You may not have much time to devote to going down the gym, so it is important you have the best technique as possible in place so that every time you do lift weights you are getting the most effective, powerful bodybuilding work out.

Fitness Plan
You need to know exactly what your goals are in terms of building up your body, so it is a good idea to have a few sessions with a personal trainer so that you can put some ideas down on paper. This will mean that when you hit the gym you will know which areas you need to work on, and this will help you plan your work out much more effectively. A professional personal trainer will also be able to advise you on how to use each piece of equipment safely and for the maximum results, and will be able to offer tips for improving your diet which can have a dramatic effect on bodybuilding goals in the long run.

Focus on your Reps
It is important to focus on each rep you do during your workout and make sure you are getting the most benefit from them. It will be much better for your fitness and over all health if you do 5 really good reps, as opposed to 20 rushed and bad ones, and this can also help to prevent muscle, tendon and joint strain, which can stop you from following your exercise plan for the rest of the week. A good rep should be done slowly, with the maximum range of movement and you should concentrate on squeezing the muscles at the peak or ‘top’ of the exercise and this will give you some great results.

It is never to let to begin a fitness routine, but it can be difficult to know where to start and some beginners can be put off by the thought of going to a busy gym.

Fitness Plan
For an effective fitness routine you will need to make a plan for what training you are going to do. If you are just starting out keep this very simple, and only include exercises you know you will be able to stick to, such as walking, swimming or basic gym work for 20-30 minutes, 2-3 times a week. Don’t put anything too intensive on your plan to start with, as it could be too difficult and put you off exercising at all.

Diet
Diet is an important element of fitness, and a healthy balanced diet is not only good for you, it will also help give you the energy you need for exercising, so this should be one of the key starting points to your fitness plan.

As you get older your muscles will lose strength and elasticity and become stiff and less supple, and this can lead to a restriction of movement around your joints. This can have a significant affect on your overall mobility and lead to problems whilst exercising such as strains, tears and muscle aches, so it is important to understand the key role of flexibility in your overall health and fitness.

What is Flexibility?
Flexibility is the way in which we define the range of motion in the body, particularly the joints. Flexibility is a key part of overall health and allows you to move easily without stressing any parts of your body, and helps to improve balance and coordination, which is very important as we get older to help prevent any unnecessary falls.

Test Your Own Flexibility
You can test your flexibility with this simple exercise. Stand with your feet slightly apart, and then keeping your legs straight bend down and see if you can touch your toes without having to strain your muscles to do so. Even very fit people can struggle with this sometimes, especially if they focus on building muscle without increasing flexibility, and if you find it difficult to touch your toes or you cannot get anywhere near them then you do need to start working on your flexibility.

How you can Improve Your Flexibility
Exercises that include stretches such as yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates are key for improving flexibility and just a 30 minute session every week can see significant improvements. These exercises emphasise slow, gradual stretches that pull muscles out without straining them and improve their elasticity, and there are classes widely available for all age groups and it is never to late to start improving your flexibility.

It can be difficult to stick to an exercise regime, especially if you have a busy job and generally feel tired at the end of the day, and so having an exercise buddy is a good incentive to get down the gym, and will help you to stick to a regular program.

Doing it Right
One of the most important reasons for exercising with a gym buddy is that over time everyone can develop bad habits with their exercise regimes, such as doing ‘cheat’ reps or cutting corners on the warm up, and exercising with someone else will help you spot these bad habits before them become too problematic.

For example exercising too fast can cause muscle and joint strains that you may not feel at first, but that can build up over a few sessions until they can cause you a lot of pain and prevent you from exercising for a few days or even weeks. A gym buddy would be able to watch you punch out a few reps and identify if you are going to fast or shortening the rep, and can also help ‘spot’ you when you are working out on the weights bench, and this is a safe way to start introducing a few heavier weights to your regime.

You may not be able to find an exercise partner from among your own acquaintances, and this is where a personal trainer can come in as not only can they give you lots of helpful advice about how to use the equipment properly and which areas you need to work on, they can also help ‘spot’ you and encourage you to attend regular gym sessions.

Many local gyms offer free start up sessions with a personal trainer as part of the membership, and this can be a good way to kick start your fitness program without spending out lots of money. In the future you can mix a few sessions of private workout with some with your personal trainer, and this is a good way to balance cost with getting the best workout you can.