Recommended fitness introductory courses for beginners

If you rarely exercise, are afraid of pain, and want to establish a habit first, you should first choose low-intensity introductory group classes at the venue. If you want to quickly understand the logic of movements and avoid sports injuries, you can buy 1-3 introductory personal training classes from regular coaches. If you are afraid of social problems or have a limited budget, just follow the free introductory training classes from officially certified bloggers.

When I first entered the gym, I was more confused than anyone else. I stood in the equipment area with my canvas shoes and walked around three times without knowing how to use it. After running on the treadmill for 10 minutes, I was out of breath like a bellows. I was chased by a salesperson for half an hour and stuffed personal training flyers, telling me that I would have a three-level high if I didn’t practice. I almost spent 20,000 yuan to buy 30 classes. Fortunately, I kept my wallet tight at that time, and I tried a small ten-category class one after another before I figured out how to choose as a novice.

First, let’s talk about the group class that most people are exposed to for the first time. I once took a colleague who did not exercise at all to a trial class. She usually had to wait for the elevator downstairs to pick up the express delivery. As soon as she was asked to do some ironing, she ran away on the spot. Later, she chose to enter the class on the first floor of the shopping mall. In the gate-level BODYCOMBAT, there is no difficult running or jumping. The teacher will go to the side of the person who makes the wrong move to remind her. She goes there twice a week and even drinks less milk tea. In three months, she has lost 20 pounds and even the blood lipids in the physical examination have dropped. But don’t listen to the hype from venue sales. There are also many pitfalls in group classes. If you have an old knee injury, don’t blindly jump with the big group. The teacher has to lead 20 to 30 people and doesn’t care about everyone’s range of motion. Two years ago, a friend of mine signed up for a high-intensity HIIT group class for the first time. After jumping, he squatted at the door and vomited. It took a week to recover and he never stepped into the gym again. Oh, by the way, if you sign up for group classes because you want to build strength, then it’s basically useless. Group classes can at most help you burn out and develop exercise habits. If you really want to build muscles, you have to find something else.

When it comes to practicing movements, the controversy of personal training cannot be avoided. Half of the people online say that personal training is purely an IQ tax, while the other half say that novices must buy personal training. My own experience is that as long as you find the right person, 1-3 introductory classes are really worth it. There is no need to buy more than ten or twenty classes. I spent 600 yuan to find a coach certified by ACE (American Council on Exercise), and the domestic national professional certification is also reliable. I didn’t do anything in two classes. He taught me the force logic of squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, and corrected my bad habit of bending unconsciously during deadlifts. Later, I practiced by myself for more than half a year, and my waist never hurt. Compared with my roommate who practiced deadlifts blindly and lay down with a lumbar protrusion for half a month, it was really worth the money. But if you encounter someone who measures your body fat and sells you anxiety, saying that you can’t lose weight without buying 30 classes, just turn around and leave. That kind of coach will either be unable to achieve sales results, or he won’t teach newbies at all. In a real introductory personal training class, at least 70% of the time will be spent explaining the feeling of exerting force and correcting movements, instead of taking you to squat and jump for an hour and taking pictures of you sweating and posting comparison pictures on social media.

If you are so afraid of society that you don’t even want to enter the gym, or you have just graduated and have a limited budget, there is no need to join in the excitement of the venue. Nowadays, many certified bloggers offer free introductory courses online, and the quality is no worse than offline. When I was at home during the two months of the epidemic lockdown, I followed Jeff's novice strength training series at Bilibili. Every movement will explain to you clearly the point of exertion and common mistakes. He even taught you how to find heavy objects at home to use as dumbbells. After two months, my muscle mass has increased by 0.8 kilograms, and there is no delay at all. However, there is also a problem with follow-up classes. No one will correct your movements. I once saw a little girl practicing squats with a blogger. She buckled her knees in for almost three months. She didn’t realize the problem until her knees started to hurt when she went up and down stairs. In fact, the solution is simple. You practice in front of a mirror, or take a 10-second video with your mobile phone and compare it with the blogger’s movements. Basic mistakes can be found, so you don’t have to spend thousands to buy a class just for this.

Some people may be confused, which one should I choose? You really don’t have to worry about it. It just depends on your current state. If you have just been working overtime for a month and can fall asleep standing up, don’t force yourself to take a personal trainer to lift weights. First, find an introductory yoga class near your home and go to stretch once a week. First, let your body get used to the feeling of “I want to move.” This is better than anything else. I have seen too many people who were very ambitious at the beginning. They applied for an annual membership card, bought private lessons, and bought a complete set of fitness clothes and sneakers. They went there twice and then never showed up again. The card was collecting dust. It is really unnecessary. If you first find someone who wants to come back after the class, you have already made the right choice.

Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention, don’t be embarrassed about your first class. We all come from the same background. The first time I took a group class, I walked smoothly for half of the class. The aunt next to me smiled and corrected my movements. Later, we became partners and made appointments to go together every week. Occasionally, we would drink milk tea without sugar together. To put it bluntly when it comes to fitness, the first thing you should practice when getting started is not muscle endurance at all, but your willingness to move. You don’t need to pursue any advanced courses. The best introductory courses are the ones you can stick to.