For many people, getting started on a workout regime is always the hardest part of their fitness journey. You have several things to put in order, including getting the right motivation and inspiration to make the required lifestyle changes.
Those who successfully kick-start their fitness journeys can attest to the fact that a good workout plan really helps to make everything easier. Specifically, a good workout plan helps you to:
- Lose weight faster
- Increase your strength, endurance, and flexibility
- Tone up all trouble areas
- Work out consistently, so that you build a working out habit without feeling like you are overwhelmed by the constant changes
If you have been off-track regarding building your fitness, here are 15 fitness challenges to kick-start your fitness regime. They will help you to develop a 15-day or 30-day workout plan to develop your training habit.
- Squats are an all-in one solution for burning calories and building muscles in the thighs, glutes, and core. You can start with basic squats and then explore other variations of the exercise once you have developed your flexibility and strength. At an advanced level, you may take on a 30 day squat challenge to intensify you weight-loss training and get slimmer and fitter faster.
- Leg raises/lifts target your leg and core muscles. Various other muscles are also worked out depending on whether you are standing, using an exercise ball, or lying down. If you are a sports person, leg lifts will help you to build core strength and are great for rehabilitation with sports injuries before embarking on more complex exercises.
- Planks promise you ripped abs and stronger arms. If done in the right way, they will definitely strengthen deep core muscles, shoulders, arms, neck, back, hips, and legs. Variations of planks you can start with include fore-arm plank, push-up plank, and one-legged plank.
- Hip extensions exercise the hip extensors, which are among the strongest muscles in your body. This exercise is crucial for stabilizing your pelvis and for much of your daily movements. Well exercised hip extensors are also responsible for toned buttocks.
- March in place: According to Harvard Health Publications, walking for fitness for an hour burns about 300 calories. The good news is that you can make use of this exercise at the comfort of your house. You can also add arm movements to your in-place movements to raise your heart rate for more health benefits.
- Military press: As a compound exercise for building a stronger upper body, the military press delivers great results to your fitness training. You will get a better-looking shape and be able to perform better in sports while preventing shoulder injuries.
- Plié or sumo squat: The sumo squat is often referred to as the king of all exercises for a good reason. It can greatly help to improve your overall health and make you a better performer. When your body gets stronger it’s less prone to back injuries.
- Dumbbell deadlift: This is one of the best workouts to challenge your entire body.
- Foot-to-foot crunches: Work out your abs and obliques with this great exercise. Lie down on the floor and aim to touch one heel at a time. Make at least 3 sets, ensuring that you breathe in and out and focus on tightening your core through each rep.
- High knees: For more lower-body power, flexibility, and speed, use high knees during your warm-up or as an extension of your workout routine if you want to increase your heart rate.
- Triceps kickbacks: Every pushing movement performed during the triceps kickbacks works your chest, biceps, and triceps. Grab that set of dumbbells, work out your arms, make your chest stronger and look better and feel stronger.
- Russian/Mason twist: This is a twist exercise that works out your core muscles seriously. Just grab some floor space, sit down with legs straightened before you, twist your upper body from side to side and love how your side abdominal muscles develop. An advanced version of the Russian twist involves holding weights as you do the twists.
- Wall push-up: Many beginners find the traditional push-up quite challenging. A good alternative is the wall push-up – is easier and will help you to strengthen the chest and avoid back problems since it doesn’t put much stress on the spine.
- Bodyweight Glute Bridge: You have to make sure your glutes are activated during your training program to avoid back problems and weak glutes. Bodyweight Glute Bridge works wonders not only for your structural health but also for your physique.
- Brisk walking: During your resting days, take a 30-minute brisk walk, focusing mainly on using good walking techniques and proper posture as you build your walking time.
For 5 days a week, you can choose to do 3 of the above 15 fitness challenges to kickstart your fitness regime and use the other two days to rest and do your 30-minute brisk walk. If you can consistently follow this plan week after week for a month, you are certainly going to develop a good workout habit. With a good workout plan, fitness training will never feel like a chore to you and you will definitely achieve your fitness goals.
