Before you jump into the gym, take a moment to evaluate where you’re headed on this journey. There’s a lot that goes into embarking on a new work out plan. It’s physical, nutritional, emotional, mental, and even spiritual. It’s important to set the road map before going through all of the changes and sacrifices you’ll make. I cannot stress enough how invaluable working with a personal trainer will be in helping you meet your fitness goals.  I recommend investing in a trainer at least for a few weeks to learn proper form and technique.  It’s better to learn good habits from the start rather than need to break bad habits and correct poor form later.

But if you’re not ready to invest or commit to a trainer just yet, here is how you can have an initial consultation with yourself. I’ve broken the consultation down into three parts, Looking within, measurements, then assessing your gym capabilities.

LOOKING WITHIN

Do you have medical conditions or injuries? Has a doctor cleared you for workouts? The workout approach is different with people who have heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, muscle or joint injuries.  Do you have medications that may interfere with performance? It’s important to recognize and acknowledge the differences as to not create more problems. You’ll need a trainer who is specialized in addressing these issues.

What’s the endpoint? Are you starting down this fitness journey to achieve a certain look for an event (yacht week, carnival, upcoming wedding)? Is it to compete in a competition? To lose a specific amount of weight? Is it to be able to perform a certain action? How will you know you have accomplished your goal? Having a specific, measurable goal in mind will impact how you approach your goal.

Start with “Why”. What is your motivation for going on this journey?  Why do you want to workout? What’s the benefit? What do you get out of it? Being able to articulate your “why” for the long haul and short-run will be your driving force to make it happen each day. So, write it down. Keep a list. Cut out pictures, save it to Pinterest. But understand why you want to do this and have the answer accessible for the times you start to forget why.

Sleeping Habits – Sleep is the body’s natural recovery mechanism. Poor sleeping habits affect everything! Sleeping abnormalities can usually be directly linked to stress and improper diet. All of that can reduce recovery effectiveness, lower growth hormone release, and can cause mental fatigue and inability to concentrate. Be conscious of how much quality sleep you’re getting every day. Keep a record of it.

Water Intake Habits – Not drinking enough water leaves the client susceptible to dehydration during exercise. Also, prolonged low water intake can lead to survival water retention in the body (which makes you look bloated).

Eating Habits – Folx often underestimate the number of sugary sweets they consume throughout the day. That handful of jellybeans from the secretaries jar starts adding up when you par it to the extra-large soda every morning and the sugary coffee drink. Make sure you are documenting everything + the portions you eat. I used to keep a food journal but I find snapping a picture with my phone of everything I consume helps keep accurate track of portions.

Occupation – Being conscious of the type of activity level you perform daily will affect caloric intake, meal timing, exercise schedule, and possible lifestyle change recommendations. Occupational stress may also be a consideration.  A construction worker, who is always on her feet lifting heavy equipment will have different food fuel needs than I programmer who sits in front of a computer screen all day.

Anthropometric Measurements

Determine your body type. Researcher and psychologist William Sheldon, continuing the research of Plato and Nietzsche, introduced the concept of somatotypes body types in the 1940s. Body types can be categorized in three ways Ectomorph, Mesomorph, and Endomorph.

1. Ectomorph: Small frame, lean and long, with difficulty gaining weight and building muscle no matter how hard they try.
2. Mesomorph: Medium frame, develop muscles easily, with a high metabolism and responsive muscle cells
3. Endomorph: Big frame, high body fat, low muscle density, often pear-shaped, easier time gaining weight than other body types.

Take this quiz if you are still unsure. It’s completely common to fall between two body types.  Since body types are based on your bone structure and natural propensity to build muscular or store fat, there’s nothing you can do to change your body type. You can, however, tweak your eating and fitness habits to work with your body type instead of against it.

Height, Weight & Body composition (skin-fold caliper)

These are just a data point to help you track tangible progress. Document them.

Circumference measurements – Measure the smallest point of waist, hips, bicep, thighs (and for the gentlemen, measure neck, chest, forearms as well).  Make sure you pick the exact same spot on your body to measure, being an inch away from the spot you measured will affect the readings. I have a birthmark on my bicep, it’s my marker on where to measure.  I measure my waist at the top of my hip bone. These measurements are just data points to track progress later.

GYM FAMILIARITY

Can you name the weight machines by name? If I were to say go to the smith machine or cable row, would you know where to go? Are you familiar with muscle groups? You know where your lats, delts? You’ll need to do a walk through the gym or some on-line googling to learn the names of machines and what muscle groups they work.

How heavy do you need to lift? Choosing the correct weights affects your ability to maintain proper form, and significantly decreases your risk of injury.

1. You’ll start off performing each of the exercises on the bikini weight training workout example. Choose a weight that allows you to do the first 10 reps with moderate difficulty. Your heart rate has picked up. You’re breathing a little harder, but you don’t struggle or need a break to complete the set. By the end of the tenth rep, you should find it somewhat difficult to lift but not so difficult as to strain, hold your breath, or shake excessively. If you do, drop down a little. If completing the lift was a piece a cake, increase the weight a little.
2. Rest for 1 minute between sets and repeat. Evaluate the strain it takes in completing your second set. Rest for one minute.
3. By the tenth rep of the third set, you should struggle to complete the rep but able to do so without grunting or breaking form. This is the exact level of intensity you want to sustain.
4. Be sure to take notes and record how heavy you need to lift for each exercise. This will be your starting point.
5. When you start consistently working out, you will gradually get stronger. Once you notice the last lift takes little effort, it’s time to increase the weight. You’ve got to continually challenge your body by increasing your weights.  

Alright, you’ve completed the initial self-assessment. You’re well on your way on this exciting fitness journey. Check out the bikini circuit workout to get started.