Sometimes when people are really overweight, they think, what’s the point of trying to work out. But there are so many benefits to these workouts for obese beginners.

overweight women working out with dumbbells

Your health is important and you are worth working out. So don’t be discouraged by being obese. You can still take steps to improve your health. You can start your fitness journey right where you are.

Obese overweight workout

The benefits of exercise are immeasurable, it’s a very important part of the wellness wheel. So don’t sell yourself short. Start slow, be smart, and take time to take care of you!

If you want to find excuses not to exercise, they are there, but there are so many more reasons to do it. I believe in you! Even if you have obstacles, you can still move your body.

Remember, before starting ANY kind of exercise, consult with your doctor to make sure they recommend it.

Exercise is important to build strength, endurance, and flexibility. Without it, quality of life is not as good as it could be. It helps us to be independent and experience life instead of being a spectator. Great benefits can occur in as little as 10 minutes a day.

Just remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. The most important thing is to get moving and keep moving.

Find something that appeals to you. Gardening, weight training, swimming, yard work, housework, running, or hiking. Whatever it is, just do it. Try one of these easy workouts to get started.

If you want more of my weight loss story and how I grew up on little Debbies and soda and learned how to change my health and life through exercise and nutrition, check out this nutrition guide. It has some basic dos and don’ts that my wife and I used for me to lose 120 pounds and be on no medication at age 53. There are also some sample meal plans in there. It was a long process, not a quick fix, but if I can do it, so can you!

Exercises for overweight and unfit

Exercise helps control weight, diabetes, blood pressure, arthritis, cancer, and other illnesses. It also helps with pain relief, depression and does wonders for anxiety. God built our bodies to move. He made muscles, joints, and bones for us to use. All of those things benefit from movement.

Exercises for obese beginners at home

Start with some exercises that work the core in your bed or on the floor, or even these chair exercises for beginners. Single leg raises, crunches, side bends, and bridges. Alternate elbow to knees.

Do bodyweight squats. Find a chair height that is comfortable and work at doing sets of 12. This will strengthen the major muscles in your legs. Sit to stand, then repeat for those 12 reps. Once you get comfortable, over time, doing that, then do another set and so on until you master 3 sets. You can do this. There are lots of bodyweight exercises for obese beginners that you can do with no equipment. You can even try beginner yoga!

Building these muscles will improve body function and make all areas of your life easier to keep moving. This circuit training workout for beginners is a great one too!

Wall-ups or push-ups against the wall will help build strength in your upper body. Your chest, triceps, and core will benefit. Find a good solid wall to push against. Start with 1 set of 12 and when that feels comfortable add another set and so on until you are doing 3 sets. Once you master these, and if you stick with it, you will, try transitioning to regular push-ups on the floor.

Curl and press is another great exercise to build biceps and shoulders. Stand with a small weight, can, or bottle of water. Curl the can and press it above your head.

Making sure all the major joints are strong and moving is important. Shoulders get easily injured if we don’t keep them strong. So it’s important to keep them moving and flexible. It’s also important to keep them stretched as well as the rest of your body. So check out these beginner stretches here. Or even chair yoga for beginners. Or find community as well as exercise with a group fitness class. These weight training ideas for beginners will be a big help to you.

Once you get stronger, it’s important to remember your body is amazing and adapts to whatever you are doing. Change things up by doing a new routine. Change how many sets, repetitions, weight, or speed. This will help you keep moving toward improving. Here are some super simple exercises for beginners too.

Check out these exercises for overweight women too! And check out these workout DVDs for beginners here.

It’s not where you’ve been, it’s where you’re going!

man struggling to do push up

Cardio for obese people

The cardio you do will depend on if you have exercise equipment. You can use a stationary bike to build stamina, resistance, range of motion for your needs and hips, and more. It doesn’t require balance, so it’s a safe exercise. It can be done in the privacy, and comfort of your own home.

Walking in the neighborhood is a great exercise if you don’t have any equipment. You can also use a treadmill if you have one. But if you don’t, just move around the house or outside. Shoot for 5-10 minutes at a time and work your way up to 56-60 minutes over time. You can even get into running with this running plan for obese beginners.

Marching in place is a great way to get some cardio in. Try doing high steps and add the alternate elbow. Stretch your right elbow to your left knee as you lift it. This will build some core strength while you do your cardio. It also helps with balance.

Pretend you are boxing. This is a great cardio workout. Standing leg curls are great too. And don’t forget to check out this HIIT for obese beginners workout. You’ll love it.

Treadmill workout for overweight beginners

Try interval training when walking. Walk slowly for 2 minutes and speed up to your fastest speed for 30 seconds. Repeat that 5 to 10 times.

Rate your intensity on a scale of 1-10. 1 is like sitting on the couch, 10 is like someone stole your wallet and you’re trying to get it back. Be in the middle, 5, 6, or 7 for your workout time. Then cool down at your slowest walk for about 5 minutes and do some light stretching.

When using a treadmill, hold on to the rails. Start at a slow speed and slowly increase. Try to work away from using the handrails over time to get a 25% increase in your workout. To get more bang for your buck, raise the elevation. This raises your intensity and burns more calories in a shorter time. You’ll get there little by little. Don’t get discouraged.

I know I’ve felt overwhelmed with how out of shape I was, and I still have weight to lose. It’s not an all at once thing. One day you’ll have worked up to 60 minutes on an incline going fairly fast if you stick with it and I know you can!

woman doing leg lift on exercise mat, beginner

Strength training for obese beginners

Bodyweight exercises are great for everyone. It’s cheap, no equipment required. You can do it anywhere. Start with 1 set of 12 and work your way up to 3 sets. You can even lay on your bed or on the floor to build your core. Try single-leg lifts, bridges, crunches, side bends, and knee twists to begin with.

For single leg lifts, lie on your back, bend one knee and pull that foot towards your butt and leave the other one straight. Lift the straight leg up and place it back down.

For bridges, lie on your back and bend both knees. Pull your feet towards your butt. Lift your butt up until your body forms a bridge. Then lower it back down.

For crunches, lie on your back, bend both knees and pull your feet towards your butt. Extend your arms and reach past your knees and crunch your stomach muscles downward toward the floor. Remember to keep your neck straight and not bend it forward to protect it.

For side bends, lie on your back, bend both knees and pull your feet towards your butt. Reach one arm down the same side and reach toward your feet. Then do the other side.

For knee twists, lie on your back, bend both knees and pull your feet towards your butt. Bend one arm and reach across your body toward the opposite knee and try to touch it with your elbow. Lower your body and do the opposite side.

Check out Low weight, high reps for weight loss here.

This gym workout for obese beginners has a free printable you can use at the gym, so check that out too! And we also have a special beginner workout plan for obese women that might help. And you can even do CrossFit for beginners if that sounds fun to you. And don’t forget these free workouts for obese beginners too!

If you stick with these exercises, I promise you will see benefits and you can change your life starting today. I’ve been overweight my whole life. In school, I played sports, but after I graduated, I still ate like an athlete. I had a long way to come back from and I’ve faced obstacles in my life that have gotten in my way and I’ve had to start again. I know if I can do it, so can you!

Get more ideas for healthy lunches for weight loss here.

Where do beets go when they’re sick?

To the beet Dr.

Ha ha ha ha ha!

For more information on how to measure your weight loss in inches correctly, click here.