Starting out at a gym can be intimidating and sometimes confusing. You might not know where or how to begin.
You might be worried about looking stupid, or people judging you.
You might be intimidated by some of the equipment.
If so, I got you.
I’ve put together some tips and pieces of advice for those looking to join a gym, to hopefully increase the likelihood of success and to make the journey long-term!
We’ll go over things like equipment and exercise selection, workout splits to follow, as well as some tips and advice on motivation, mindset, feeling nervous or intimidated, and gym etiquette.
EXERCISE & EQUIPMENT
BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES
If you’re JUST starting out, getting the body used to certain movements and ranges of motion before taking on barbells and weights is a great idea.
Bodyweight exercises such as pushups, squats, lunges, are perfect for beginners because they can start to build the foundations of strength, stability, and overall efficient movement.
Once these movements feel comfortable enough for progression, start adding weight!
COMPOUND EXERCISES ARE KEY
Compound exercises are movements that involve multiple muscle groups and joints. These are exercises like squats, lunges, chest presses, rows, or deadlifts.
Compound exercises should be prioritized in a workout program, especially for beginners.
The reason why, is because compound exercises focus on the biggest and strongest muscle groups, they mimic natural human movements (bending at the hips and knees, pressing movements, pulling movements, etc) making us stronger and more stable at them, they can also be time savers, and they can elicit a greater energy burn than just isolation exercises.
Compound exercises are also great at improving strength and stability all throughout the body.
Aim for at least 2-3 compound exercises per session.
KETTLEBELLS & DUMBBELLS
These offer a variety of weight options and can be used for a ton of different exercises, both upper and lower body.
To name a few:
- Goblet squats
- Deadlifts & deadlift variations, such as RDLs
- Split squats
- Arm curls
- Shoulder presses
- Single-arm row
- Chest presses
WEIGHTED MACHINES
The weighted machines in gyms today are getting more and more advanced. There’s all kinds from chest presses, to squat/leg press variations. These machines are great options for beginners!
For one, they’re much safer than free weights.
Secondly, they always come with some type of picture and description of how to perform the exercise, and what muscle groups are being targeted. This is perfect if you’re unfamiliar with exercises and muscle groups in general.
Third, weighted machines are great at introducing you to various compound movements, such as presses or rows.
SMITH MACHINES
Smith machines are the squat rack looking machines that have a barbell attached to them that moves up and down, usually on a fixed path.
These offer a more stable and controlled variation of multiple different exercises, such as squats, bench press, deadlifts, or barbell rows. Almost any exercise that you can perform with a barbell.
The more stable and controlled aspect to these makes them great options for beginners.
SIMPLE WORKOUT SPLITS
Workout splits are simply.. Splitting up your workouts. Hitting certain exercises/muscle groups on certain days during the week, and following that pattern for several weeks.
Simple and effective splits for beginners:
- Full body 2-3x per week
- Upper / Lower 2x per week
- Push / Pull / Legs 1-2x per week
FEELING NERVOUS
Feeling nervous about starting out at a gym or starting a workout regime is totally normal, and pretty much everyone goes through it when they start. It’s important, however, to not let it actually prevent you from taking action.
Things to consider..
GYMS TEND TO BE A PLACE OF WELCOMING
Although from an outsider gyms can seem like an intimidating environment full of judgmental people, that’s usually never the case.
Everyone who frequents the gym knows that it’s a place of community with people who have shared values and goals, and the desire to improve and be better.
And this is especially understood by those who may look the most intimidating, because they’ve most likely spent a lot of time on self-improvement in the gym, and they can recognize that same desire to be better in newcomers. With that, comes sort of an unspoken respect for those who are new to the gym.
And another thing to consider, insecurity. Feeling insecure is a major reason why gyms can be so intimidating. But here’s the thing..
