Chapter 3: Start Small Before You Go Big 🐢

Feb 1, 2024, 10:00 AM•gearpatrol

Any insane promises offering “seven minutes abs” or “bigger arms in just 3 days!” are purely marketing BS. You have to put the work in and adopt discipline both regarding your workouts and your diet. So it’ll take patience to find a system that meshes with your lifestyle, your budget, and your calendar.

Regardless of the activity and how intense you eventually want to get, here’s some foolproof advice for beginners: Start slow, and stay consistent.

“It’s common for people to dive in and just do too much,” explains trainer Don Saladino, whose client list includes Sebastian Stan, Hugh Jackman, John Krasinski, Ryan Reynolds. “If those people [who do too much, too fast] don’t get injured, they end up losing motivation.”

The remedy: Be realistic with your goals and create consistency with your training regimen. If you have to squeeze in 20 or 30 minutes three days per week, that’s your window. You can elevate things from there, but that’s your starting point. Embrace it and find a routine that allows you to follow through and/or make up a session you miss on another day. And no, you don’t need to go balls to the wall whenever it’s time to sweat.

"If you’re putting your foot to the floor every single time, you’ll get injured, tired of training, or your body will start going in the reverse direction,” he says. “If you’re nervous about pushing it to another level, you’re not ready to do it, so don’t. It’s not something people like hearing sometimes, but the best approach can just be to stick with what you’re doing to evaluate how the body responds. There is a level of monotony with this, where you come in and do what’s needed, day in and day out, so you can achieve the goal, and that understanding is almost becoming a lost art.”

If you're putting your foot to the floor every single time, you'll get injured, tired of training, o your body will start going in the reverse direction.

So if consistency in training is the key variable, not short term intensity or the ambition of your goals, how can you set yourself up for success? The secret is to start with your limitations.

List out your “Priority 0” in a given day or week. What are the things that, no matter how you’re feeling, no matter the weather, you’re going to get up and accomplish? You can be as granular as brushing your teeth, taking the dog for a walk, or as obvious as getting the kids off to school.

Once you’ve outlined those, list out the next couple of tiers of importance. What’s Priority 1, 2 and 3?

Once all of your obligations are in front of you on paper, ask yourself, where in this picture does a fitness routine fit? Be honest, and most importantly be prepared to remove or sacrifice things that are lower priority list you’ve outlined in order to make room for it. This will help you avoid over committing to a routine that you don’t have time for, and disappointing yourself by not being able to keep up with it.

Further Reading

• Managing your time can be easier with the right tools. Check out our list of the best calendar apps to keep you organized.

• Organizing your time is one thing — but organizing your gear is just as worthwhile.

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