

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Q: Can I lose weight just by training? How do I gain a six-pack?

Training alone will not help you lose weight or gain the body you want - you need to eat well too.

That said, a proper training regime is usually a cornerstone of healthy habits and systems, or a healthier lifestyle. So working out regularly could be the first step that leads to eating well and, in turn, bring you closer to looking the way you want. Not training, however, just makes losing weight or a six-pack that much more out of reach. 

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Q: How long should I exercise? Do I have to train hard every time?

It depends on these factors:

1. Your training experience.

As a ballpark, we typically recommend that beginners train for 30 to 45 minutes. Intermediate lifters can look at doing 1-hour sessions, while advanced lifters can take up to 90 minutes.

2. Your schedule.

There’s no point programming an elaborate training plan if you can’t fit it into your schedule. What you act on is most important.

3. Your training goal for the day.

Some days are about challenging yourself. Some days can be easier and shorter than others to aid recovery. In any case, each daily goal should be pieces that fit into a larger training programme. 

4. How you feel for the day.

Most people should train according to what their body is telling them so that they don’t burn out or end up with an overuse injury. Are you fatigued? Stressed? Deprived of sleep? Sore and aching from a previous workout? A good trainer will always get a read on how you feel and prescribe or adjust the appropriate intensity of your workout to an appropriate level.

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 Q: How long will it be before I see the results that I want?  

This may seem obvious but it needs to be said: It really depends on the results that you want.

There’s the process part of the equation as well - how and what you do to try to get to your results.

Your commitment levels, how your body responds to training (we are all unique, and can respond to the same training programme differently), or whether you decide to change your goals mid-way (which is perfectly fine, as we’ve explained). These are all variables that could impact the time it takes for you to see the results that you want.