Plain fitness guidance
Build a routine you can actually keep up
Plain-language guides, planners and checklists for beginners and returners: strength, cardio, stretching and home workouts, based on public health guidance.
- 6 guides
- 5 topics
- 6 tools
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Strength, cardio, flexibility, home and gym basics.
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45 to 60 minutes, 2 to 3 days a weekVariesBeginner Strength Training Plan: 3-Day Full Body
Ongoing habitFreeHow Much Cardio Per Week? Minutes by Intensity
30 to 40 minutes, 2 to 4 days a weekFreeNo-Equipment Home Workout: Routine and Progressions
4 to 8 weeks to rebuildFreeHow to Start Working Out Again After a Long Break
30 to 45 minutes a visitVariesGym for Beginners: Your First Workout Plan
10 minutes, a few days a weekFreeDoes Stretching Improve Flexibility? What to Know
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The start-here page gives you a simple order to follow, with links to the most useful guides and tools.
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Strength Training · FreeHow to Start Working Out Again After a Long Break
Gym · VariesGym for Beginners: Your First Workout Plan
Home Workouts · FreeNo-Equipment Home Workout: Routine and Progressions
Flexibility · FreeDoes Stretching Improve Flexibility? What to Know
Cardio · FreeHow Much Cardio Per Week? Minutes by Intensity
Strength Training · VariesBeginner Strength Training Plan: 3-Day Full Body
Tools you can use today
No sign-up. They work on the page.
Weekly Activity Planner (Check Your Week Against CDC Guidelines)Enter your own minutes for each day and see how your week compares with the CDC adult guideline of 150 moderate minutes and 2 strength days.Progressive Overload Planner (Map Your Own Small Increases)Choose a starting load and a small increase, and see a week-by-week plan on paper. You set the numbers; the planner only adds them up and shows volume.Rough Target Heart Rate Helper (220 Minus Age Estimate)A rough estimate of heart rate ranges for moderate and vigorous exercise using the American Heart Association 220 minus age rule, with its limits.Warm-Up and Cool-Down Checklist (Printable)A printable warm-up and cool-down checklist you can tick off before and after a workout, with a short note on easy movement and gentle stretching.Home Workout Setup Checklist (Space, Gear and Safety)A printable checklist for setting up a home workout: space, floor, footwear, optional equipment and safety, so you can start with what you already have.Home Workout Equipment Guide: What to Buy, What to SkipA plain guide to home workout equipment types, from bodyweight and bands to dumbbells and benches, with relative costs and who each option suits.
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