Forge Mastery Intro Guide to Fitness

Welcome to The Club

When it comes down to it, fitness is one of the biggest clubs in the world. Everyone is welcome, and everyone can benefit from it. Going to the gym is a ritual and a lifestyle for many people. When I walk down the street and see someone who is fit, I feel a connection to that person. We know without event speaking that we are both on the same journey. We build upon each other and help each other out. There is no scarcity mindset in fitness. I urge you to take the first step and join the club!

Just by clicking on this guide you already materialized your subconscious desire to improve yourself. Don't let that desire go to waste! Many people spend their lives not knowing what they truly want and therefore never take action. Don't live in that state of waiting. You are here reading this for a reason, the only thing left to do is take the first step. Read this guid and don't look back.

What is Fitness?

Fitness is a broad term that encompasses various aspects of physical health and well-being. It includes a wide range of activities such as; lifting weights, swimming or running marathons; Fitness is about developing strength, endurance, flexibility, and mobility to enhance your overall quality of life. If you pursue fitness you are investing in yourself and your future. You only get one body, and it is your responsibility to take care of it. Just like you must work for money you must also work for fitness, the only difference is someone can't gift you fitness. You must earn it, and that is the beauty of it. Developing a desire to improve yourself is key here, think of fitness as an art project and you are the canvas, and the artist. Fitness is a lifestyle, a commitment to yourself and to others. You can't think of fitness as just a fun hobby or a club (even though I have been saying that it is), fitness is a serious topic. Our modern society has lessened its importance, but that is a grave error. Every day you chose to neglect starting you fitness journey you are worsening your chances of long-term survival. Choosing to start today could be the difference between you watching you grandchildren be born vs watching them graduate high school. There is an amazing aspect of pride, joy and culture that comes with fitness, but it is also a very serious topic. It's not just a hobby or a way to look good in a swimsuit, its your life on the line. It’s about making choices that support your well-being, lengthen you lifespan and enhance your quality of life.

Lets explore the different aspects of fitness:

Strength: Building the power and or size of your muscles.
Endurance: Increasing your bodies stamina and resilience.
Mobility: Enhancing (or maintaining) your range of motion. Your joints functional range of motion.
Agility: Improving overall speed and coordination level. Increasing your ability to move.
Body Composition: Your ratio/amounts of muscle, fat, and other tissues. Your bodies true stats (not just how much do you weigh)

Fitness is individual, everyone is born with different genetics and body types, but fitness is also universal. In that I mean that everyone can benefit from fitness, and everyone can improve their fitness level. No matter what genetics you were born with, you need to start viewing fitness as a valuable, non-negotiable part of your life. Greatness awaits you, but you need to put in the work to get there, and that is the best part. When you get to the point where you see the results you will feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in yourself. Think of it this way, you are literally wearing you hard work as a resume. You are showing the world that you are willing to put in the work to be the best version of yourself.

Why Fitness Is Important

Energy Working out over the long term develops your stamina and gives you power to push through your day.
Confidence You will feel more confident in your body and your abilities. Your body will also be in a more balanced state, allowing for positive mental health.
Long-term Health benefits of fitness echo throughout your life (if you commit long term). You most likely will even benefit from an extended life!
Mood your mood is linked to you hormones, which are affected by your fitness level. Pursuing fitness causes hormone balance and mental enhancements that improve daily living.
Productivity your body is connected to your brain. Your body controls your hormone function. Both are major factors in your ability to be productive.

Modern life is extremely busy and just finding the time is hard enough, but let me tell you that squeezing fitness into your schedule is well worth it! Start small and build up until fitness can be a seamless part of your daily routine.

Understanding Your Fitness Level

Take a moment to reflect. When was the last time you were active? How long has it been since you last worked out? When was the last time you went for a run or did a push-up?

These questions matter. A lot. They are the foundation on which you will start your journey. You need to know where you are starting from in order to know where you are going.

Be very honest with yourself. This is not a test, this is a self-assessment. If you haven't done a push-up in 5 years and proceed to put 225 lbs on the barbell while attempting to bench press, you are putting yourself at major risk of an injury. Fitness is about long term investing. Think of it as putting money into the S&P 500 vs day trading penny stocks, obviously one is the better option. You want to be in it for the long haul, not just a quick fix, because just like penny stocks you will either get lucky or lose it all. That is not a sustainable way to pursue fitness.

Checklist to assess your fitness level:

How long has it been since you last worked out?
How long can you run without stopping?
How many push-ups can you do in a row?
How many pull-ups can you do in a row?
How many bodyweight squats can you do in a row?
Can you do sit-up, if so how many?
Assess your flexibility: Can you touch your toes? Can you reach your arm behind your back?
Assess your mobility: Can you move around gracefully? Do you have pain in certain movements?

The answers to these questions will give you a good idea of where you are starting from. Knowing where you are is the fist step to getting to where you want to be.

This is not a test, it's an opportunity to gain perspective and set a baseline for your goals. You are not being judged, you are setting the foundation for your future self.

Develop Your Vision

This is where the fun begins! Setting goals is an important and fun part of the fitness journey. You get to imagine all the things you want to accomplish and see that version of yourself in your minds eye.

