Whether you’re dreaming of lacing up your running shoes for a marathon, stepping into the ring for boxing, or simply wanting to move more each day, taking that first step towards building a fitness routine can be both exciting and overwhelming.
The benefits are undeniable—improved health, stronger relationships, and a boost in self-discipline—but knowing how to begin can be challenging.
To help you on your journey, here’s 10 practical steps to get you started with a fitness routine, setting you up for success from day one.
1 – Pick your physical activity
Choosing what kind of sport you want to try shouldn’t be hard. It’s a not a big life decision, and you simply need to move your body and enjoy it. There’s no commitment to one sport if you’re just looking to be healthier.
Personally, I recommend for men to pick from one or more of the following types of sports activities.
Lifting Weights
An obvious pick for a fitness routine that shouldn’t surprise anybody.
Lifting weights will allow you to be stronger, both physically and mentally if you push your body and your mind. Fuel your manly ego by being able to carry all the grocery bags for your girlfriend… and do so with ease !
But seriously, one of the best outcomes is the effect it has on the way you look. Gaining muscle mass (hypertrophy) makes you look better, and subconsciously, people will see you as more disciplined. You’ll look more attractive to others, sure, but to yourself too. When you look good and feel good, a certain confidence shines through. That’s what will make them fall for you!
Cardio
It’s all in the name – cardiovascular exercises. It’s for you heart, and I’m a big advocate for it!
The most popular example of cardio is running, but cycling or rowing are just as good too. Basically, anything that will get your heart pumping.
Cardio will has several benefits :
- Increase in endurance / stamina
- Better heart health
- Increases your mood and improves mental health
You’ll see. Go for a quick run or a bike ride, with some good music in your ears, and you’ll come back more energised and motivated !
Fighting
In all honesty, I don’t personally fight yet as I’ve injured my knee, but it’s a sport I’d like to get into.
I feel that learning to fight allows you to learn to protect yourself and those in your life. It seems you gain a certain sense of confidence in yourself because in a risky situation, you’d know you were able to defend yourself.
I’m curious, if some of you already practice a fighting sport, let me know in the comments below what benefits you found to it !
Team/Club Sports
I do have a special mention for team sports. Getting together with the boys, shooting hoops (or whatever they say in America), a sense of competition and camaraderie… it just sounds great, and full of testosterone ! I do believe it is a viable option too!
So, pick one (or more!) and get on with it. How bad can it be to just get started ?
2 – Get started!
Once you’ve decided which activity you want to get into, the next thing to do is simply to start. If you haven’t already, check out this article I posted a while back :
Letting Go of the “Right Moment” : When Big Change Happens
Just show up to begin with. Figure out the environment, take your time. Try out a few machines at the gym. Go for a quick run around the park. Talk to a trainer.
You don’t have to go all in on Day 1, but you’ll make no progress if you don’t even begin.
And when you do decided to show up, remember why you chose to start exercising.
3 – Find your motivation
You know… maybe this should have be the first point on this list : Why do you want to start exercising ?
What is going to drive you on the days you don’t want to fight, run, or lift weights ? This is so important it should have its own article (coming soon? 😉 ). To paraphrase F. Nietzche: “He who has a ‘why’ to live, can bear almost any ‘how’.” You could replace “live” by a lot of things in life.
Here are the most common motivations for getting fit :
- General health and physique
- Family
- Personal goals and improvement
- Girls (I mean… if we’re being honest 😀 )
Whatever your reason, just remember to always prioritize discipline over motivation though. Motivation is not something you’ll necessarily control every day. Discipline is. Remember your ‘Why’, and stay focused.
Now, how far are you willing to take it?
4 – Set realistic goals.
If you’ve never practiced karate before, you’re not going to become a black belt in 3 months, nor look like Arnold in a year if you’ve never lifted weights. I’m sorry.
Aim for what you can achieve. Maybe even aim a little higher than what you can. Set the goal, and work towards it without going so fast as to hurt yourself in the process.
There are several efficient ways to set goals, the most common one being the SMART goals. Here’s an example :
- Specific –> Bench Press
- Measurable –> 50 kg (132lb)
- Achievable –> Yes, if you train properly
- Relevant –> Yes, if you want to grow your chest. No, if you want to grow your legs…
- Time-bound –> Let’s say 5 months. Adapt this number if it feels too hard/easy once you’ve started.
Check out this website for more detail on setting SMART goals : Atlassian
Now that your goals are set and you’ve started working towards them, don’t hesitate to observe what’s going on. Make some tweaks if need be.
5 – Make small adjustments
Don’t go too fast, especially if you’re just starting out. Otherwise, you risk hurting yourself.
