How to exercise when you don't know how

Beginning a workout regimen without much experience with exercise can be daunting. There are many options, and a multitude of opinions on how one should train. And any given opinion will be more-or-less relevant to you depending on your goals.

But for someone just starting out, or with modest goals of simply getting a little bit stronger for life and health, there is just a small handful of things you should know to get started. So here is a small list of things to get you started with your first workout.

1. Don't worry if your workout isn't "optimal". The main thing is just getting started and finding a routine that your enjoy. There is plenty of time to get more out of your workout as you learn more.
2. Don't try too hard the first day - just work hard enough to sweat. People often feel inspired to go all out on their first workout. And while this effort is well intentioned, it often has the effect of making you so sore the next day that you don't feel like coming back. Health and fitness is a long-term goal, so there is no shame - or even any disadvantage - in starting slow. As long as you work hard enough to sweat, get your heart rate up, and get a little bit out of breath, you will have had a successful day.
3. Warm up. The easiest way to injure yourself is to lift something heavy or overextend your muscles in some way when your body is cold. There are lots of ways to warm up. One easy way is to use a treadmill for 5 minutes. Here's how: start out walking at 3-4 miles per hour at a 1% incline. After a minute, bring the incline to 2% or 3%, or bump the speed to 5 or more mph. Your looking for a speed that forces you to breath a little harder - just enough to make it sligthly difficult to carry on a conversation. Maintain this speed for 4-5 minutes, and you should feel pretty well warmed up by the end.
4. A full body workout only requires 3-4 exercises. All of the most important exercises fall into 4 categories: push movements, pull movements, leg movements, and full body movements. Examples:
   • Push: Pushup, Shoulder press, Bench Press, Chest Fly
   • Pull: Pullup, Bent-over Row, Strap Y-raises
   • Leg: Deadlift, Squat, Lunge, Box Jump
   • Full Body: Burpee, Thruster, Snatch
   As long as you incorporate at least one push, pull, and leg exercise into your workouts, you will have a fairly balanced regimen. And adding a full body workout to the end of your routine will ensure that you are building some real, functional strength.
5. Focus on form. Pick exercises and weights that you can perform properly, and that you can do for at least 5-6 reps. If you have to alter your form or use momentum differently on the last few reps, lighten the weight. And if you can do more than 12 reps without feeling tired, increase the weight. If you are doing bodyweight exercises, learn appropriate progressions and regressions that can allow you to improve. For instance, if you can't do a pushup with full range of motion, try doing a pushup from your knees, or with your hands on a bench.
6. Take notes. Write down all the exercises, sets, reps, and weights you do. This way you can monitor your progress over time. And also, people often get into fitness in fits and starts, so keeping track of what you did last will help you pick up where you left off if you fall off the wagon for a bit.
7. Cool down with some stretches. There are many ways to stretch, but the sun salutation sequence used in yoga is a very good way to stretch out your whole body, and will have you stretching up above your head, down to your feet, and extending your lower back.
8. Recover. Your body will want some carbohydrate after exercising. A glass of milk or a smoothy is a great way to help restore energy to your muscles, and restore some of the water, sodium, and potassium that you lost through sweat. Your body is good at telling you signals of what it needs after exercise via cravings, so pay attention to what makes you feel good. Keep a journal of what food you eat after exercise, and how it affects your energy levels.
9. Consistency is by far the biggest challenge to any kind of health and fitness improvement. No matter what exercises you choose, if you don't do them at least 1.5 times a week on average, you will see very little progress. So make sure that your fitness routine is enjoyable enough that you can turn it into a habit. As long as you consistently complete your workouts 2-3 times a week, you WILL see progress.
10. Try everything. Once you establish a basal routine, start trying new exercises. A variety of exercises will help make sure your body stays balanced.

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