Most people that come to us are just starting out as beginners. They have maybe been fit and active in the past and then somewhere along the lines life got busy. Kids, work, evening sport schedules, running here and there has left them feeling tired, sore, and up a few extra pounds. They have maybe tried other fitness trends, tried to go it on their own at home but just can’t find the motivation or the consistency to see actual change. Sound familiar? You are not alone!
This is why we are with you every step of the way, especially in the first 90 days of your fitness journey. This seems to be the amount of time it takes to see some real changes and lifestyle habits. Once we meet for the initial consultation and get to know you and your goals, we typically start into the Onramp Program (unless group classes is not in your plan). It typically takes 2 weeks to get through the Onramp Program before beginning classes. Doing 2 sessions a week is also a great place to start. This, for most people, is enough to recover from the previous workout and still have time for all of life’s responsibilities . Once your body feels like it has adapted to 2x/week and you are feeling recovered in between, you can start to add in a 3rd day. This is a perfect amount of strength training for most beginners. This also gives you enough time to get out and go for walks, bike rides, garden, do the things outside of work that bring you joy without spending all your extra time in the gym.
One part of the Onramp is meeting 30 days after you start into classes. This is the perfect opportunity to celebrate some early wins and make any adjustments to your plan so that you can reach your goals. Maybe this is the time that you add in a 4th day, or maybe you start some personalized nutrition coaching, or maybe things are going really well and we say “Awesome job, you are on the right path, keep being consistent on this plan!”
During the next few weeks, your job is to stick to the plan and be consistent. This is where most people get frustrated in the 6-10 week mark that they don’t see changes (or the scale goes up!) but do not fret. Typically, when you are starting out building muscle, your body will start to hang on to some extra water in the muscle (making the scale go up) maybe you are recovering from the workouts which can cause inflammation which will also result in the scale going up. This is a plateau that we can see coming and we can plan accordingly to and keep pushing past. This is why we also like to celebrate non scale wins. Maybe this means you are getting more efficient at a certain lift, maybe it is consistently hitting your sleep goals, maybe your clothes fit a little better and you feel less tired. These are all amazing improvements!
When we check back in the 90-day mark, we like to celebrate these non scale wins. They matter. They also mean that you have pushed past a plateau and probably made some other lifestyle changes that will serve you for a long time.
Have you ever started a fitness journey only to get 6 weeks in and frustrated with the lack of scale movement, then quit thinking it was all your fault and there must be something wrong with you?! It happens all too often so we want to help get you to a place where you feel your best and can thrive.
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