This is also where a lot of people get stuck. They don't have a clear vision and therefore can't set a goal. If you are reading this step and have an uncomfortable or confused feeling that is an issue. This is the fun part! Like I said before this is the step of the journey where you get to visualize your future self and all the things you want to accomplish... before the hard work begins.

If you are stuck or uncomfortable with this step, I advise you to take a moment and put yourself into a growth mindset. There are sections on mentality in this website that can help you with this. Do not proceed in this step until you can approach it with a calm mind and a sense of excitement.

If you power through this step just to get past your discomfort, you will be setting yourself up for failure. You need your vision to be clear and aligned with your values.

Now if you are excited and ready to build your vision and set your goals then lets get started!
Where do you see yourself in 1 year? what about 5 years? How do you want to feel when you are 90 years old? Remember this is a long term journey. Don't worry about next month because fitness has a lagging effect, you will not see the results your hoping for in a week or month and possibly even a year.

This is your big picture vision. You are looking at the version of yourself in the long term future. You must also be realistic about your vision. If you want to be a professional bodybuilder but you are not willing to put in a significant amount of time and effort into it, then you are setting yourself up for failure. And by significant I mean 6 days a week of training and 2-3 hours a day of training, because that is what the competition is doing. If you are on this website you are most likely a busy person with many responsibility and pursuing that vision will likely requite you to put your responsibilities on hold, are you willing to do that?

On the other hand don't allow your responsibilities and busy life be an excuse, I'm guessing that is a major reason you are reading this guide in the first place. Take ownership of you life and your vision of yourself. Set an ambitious goal, but also one you can realistically fit into your lifestyle. That is unless you are willing to make the sacrifices in your professional life, then go for it! I personally am willing to miss out on certain monetary gains in order to pursue my fitness goals, but I refuse to sacrifice my family responsibilities. That is an example from my life and the constraints I used to develop my vision. You need to do the same for yourself.
Here are some questions to help you build your vision:

What do you want to get out of fitness (ie. Longevity, Muscle Mass, Productivity, Respect)?
How much time are you willing to spend on it?
How do you want to look? What do you want to see looking back in the mirror?
What do you want your energy level to be like?
How do you want others to see you? What do you want you friends and family to think when they see you walk in the room?
How do you want to feel when you get older?

Where to Start Based On Your Fitness Level and Goals

This is where fitness get tricky, everyone will have different answers to the questions above. It's really hard to give a one size fits all approach to fitness. everyone's goals are different, and everyone has different starting points.

A general rule of thumb I recommend is that if you are a total beginner, start with bodyweight exercises and focus on your form. If the answer to the question "How many push-ups can you do in a row?" is less than five, then I recommend starting with push-ups on your knees or incline push-ups. If you are unable to do a push-up and you try to get under a barbell and bench press heavy weight your fitness journey will be short lived. You need to build a solid foundation before you can start adding weight and pushing yourself.

Focus on body weight exercises and building your strength until you can to multiple sets of 10-15 reps of each exercise. Without sacraficing form. The great part about bodyweight exercises is that you can do them anywhere and they are free! You can do them at home, in the park, or at the gym. If you are feeling uncomfortable at the gym you can do them at home and focus on your form and technique and building your strength. That way you can build your confidence and get comfortable with basic exercises before you go to the gym and start lifting weight.

If you are already comfortable with bodyweight exercises and you can do multiple sets of 10-15 reps of each exercise, then I recommend starting with a basic weight lifting program. Don't push yourself too hard too fast just because you feel comfortable with bodyweight exercises. Your muscles may grow fast but your joints and ligaments will not. Start with moderate weight and don't lose your focus on form. Remember you are setting the foundation for your future self, and you don't want your future self to be dealing with pain from past injuries. Choose a weight you know you can do 10-15 reps with good form, and build from there.

If your goal is endurance training then you will need to take a different approach. Base your training off of your starting point. If you answered the question "How long can you run without stopping?" with less than 5 minutes, then I recommend starting with a walk/jog program. Start with doing multiple 20-30 minute walks a week, and then slowly build up to the point where you can jog for a few minutes during your walks. Keep building until you are able to jog the entire time. Don't push through sharp pain or joint discomfort, that is a sign you need to slow down and take a break. Obviously you will be sore and tired and feel physical discomfort, but it is very important to develop and understanding of the difference between soreness and pain. You want to break your muscles down in order to build them back up, but you don't want to break your joints down because they don't build up stronger like muscles do.

If your are able to jog for 10-20 minutes already, then you can start to add running into your routine. Start adding 10 minutes of running into your current jogging routine. You can also start adding in some interval training, start jogging for 5 minutes and then run for 1 minute, and repeat that for 20-30 minutes. You can also start to add some longer distance runs into your routine. After a while of mixing running into your routine you can make the switch to primarily running and mixing in some jogging and sprint intervals.

If you are already comfortable with weight lifting or endurance training, then I thank you for reading this beginners guide and I hope you found it helpful, but you probably need to look at our intermediate and advanced guides.

Get our free beginner fitness plan to learn about concepts like reps and sets, and get a free workout plan!

Start Today! Don't let another day go by without taking action.

ForgeMastery's Intro Guide to Fitness