There is something funny about how humans seem to freeze whenever we are presented with multiple options. Whenever we choose what restaurant we want to go to, decide what to wear to the interview, or even where to go on vacation. We can’t make up our minds.

But when it comes to fitness, it can become a whole new beast.

The fitness world seems to change its mind every day. And I understand how we can get so confused with that. It sometimes makes us too scared even to begin. 

“CrossFit is the best thing to do! The workouts are so short and intense, and they work!” 

“CrossFit is bad. You are guaranteed to get injured, and the coaches are barely even certified.” 

“Low-carb diets are the way to go! I saw my abs in, like, two days!” 

“Low carb diets leave you with low energy and can hurt your workouts and progress.” 

STOPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!! I THINK MY HEAD IS GOING TO EXPLODE!!!

The key to getting that body you have always dreamed of is to ignore the noise and choose something.

But that doesn’t mean that some workouts won’t work better for you than others. So, let’s break down some common workout routines and decide what works best for you.

Complete Beginner 

Alright, you have never worked out in your life and are ready to make a change. What is the first thing you should do? 

Congratulate yourself! You are taking the BIGGEST step towards building a body you are proud of and trying to better yourself. And while there is a ton of debate about all kinds of topics in the fitness world, there is one absolute truth: Working out is fantastic. It has ridiculous benefits, and everyone should be doing it. 

Next, you should study up on... Food.

That’s right, FOOD! Another almost universal agreement in fitness is that nutrition is around 80% of the battle. In other words, if your eating habits are down, you are already MILES ahead of the person who works out a ton but doesn’t care about their eating habits.

We won’t focus on information about nutrition here because this article serves a different purpose. But you need to study this before you do anything else.

Now, let’s get back to finding the proper workout, shall we?

For complete beginners, there are multiple routes to go. Some questions you should ask yourself: 

• What is your goal? Get detailed here. Don’t say, “I want to lose weight.” How about, “I want to lose 2 to 3 inches off my waist in 3 months.” Build realistic goals, and focus on making healthy habits that stick. And if you have a goal of building muscle, just going to yoga class doesn’t help much. However, if flexibility is problematic, yoga/pilates classes become a great option. 

• What do you enjoy? The dropout rate for workout programs is very high, and it is because there are so many people who do not enjoy what they are doing when they go to the gym. You need to find a good mix between what you enjoy doing and your goals. For example, if you enjoy swimming and have a goal that involves burning fat, that is an excellent combination. 

• How much time do you have to work out? There is a huge variety of workout routines, some requiring a lot of commitment. If you work 50+ hours a week, you will not be able to do that bodybuilding routine that looks cool but also involves being in the gym for an hour and a half each day.

The truth is, a complete beginner is going to improve by doing almost anything. However, my recommendation (for ANY goal) is to do some weight training. That means any exercise routine (provided it fits your goals) that involves using dumbbells, kettlebells, and barbells. Find out what you enjoy using, and use a program designed for your goals.

Fat Loss

Regarding fat loss, the most important part is just eating fewer calories than you burn throughout the day. If you don’t focus on this, you will not get anywhere. 

As for workout routines, you should also focus on the bullet points listed above. This is because this goal also allows for many different forms of exercise that can help you reach this goal. It can be swimming, weight training, sprinting.. Whatever. It is a good decision as long as your choice makes sense and actually DOES something. 

I recommend focusing on a training program involving lifting weights and performing a mix between High-Intensity Interval Training and steady-state cardio 3-4x/a week. 

High-Intensity Interval Training is a form of training where you focus on going “all out” for a short period, followed by rest. A typical example of this is running on the treadmill. For 20 seconds, you will run as hard as you can. Then for 40 seconds, you will walk while you catch your breath. There are MANY forms of high-intensity interval training, so research them and find out what you would enjoy doing. Another example could be a spin class or boot camp class. 

Steady-state cardio is a form of training where you focus on staying at a certain intensity level for an extended period. A common form of this is jogging. For those who enjoy jogging, you would jog at an intensity where you are pushing yourself, but not to a point where you couldn’t stay there without getting tired. Think of jogging for around 40-60 minutes. 

When you combine these two forms of cardio with weight training, you begin to develop a body that is becoming stronger through resistance training and leaner due to all the calories you are burning. When this is added to a sound nutrition plan, it becomes a perfect storm for fat loss. 

Now, that is just my recommendation. Again, you can do any sport, weight training, or whatever you want if it makes sense. Try some things out and see what you enjoy. But focus on building healthy habits that stick. Think long-term here. 

The Ultimate Plan For Getting Abs In 21 Days 

… Doesn’t exist. Moving on.

Build Muscle

If you are in the business of building muscle, then it is time to move some weights, my friend. 

Again, like fat loss, the essential part of building muscle comes from nutrition. This time, it comes down to eating more calories than you burn. This is called a caloric surplus. And if you are not eating enough, you will NOT gain muscle, regardless of how hard you work out.

The following important factor to note is that the amount of cardio you do should be bumped down when trying to build muscle. Now I am NOT saying to eliminate cardio. It is vital for your endurance and overall health and can improve your lifting weight performance. However, the FOCUS of this phase should be on lifting weights. 

So what type of workout should you do? 

If you are a beginner trying to build muscle, your best bet is to start on a simple plan that revolves around the basic movements: squat, bench press, deadlift, and shoulder press. Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength routine is an excellent example of this. 

If you are more advanced, you should know what you enjoy and your goals. So from here, you can start looking at powerlifting, bodybuilding, sports-based training, etc. For example, if you enjoy doing the big lifts mentioned above, you could do Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 training program. Or, if you enjoy going to the gym multiple times a week, you could do a bodybuilding program. You will see improvement as long as the program makes sense with your goals and you are eating correctly. 

Just Pick Something 

The information that we see on the internet can make us so overwhelmed. If this is you, then it is time to take action and choose a program and start going to work. Choose one of the categories above that you fit into, and select a program. Eat correctly, work hard, find something you enjoy, and STAY CONSISTENT. Consistency will give you the results.

But the first step to consistency is taking the first step.