Most of us want to exercise, but don’t know how to begin. In fact, some of us start with enthusiasm to only be disappointed with the results. Beginners should be careful while starting out exercising. They should remember that they are novices at this and should first learn to do it right. Otherwise they will not see any results. Also your efforts could only end up causing more trouble like injury, strain etc.

Start by planning your workout regimen to include both cardio as well as resistance training every week. It is best to do them on alternate days. When doing resistance or weight training, you should focus on strengthening or building muscles.
While cardio or aerobic training increases your lung capacity and endurance. Above all, it helps to burn loads of calories and fat reserves in your body. Doing both is essential for your fitness as well as weight loss goals.

Beginners should start by including compound exercises in their routine.  Compound exercises work out more than one muscle group at a time. Like pro athletes, they do not need to work only one muscle group each day. They can aim to work two or three muscle groups in a day. This will help them build a strong foundation.

So, they should aim for full body workouts. Some of the useful compound exercises are; military presses, bench presses, squats, dips, pull ups, barbell rows, etc. Such exercises not only build muscle but also burn fat. Thus are ideal for beginners and those aiming for weight loss. However, it is essential to give muscles a day’s rest, before working them out again. Thus plan your workout to train alternate muscle groups on successive days.

Also, if beginners lift weights, they should ensure that they do not do this for more than five days in a week. Any overtraining or injury can mar your goals in the beginning itself. If you really want, you could do cardio every day. Then again, give yourself rest for at least one day in the week. Cardio really helps in shedding the fat stores.