Exercise Schedule for Beginners

Beginning exercisers need to start slowly to prevent injuries and to maintain motivation. The first week of an exercise program should be aerobic in nature two or three days, and the workouts should last for five or 10 minutes per session. You should be able to perform the exercise and talk at the same time. Resistance training can be added after two weeks.

Types

Exercise schedules for beginners can be slow and pain-free or aggressive and discouraging. Entry level exercise schedules ease you into an exercise program by implementing cardio and stretching exercises for a few days of the week for two weeks. This allows your body to grow accustomed to and adapt to new stimuli, reducing your risks of injury. Aggressive exercise schedules will incorporate exercise five or more days of the week, include cardio, stretching and resistance exercises, leaving you out of breath and sore. Your body will be overwhelmed in trying to adapt to a significant amount of stress at one time.

Benefits

An entry level exercise schedule is helpful in making and achieving your goals. You will have to set aside short but specific days and times for exercise. Put your exercise on your calendar, and check it off every time you complete your session. Additionally, by easing into your schedule, you will notice improvements in your fitness level even with minute increases in duration and intensity. Your body will have time to adapt, making you feel like you have worked out without being debilitated.

Exercises

After two weeks of aerobic and stretching exercises, beginners can add weight training to their schedule. You should do a full-body workout twice a week, alternating with your cardio session. Complete only two sets of 10 repetitions of the following exercise machines: chest press, lateral pull down, leg extensions, leg curls, dumbbell curls, triceps press downs, shoulder presses and crunches. Beginners should use machines for the first month, then graduate to free weights.

Misconceptions

It is a common misconception that for exercise to be beneficial, it has to last at least an hour. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, you will reap the same health benefits from two 15-minute sessions of walking as you would if you completed the entire 30-minute walk at one time. If you are short on big chunks of time, schedule your training for 10- or 15-minute sessions. Instead of missing your weight training session, you can do at least two sets of 15 reps of dumbbell presses, lateral pull downs, lunges, leg curls and crunches, which target your major muscles.

Sample Workout Schedule

You can do your favorite cardio exercises on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Complete your weight training on Tuesdays and Saturdays, taking Thursdays as a rest day. Always take 10 minutes after all your training sessions to stretch.

Warning

Get your physician's approval to exercise before you begin any program. You might have health conditions that might be exacerbated with exercise. If you feel nauseous, dizzy or out of breath during exercise, lie down and elevate your feet above your head. Have someone take you to your doctor once you feel well enough to get up.

References

• "Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2006
• "Personal Trainer Manual"; American Council on Exercise; 1997