Gyms are basically full of people who have some degree of insecurity with themselves. Which is why they can be so drawn to the improvement process in the first place. So it’s nothing to be ashamed of, and it emphasizes the idea of community and that unspoken respect even more.
The important thing is to keep showing up. Once you start to get used to the process, the nerves will fade, and you’ll become more focused on you and your goals.
HOW TO MAKE IT STICK
Potentially one of the toughest aspects of a fitness journey, how to make it stick and keep at it for the long haul. Or the classic, “make it a lifestyle!”.
Maybe you’ve started a fitness journey once or twice before and have only made it a few weeks or one month before you fell off the wagon. I know I’ve been there.
Here are various tips to help you stay on track and yes, make fitness a lifestyle.
CONSISTENCY
Consistency really is key. Always showing up and continuing to put effort in. Not only is it one of the best ways to improve at something, but it also builds habits. This is especially important on days when you might be lacking motivation.
Consistency is also important because, unfortunately, results don’t always come right away. Some results or improvements take time. Therefore, it might take a few weeks or months of consistency to really see results and know if the plan is working.
And don’t worry about being perfectly consistent. We all miss workouts or have the occasional bad day. Just don’t let inconsistency become more of a habit than consistency
IMPROVE OR DIE
Die as in, give up on fitness and your goals.. Of course!
Putting effort into something only to not improve or progress is a perfect recipe for becoming bored and throwing on Netflix instead of getting your workout in.
Enter, progressive overload.
Progressive overload is simply eliciting progression on a given exercise by overloading the muscles (adding weight, reps, tension, etc).
Feeling and seeing yourself getting better and stronger is a motivator like no other. And progressing on movements also builds accomplishment and pride that further fuels motivation and desire to keep going.
That’s why finding various ways to improve and progress during your workouts is one of the best ways to make fitness more enjoyable and turn it into a lifestyle.
Just to go over some various methods of progression:
- Adding weight, could be as little as 2.5lbs or 5lbs, progress is progress
- Performing more reps than you’ve done before with the same weight
- Adding more sets to increase volume (total amount of work done)
- Performing reps slowly to increase time under tension
- Pause reps
The good thing about being a beginner, though, is that progress comes pretty easy and relatively quickly. It’s what’s called newbie gains. After 6 months to a year, however, your body will adapt and you’ll have to be a little more meticulous with how you progress.
TRACK PROGRESS
Track. Progress.
This is crucial for really making fitness stick.
Whether it’s in a written notepad, notes on your phone, or with an app, writing workouts and tracking progress gives you the tools and the data needed to implement proper progressions, see what works and what doesn’t over time, and stay motivated by seeing progress.
This is outside of the gym, but it also goes for nutrition, weigh-ins, and progress pictures.
- For nutrition, track things like calories, protein, and fiber intake
- Track weigh-ins, but not obsessively – 1-3 times a week for a couple months to see a general trend
- Take progress pictures and videos – even when you feel at your worst, these will be the best pieces of motivation in the future, and they’ll serve as amazing transformation stories
GYM ETIQUETTE
Simple and respectful unwritten rules of the gym:
- Avoid blocking the dumbbell rack when performing an exercise, don’t be that guy
- Put. your damn. Weights back.
- Try to avoid using multiple pieces of equipment or machines, particularly if the gym is busy
- Squat racks are not for barbell curls – unless the gym is a ghost town then sure, go for it
- Try to avoid sounding like you’re giving birth
- Wipe your swass off the benches and machines when you’re done
- Use the equipment and move on, avoid occupying a space or bench just to scroll Tiktok
- Don’t be a dick
HIRE A COACH!
Working with a coach/trainer can also make the process much easier. You’ll learn how to perform certain exercises, how certain workout routines are set up, and you’ll have someone to hold you accountable.
With that being said, if you might be interested in working with a trainer, maybe in an online space, check out my online coaching page for more info on how we could work together!
https://lanenelsonfitness.com/online-coaching/
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Thanks for reading!