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If you’ve never been in a gym before, it can be very intimidating! Here are a few simple steps to boost your confidence before you walk through the doors into new territory!
If you have been in the gym for awhile, but never had anybody help you with some basics, you might find something here for you, too!
I know how daunting it is to walk into a large gym of seasoned gym rats and trainers, and know nothing.
I remember how overwhelmed I felt and how stupid I felt when I couldn’t figure out what some of the machines were for, how to use them, or how to adjust them to fit me. And just like middle school, you feel like you should already know and don’t want to appear dumb, so instead of asking someone for help, you skip that machine as if it weren’t leg day, and pretend it’s arm day and use something a little simpler. I’ve been that girl.
I’ve also been that one that did one set of arms, half a set of legs, some abs, and then something else, totally not knowing what body part I was working, just to keep moving and make it appear as though I had a plan and knew what I was doing. Been that girl, too.
But if you’re a newb, you might not even know a thing other than, you want to get in shape and a gym seems a good place to start!
Well, let’s get to work then!
TAKE THE TRAINING SESSION
First things first, when you sign up for a membership, sign up for a free session with a trainer.
Yes, the free sessions are an attempt to get you to sign up for training, and if you want a trainer, do it! But if you don’t want to pay for a trainer, sign up and show up, for that first couple of introductory classes anyway, just to have somebody that knows the gym and equipment to show you how to use the equipment with proper form. It makes all the difference in the world when you know your way around the gym and equipment.
WEAR PROPER CLOTHING
To some of you, this may seem like a duh. And if you don’t need this tip, skip right along, grasshopper. But, if you’re already insecure about going where you’ve never been, you don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb.
When you sign up for a gym membership, find out what the dress code is!
This way, you don’t get embarrassed when you walk in the door with a (sports bra and flip flops?) and get approached by the big guy and sent home.
Don’t go to the gym in any sort of jeans or stiff, loose, clothing. You will need clothes that allow you to get into awkward positions and move freely without lumps and bumps to work around. Good form is a must for safety. Your form is more likely to be compromised when wearing uncomfortable clothing, just by trying to get away from the discomfort.
SHOES
When buying shoes, ask the person in the shoe Dept for “training shoes”. Running, walking, casual, and training shoes, are all different. It does make a difference!
LOUD NOISES AND SLAMMING WEIGHTS
Loud grunting, no matter male or female, is not attractive, and in some gyms not even permitted. There’s no need to be obnoxious. It won’t bring the sort of attention you’re looking for. When you’re pushing or lifting heavy weight and an audible exhale of relief slips from your lips, this is different (and fine). You will know what I mean once you get there. You’ll see (hear) both.
Slamming or dropping weights is also a no. It ruins the equipment, again draws unnecessary attention, and in general is just rude and unattractive. You’re also more likely to hurt yourself, or those around you, if you do this. You may even get asked to leave, depending on what gym you’re at.
FORM AND SAFETY
If you don’t have a trainer or a friend who is knowledgeable on what good form is, do yourself a huge favor and Google how to have proper form when using gym equipment and weights!
I am not going to be the one to give you those tutorials here, but study this before you start.
Proper form is for your safety!
Trust me, depending on how bad your form is, you can (and will) injure yourself, possibly for life, if you do not understand proper form and technique.
This is also another good reason to sign up for training for the first month or so, especially if you’ve never in your life worked with machines and weights.
SLOW DOWN
Faster is not better. Along with good form comes good lifting technique. This includes a slow, steady pace of up and down, or push and pull, at the same, steady, speed. Again, a trainer can explain this. But as a general rule of thumb, when lifting, you want a 2-0-2, steady rhythm and speed when doing your reps.
Count slowly 1, 2, 0(here you’re at the “top” of your move) 1 , 2.
When you’re throwing your weight around recklessly (with speed), you’re out of control and more susceptible to injury. You’re also not giving your muscles the proper training of endurance and load to grow adequately and evenly.
Building muscle means loading your muscle properly, and strengthening is done with endurance by gradually loading on more weight as you get stronger over time. This happens after about 2-6 weeks, depending on your fitness level in the beginning.
LIGHTEN UP
Heavier weight isn’t always better, especially for a beginner! When you are starting off, start light. Don’t worry about what others think about you. At the beginning you need light weight, – sometimes even no weight – with high reps. Once you’ve mastered this with good form, you can then increase your weight and lower your reps. (All of this in more detail later). Again, this will be 2-6 weeks from starting, depending on your fitness level at the beginning.
CARDIO MACHINES
As I keep saying, good form is necessary, not only for injury prevention, but also for gaining results.
There are a lot of cardio machines and options. All of them need to be used with proper form, but I am going to point out just two common machines that are used a lot and very often with bad form.
Treadmill:
The treadmill has a button that will change the incline. This will change your position from walking on a flat surface to up a hill. It can be slight or very steep, depending on what you want. When you use this button, never hold onto the handlebars to hold your weight so that you can lean back while walking. This is terrible form and potentially dangerous. If you increase the incline, you should always walk on the treadmill exactly the way you’d walk up a hill with no handles, leaning forward. If this is too hard, don’t use an incline until you have the leg strength and cardiac endurance to walk up a hill at a steady pace.
Stairmaster:
The stairmaster is one of my favorite’s. It also has handles for safety reasons. But they aren’t there to lighten the load. It is better and safer, to keep your speed slow, rather than speed it up and hold on in an unnatural position. Walk up the stairs the same way you would if you were walking up real stairs: standing in an upright position. Never lean (hunched) down while supporting your upper body weight on your elbows, forearms or hands.
If you are too tired to stand upright with good form, slow down, take a break or stop for the day.
CLEAN UP AND PUT AWAY WEIGHTS
Finally, wipe down and clean up your area before you leave to go to a new machine or location. It is rude and inconsiderate and just gross, to leave your sweat behind for the person that comes after you.
Always put away your weights.
ALWAYS.
Everybody is at a different level in their fitness and have different goals and workouts. Some move quickly and are on a timed workout that requires moving from one place to another in a timely fashion. Having to work around someone else’s weights, or re-rack someone else’s weights before they can do their set, slows them down and is just very irritating and also inconsiderate.
Also, if you are a large man and using heavy weight, a nice little lady coming behind you that does not have the strength that you have, cannot use that machine because she is unable to rack those weights. Always think of others when you are moving from one machine or location to another.
SHOULD YOU LOSE WEIGHT BEFORE JOINING A GYM?
Losing weight before joining a gym is absolutely not necessary!
A gym is for all body types, on all fitness levels, and for people that have all sorts of goals. It is a great place to start, no matter your fitness level.
You do not need to lose weight to walk into a gym, just like you don’t need to be saved before walking into a church, or be healthy before going to a doctor.
Check out several gyms before making a decision as to which one is for you. There are just about as many gyms as there are personality types, so take your time.
If you have any other questions, I’m here to help! Hit me up on any of the social media platforms you enjoy the most. I’m on (almost) all of them. . . Facebook, Instagram, E-mail, Twitter, Pinterest ,Linkedin, and balance8life.