Sure, everyone wants to work out.
In a perfect version of life, we’d keep a tight daily exercise schedule, while balancing our perfect relationship, 4.0 GPA and tasteful level of partying.
But this is the real world, and carving out enough time for a workout routine in college is tough.
That’s where this guide comes in. Aimed at the beginner, it’ll take you through the fundamentals you need to make some real progress, and once you have your foot in the door, it only gets easier from there.
1. Get consistent
Getting in shape is 50 percent consistency. It doesn’t matter how hard you push yourself in your intense 3-hour workout sesh — if you only do that once per week, progress will be slow and halting. Muscles need progressive breakdown to grow stronger, so set up a schedule where you go to the gym every other day. Start small — an hour every other day is plenty for a beginner.
2. Keep your form
Just starting out can be frustrating. It’s hard to tell what weight is right for you — gyms are littered with newbies wasting their time on five pound dumbbells or hurting themselves with too much weight the first day. Try using this rule of thumb: when lifting, do between eight and 16 reps per set. If you can’t do at least eight, then you’re trying to lift too much weight, and if you can do over 16 then it’s probably time to move on to the next highest weight.
3. Eat. A lot.
It can be hard to get enough to eat with everything going on in our lives. For students, classes rob us of hearty meals during the day and cramped dorms make it tough to eat enough at night. However, getting enough protein, carbs and nutrients is invaluable for muscle buildup. No matter how hard you work out, if your body isn’t getting what it needs, your gains will suffer. Gradually work yourself up to eating more throughout the day — your muscles will thank you.
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