Starting a new exercise program can bring about a newfound excitement and motivation for your health and fitness. This is something wonderful, but before you dive in headfirst there are some things you should consider. If you want your enthusiasm to last more than 12 weeks, then you need to make sure you take a measured approach to selecting your new training program. Putting a little thought into the following areas prior to starting can help you make a more appropriate choice about your exercise plan.
Does The Program Match Your Goal?
Before you do anything, you must have a clearly defined goal. From here a program can be chosen or designed in accordance to your goal. You must then evaluate if the program makes regular progressions that move you in the direction of your goal. It’s ok to have multiple goals but they need to work together; trying to increase your maximum strength whilst dropping body weight is counterintuitive and any form of progress will be hard to come by.
Assess Your Current Health, Fitness and Experience
This is a biggy. There is no point starting a program that emphasises heavy squats if you have a bung knee. You need to select a program that is appropriate for where your health and fitness is right now. Setting benchmarks for your new program based on what you use to be able to do will only result in injury. It’s important to consider any health issues you may be experiencing ie. high blood pressure, asthma or any bone, joint or muscle problems that may impact your ability to perform particular activities. Health problems will affect the suitability of some programs over others. Your level of training experience will also determine if a program is right for you. Ask yourself, are the exercises in this program familiar to you and are you comfortable to perform them. If not, then recruiting the knowledge of a qualified trainer is a good idea.
Start Easy and Don’t Over Do It
The good thing about starting fresh is that you don’t need to overstimulate yourself in order to get a good result. Pushing yourself beyond what is required can lead to excessive DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and potential injury, this will leave you disheartened and reluctant to return to training. Training too often, for too long or at an intensity that is greater than your capabilities is not necessary for you to achieve the results you’re looking for. Start easy and progress regularly and you’ll be well on your way to achieving your goals.
Prioritise Recovery
Despite what you might think, your body doesn’t grow and adapt whilst you’re training. The real progress is made outside the gym and is dependant on how you manage your recovery. Without adequate rest, hydration and nutrients you will become fatigued, lethargic, unmotivated and your muscles simply won’t have the support they need to rebuild and recover. This will all but halt your progress and may even erode some of the progress you’ve already made.
It’s easy to get carried away trying to take advantage of your newfound motivation. However, if sustainable change is important to you it pays to consider how suitable your new program is for you. Be realistic about your capabilities, be smart about your program selection and manage your recovery appropriately. Adequate analysis of your new program will set you up for success now and into the future.
xx Tara
Thinking of starting a new exercise program? Let me know in the comments section below.
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