I hope you can walk up straight after the intense workout session on day two you had after years. All those sedentary years at college and office do take a toll on the body, right? Well, I know you are uneasy and you don’t want to get out of your bed today, but believe me, tomorrow is going to be worse, and if you don’t go to the gym today, and follow our gym routine for beginners, it is going to be much worse than you can imagine.
Remember gym beginner, it has only been one day and I am pretty sure you can see some cuts in your biceps. They actually don’t exist and are probably just an illusion created up by your mind because you went to the gym, but hey! You can still see it, can’t you? Now think if one day can do so much, then you have the power of beginner gains for an entire year!
So, tighten up your laces and stop being a couch potato. Let’s lose some weight, gain some muscle, and design ourselves!
Day 3 – Gym Routine for Beginners
It’s that day of the week again which you will probably hate the most in the gym routine for beginners. You have a body ache and you are supposed to be running around today. Yes, it is another cardio day but today the flow will be a lot different from what we did on day one here – Day 1 – First Week at the Gym – Gym Routine for Beginners.
We will, of course, start with a few minutes of machine-assisted cardio and after that, the workout will be mainly focused on kinds of stretches and core development exercises. I know you hate cardio but it is important.
Exercises
- Cycling – 15 Minutes – Low to Medium Intensity
- Walking – Slow to Moderate Speeds
- Floor Cardio Exercises
- Full-body warm-up – Jumping Jacks/Step Jacks
- Leg Movement – High Knees
- Leg Movement – Climber
- Full-body warm-up – Burpees
- Full-body warm-up – Skipping
- Lower Abs – Scissors
- Abs – Crunches
- Abs – Plank
- Obliques – Side Plank
- Stretching
- Walking – Cool Down
Exercise 1 – Cycling – 15 Minutes – Low to Medium Intensity
Let’s start with warming up a bit. Doing 10-20 minutes of cycling on low to medium resistance or no resistance at all will do just fine. All you need is to make your body warm and ready for the gym routine for beginners, challenging your thighs for a straight road, upward slope, or downward slope is up to you.
Just keep in mind, while you are cycling you can’t take breaks from cycling and don’t use your hands to aid the movement of your legs, try considering this as a real situation and keep your hands on the handlebar, or just twiddle with your phone, that works as well.
Exercise 2 – Walking – Slow to Moderate Speeds
I believe you are sweating by now, and if you are not, then probably you did something wrong back there, but like seriously, are you not sweating? At least just a bit.
Either way, you are warmed up and it is good but let’s make your body a little more used to about what is happening, and in case you are sweating profusely then let’s change that. Walk on the treadmill softly, but don’t stroll in a park and neither participate in a sprint.
Let’s just stride to a meeting room or be in a premise where you want to run badly but you can’t so you are just walk-running? Makes sense? Like try 6kmph or about 4mph on the treadmill, it is ideal fast walking speed, but in case it is too fast, tone it down.
Exercise 3 – Floor Cardio Exercises
We have completed a good machine-assisted warm-up but now it is time to actually get your body moving and pump some blood through your body before your muscles start getting sore from all the workout we did yesterday.
We will do a few body movement variations and this might sound like a long list but no variation would take more than 5 minutes.
Variation 1 – Jumping Jacks or Side Steps
Let’s start off with the classic jumping jacks and hop ourselves out and free. Sling your arms from above your head to your sides with each jump. Let’s open up our body before you can’t move from the pain or muscle recovery.
Note: If you cannot do jumping jacks because of personal reasons or because of an old injury then don’t exert yourself, do the side step variation of jumping jacks instead, and follow alternatives for each jumping variation.
Let’s aim for 3 sets of 30-50 jumps each
Variation 2 – High Knees
In this variation pull your knees as close to your chest as possible. The purpose of the variation is to warm up your body and to work on the lower abdominis muscles.