Adapt your training if you sense something isn’t right. Nothing you initially plan is set in stone and it’s okay to change your ways midway through the process. Even your goals can change! It doesn’t mean you failed, but it does mean you learned something.
For weight-training, look into progressive overload. For jogging, try to go a little faster or further each week.
Don’t get me wrong, you do need to push yourself, but do it wisely. And regularly !
6 – Be consistent
A routine is built by consistency.
This might sound obvious to you, but you won’t progress if you keep interrupting your fitness routine. For example, there is no point in working out for a whole week, to then take a break for 2 more.
Be aware that it simply won’t happen overnight. Show up on a regular basis. Do the necessary. Results will show. Like I mentioned before, it’s going to take discipline to stay consistent. It’s basically delayed gratification.
As for results, your body will let you know soon enough.
7 – Listen to your body
There are a lot of benefits in adopting a fitness routine and staying physically active, but nature and life happen, and you won’t always feel your best. I’ll let some experts help you out with that :
Fatigue and Illness
Here are a few quick tips to ease you decision making on whether to exercise on certain days when you don’t feel well:
- If you have a small cold but still feel strong enough, then do a slightly easier session
- If you’re not well, then do a really easy workout or just don’t go
- If you’re severely unwell, don’t go. Rest up.
I personally prefer to take some time off from working out when I’m not feeling well. It’s okay. It won’t be the end of the world.
Dr. Mike Israetel, from Renaissance Periodization, says it best in his video :
Very simple and reassuring !
Pain
In his book “Your Ultimate Body Transformation Plan” Nick Mitchell says to “distinguish between good and bad pain”. Here’s an extract, but check out his book!
- “Good training pain is when your muscles shake, your skin feels like it might split because you’re so pumped up, and it feels like there’s a blowtorch burning the inside of your muscle”.
- “Bad pain is sharp joint and/or soft tissue pain that pulls you up short, or a muscle somehow spasming or knotting up so that dysfunction occurs if you carry on”.
Your body will tell you when something isn’t right, you just need to listen. But don’t worry if you get things wrong, you’ll learn from your mistakes.
8 – Learn as you go
If you’re just starting out, you won’t be great. Learn the basics and put them into practice! If you’re already experienced, you still won’t know everything there is to know.
Do your research, there are so many videos and articles on the internet.
Here’s my personal list of Youtube channels that I follow and recommend (with links) for muscle building, as that is my main physical activity :
- Renaissance Periodization : Science back information with a lot of dry adult humour. So good!
- Jeff Nipard : Again, science backed information, a must watch !
- Will Tennyson : For a boost in entertainment and fun challenges. Great humour !
Here’s a great video loaded with knowledge about the best muscle building exercises :
Don’t worry, if you picked another kind of physical activity, there are still obviously many sources of information on google and YouTube. There is so much you can learn and put into action !
If you go to the gym or a sport club with other members, or have friends/family who are into fitness, talk to them about it. They might have some fantastic insights!
9 – Make it social !
You’ll learn a lot from watching the people I mentioned above. But you’ll also learn a lot from the people directly around you. Be it a coach, an already experienced friend, of a fellow golf player (as an example). You could talk to them about the following topics :
- Techniques
- Tips and tricks
- Routines
- New ways of pushing yourself
- Diet and nutrition
Keeping a social element is a great way to build connections with people and a great way to have accountability if you involve friends. Heck, you’ll even make friends along the journey!
On some days where motivation just isn’t there, sometimes your sport buddies can lift you back up and put a smile on that face!
10 – Enjoy the process
I’ll make this quick. You’re not going to enjoy your fitness routine every single time. They’ll be days when your motivation is lacking. When you feel tired. When you won’t see the progress.
What you need to enjoy is the belief that you are working on yourself, your skills, your health. You’ll show up, when others won’t. You’ll see results, and you’ll know you deserve them. Because you put the work in.
Find satisfaction for everything you learned, the people you discovered, and the limits you pushed.
Remember you did this good thing for you and the people you care about. Being strong, active, and healthy will benefit you and your relationships.
Enjoy your self-improvement journey.
To Recap
These are the basics of exercising and building a fitness routine. You’ll benefit so much from this that you simply won’t be able to regret starting.
Remember to be consistent with your fitness routine no matter what physical activity you chose. That is one of, if not THE most important trick.
Take care of your health. Make friends. Learn as you go. Push yourself. This should not be a temporary thing. Make it a lifestyle.
So, get moving, get to the gym, lifts some weights, fight, run, and whatever happens, you can handle it.
