Sentinel Force Fitness

If I had to pick one question I get asked the most, it’s often a variation of “How do I start?” or “What’s the secret?” But from a fitness perspective, the most common question I hear is, “How much do you go to the gym?”

While I completely understand why people ask this, it’s always a strange one for me. No matter what I’m about to say, I always think: “How is my answer going to help you?”

Here’s the truth: we are all unique. We have different lives, different responsibilities, and different time commitments. And even if, by some miracle, our external circumstances aligned, our genetics and body structures are distinct. What works perfectly for me might not work for you, and vice versa.

What people are really trying to understand when they ask about my gym routine is how to start or improve their own fitness journey. And that’s where we can truly establish tangible, achievable goals.

Step 1: Be Honest About Your Time

The very first decision is to honestly assess how many times you can realistically train each week on average. You could have a team of the finest scientists working around the clock to craft the most perfect, fine-tuned program in fitness history, but if it’s a 3-day plan and you only have 2 days free to train, you’re trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. It simply won’t work.

My personal recommendation is to aim for three times a week, for about an hour each session. This strikes a great balance, allowing for both effective muscle growth and adequate recovery. More than three sessions is welcome if your schedule permits; two is borderline for consistent progress, and one is generally not enough to see the significant results you might be hoping for.

Step 2: Decide What to Do Once You’re There

What to do once you’re in the gym is a much deeper conversation – one I’ll dedicate a full post to this Friday! (For blog: [Link to Friday’s post here when it’s live!]). But for now, if you’re aiming for 2 or 3 sessions a week, a full-body workout each time is an excellent starting point.

Step 3: Embrace Consistency

So now you’ve decided how often you’ll go and what you’ll do while there. What’s the next crucial element? Consistency.

Let me put it this way: someone who shows up 95% of the time with 50% effort will far outperform the person who shows up 50% of the time with 95% effort. If you genuinely want to see a difference in your overall health and fitness, you need to be brutally honest with yourself and establish a bare minimum you’re committed to hitting almost every single week.

I’m here to make fitness clear and easy. So, let’s summarise your actionable goals in just a few simple sentences:

1. Honestly assess how many times a week you can train.
2. Settle on a split (2 or 3 days full body is ideal to start).
3. Turn up! (Consistently).

What are your biggest challenges when it comes to getting started with fitness? Share your thoughts below!