Arnold Schwarzenegger is a household name, known for his long career in bodybuilding and incredible personality. Winning 7 Mr. Olympia titles makes him one of the most prolific bodybuilders alive to this date. Although it may not seem like he fits in with “beginners” in the weight room, he was at one point just finding his way around the gym as well. This article, in addition to the video above, will highlight Arnold’s top piece of advice to given to beginners in his most recent blog post, and give my take on what I think of his advice for beginners. As someone who has worked with thousands of beginner fitness clients I was honestly shocked by some of this advice.
What’s The Advice?
On a recent blog post on his website, Arnold was asked by one of his fans, what the best advice is for beginners who are first starting out. Here’s what he had to say. “My advice to beginners is really simple: begin. And then don’t stop until it is a routine.” Is it really that simple? Well yes and no. What a lot of people struggle with is knowing even what a starting point might look like. Arnold goes on to say “find something, anything, you can do. If you have been completely sedentary, go on a 30 minute walk.” I think this is incredibly insightful is great advice, because with out that first step, nothing can ever happen. What it doesn’t address is how hard it is to actually start. For some people there are so many barriers to even just starting to begin with. Do they have any aching pains in their body? Are they in an area filled with crime? Do they live in a small apartment with virtually no room to move? These are all barriers that are layered on to making starting difficult. If you are a beginner first starting out in the gym, just starting with anything is great. But before you begin to do that, I would highly recommend analyzing exactly what is stopping you from starting to begin with. This may take some time so write it down. Once you brainstorm a bit, you can find other ways to work through these barriers first, to make that first step almost effortless. Although just starting is great, there is another thing Arnold also mentions that might be even more important.
What Else Should I Do?
Once you get started with your first steps, there is something that is also crucial to follow through on. “Once you begin, the key is keeping your momentum. That’s why I encourage everyone to set goals they can achieve when they’re just starting out,” Arnold says. I think this is arguably even more important of a point than first starting out. When beginners first start out in the gym, they often have so much energy and motivation, and think this will last forever. Unfortunately, real life gets in the way, we are tired, and the idea of sticking to a workout plan long term seems difficult. This is where Arnold’s advice of keeping the momentum is crucial. With achievable goals for the individual to work on, this will allow you to have something tangible to focus and reach towards, even when you aren’t quite as motivated and willing to keep going. When it comes to long term fitness success, this persistent momentum is the only way to truly become fit and healthy for an extended period of time. And if Arnold agrees.. shouldn’t you?
One More Thing..
If you want to continue to improve your knowledge of the gym and become healthier in life, regardless of your current abilities, you need to subscribe to our blog. And if you’re a beginner, you’re probably making a few more mistakes in the gym, which is why I think you would enjoy this other article below as well.
I REGRET Making THESE Gym Mistakes (as a Beginner)
When you first begin your journey into working out and becoming a healthier version of yourself, there are so many things to consider. Where am I going? What will I wear? What should I do? There are SO many things to think about, that we often make mistakes along the way, simply due to all…
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