Fitness Goals for Beginners

WriterAcademy Sports + Outdoors

May 2, 2024

8 min read

Whether you’re looking to start exercising for weight loss or improving your cardiovascular health by lowering your heart rate, your fitness journey begins with the right motivation and the best health and fitness gear from Academy Sports + Outdoors.

What is the First Step to Setting a Physical Fitness Goal?

When creating a workout plan for your goal, it is best to have long-term, sustainable, and measurable goals in mind. The best workout plan for another person may not be the best one for you since your fitness levels and what you hope to achieve may be drastically different.

In the video below, our partner and fitness influencer, Emily “Breeze” Watson shares her insights for how to set a goal and plan an exercise program that helps you reach your goals.

One of the most important tips that Emily shares is to establish your “Why.” This delves into your motivation and this also informs the specific types of exercises that you’ll need to include into your plan.

For example, to build stamina to keep up with the kids during family activities, then your workouts would be best spent running, doing push-ups, or cycling rather than spending most of your workout time lifting in the weight room.

How Do I Achieve My Fitness Goals?

Emily also advises to set realistic workout goals:

1. Work out consistently – find the number of days and time that work best for you and your scheduling demands

2. The gym is everywhere – work out at home, at the gym, and yes, even on vacation! Find ways to add exercise to your existing daily routine (parking further away from your office building to increase your steps)

3. Find community and accountability – working out with the same group of friends or people at the gym helps to encourage one another and track your progress

Make sure your fitness goals are:

Measurable
Achievable
On a Schedule

“Set realistic, short-term specific goals. Doing too much too soon can set you up to quit or experience feelings of defeat very early on in your journey. Small changes over time make for long term motivation and success,” says fellow Academy partner, Le Egwuatu of Fit Foodie Le.

Watch Le’s video below for a great core workout using the BCG 55 cm Weighted Stability Ball (stability balls are also referred to as exercise balls). These exercises will work out your lower and upper core while also sculpting your obliques.

Exercises featured:

Stability ball plank – This plank boasts an increased degree of difficulty with the exercise ball
Marching – This move works the core and strengthens your rectus abdominis
Lower Back Extensions –This exercise works the upper core and lower back, tops of glutes, and improves pelvic flexibility
Slow Russian Twists – This movement sculpts and strengthens obliques and waistlines

In this next video, Le shares a HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout using your body weight and a challenging dumbbell. It consists of compound movements, which work two or more muscle groups at the same time and burn many calories during a shorter period.

Exercises featured:

Squat + Alternating Front Kicks – This move works out your glutes and hamstrings while the kicks also work out your core
Reverse Lunge with a Twist + An Opposite Knee – An exercise for the lower body, hamstring, quads, and the twist also works out the core
Burpee Presses – This movement works out your upper body, lower body, even your core for a full body workout

“Give yourself grace; you will fall short some days, but focus on progression, not perfection. Stay active by doing what you love,” Le Says. “Sure, exercising should be challenging, but it should always be FUN!”

Remember to check with your physician before starting any new health and fitness regimen. Find all your health and fitness essentials online and in-store at Academy Sports + Outdoors to help achieve your goals.