Try doing 3 sets with 20-25 reps of each leg in each set
Variation 3 – Climber
In climber, you arch your body as shown and bring your foot as far ahead as possible. The idea is to pretend to be climber on a moderately steep and smooth slope and trying to rapidly climb up the slope as quickly as possible with rapid movements from your legs.
Once again the variation focuses on the abdominis muscles and endurance.
Let’s try 3 sets with 20-25 reps of each leg in each set for gym routine for beginners.
Variation 4 – Burpees
Here they are again, one of the toughest and the most effective variations of cardio. You probably know how to do them by now from day 1, but let’s go over them again.
We are still trying to get 50 of these in all 3 sets, if it does not seem possible to you then don’t exert yourself, we still have a long day ahead.
Variation 5 – Skipping
Skipping is one of the most effective weight reduction and core building exercise but not everyone can do it on a rope. If you can then just pick one up and start skipping right away. If you cannot then pretend to be holding a rope and start jumping.
There is no limit in skipping, you can do it for 5 minutes or can aim for 500 hopes, it is up to you.
Note: Again, people who cannot jump can skip this variation completely, if you really want to do something then from next time onwards add elliptical cycling to your machine-assisted cardio list and do it either at the start or end of the day.
Exercise 4 – Scissors
Well done, that’s enough cardio for now. Time to rest so find yourself a mat that you can lie down on. No seriously, go ahead.
And while you are lying down just lift your legs a little bit and then move them up and down. We are doing scissors, an exercise targeting the lower abs muscles and the lower belly fat.
One leg goes up the other goes down and so on. Do this about 25 times a leg, counting one up-down-up motion as one rep. Remember you cannot keep your legs on the floor and you cannot touch your feet on the floor until the set isn’t over. You can, of course, slip your hands under your thighs for some support during the set, but that is about it.
Try aiming for 3 sets of 20-25 reps each.
Exercise 5 – Crunches
Next up, crunches, another exercise targeting your abs. This variation targets the entire abdominis muscle, in layman terms, all the abs which are the lower and the upper belly.
Lie down on the floor, curl up your legs and then put your hands behind your head. Pull yourself up and let your chest touch your knees. On the first rep itself, you will realize what it is like to do a variation of an exercise that targets your entire muscle, and this is without obliques!
We are targeting for 3 sets with 15 reps each in the gym routine for beginners.
Exercise 6 – Plank
Now that you have already done 2 variations of the core workout and you can feel a little bit of burning sensation in your abdomen, it might be time to challenge your body and hold the burning.
The idea of plank is you make a bridge with your body completely flat and only your toes and forearms touch the floor. The exercise keeps your muscle taut and under stress. This aids the endurance and the growth of your core muscles
3 sets of 45 seconds of hold each would be great exposure to planks.
Exercise 7 – Slide Plank
Now that we have worked enough on the central core muscles it is time to work on the obliques. Just like the plank, the side plank is meant to keep the muscle taut for the duration of the exercise and thus works on the endurance and the growth of the muscle.
The slide plank focuses on the slide abs that are the obliques. Unlike planks, you will find side planks a lot easier.
3 sets and 45 seconds hold would be an ideal beginner gym routine day plank workout.
Exercise 8 – Stretching
Now it is time to cool down and stretch your body out. Stretch your calves, your thighs, go up to stretch your back and chest and finally your arms. If you can hold the chakrasana or the “bridge pose” from Yoga, it would be a great way to stretch your abs. Also, for perfect blood circulation and full-body stretches, you can add Surya Namaskar to your workout.
Exercise 9 – Walking
Before walking out of the gym and heading back home, keep in mind to do a 5-minute walk for cool down and end your beginner level gym routine. If you came to the gym in a car, then you can walk a little before you leave, either use the surroundings of the treadmill. If you came in walking then you can just head back home.
A few minutes of walk works a long way in bringing your body out of the gym psych and getting back to the normal routine.
Okay, Bros and Broettes, good and bad news, we are resting tomorrow but not like a couch potato, it’s only day three! Enjoy a fit and healthy life and follow Cannot Cardio for more fitness posts! Remember to Stay Awesome!
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