5 Tips for Starting the Gym!

So you want to go to the gym? Excellent.

Here are 5 tips for getting into the gym, maybe for the first time or maybe you're returning to the gym. If it's been a while it might be a case of just finding your feet again. One bonus tip, make sure you have the right shoes, don't turn up in steel toe boots, just your regular run-of-the-mill trainers will be fine. I trained for a year in old Lee Coopers, not the best. Below you'll find the tips. There are more than this but five made for a nicer title. 

Know the Basics

This may seem daunting especially if it's your first time going to the gym, more times than not when you're joining a gym they will offer you a free induction, take it. This might go without saying but unfamiliar territory can be scary. 

If you feel so inclined then do your research, if you're going into do weight lifting then you can find a list here [post not ready] about the main compound lifts you want to do as a beginner, If you're only going in to do some cardio and some body-weight work then you can find the basics here [post also not ready] 

If these posts don't cover everything you think you may need to know then Google is your best friend or just ask someone who works at the gym you train at. 

Gym Classes/ Personal Training

9/10 gyms offer group classes, these are a great way to get into fitness, some people just join a gym to take advantage of free or really cheap classes. If you train somewhere like The Gym Group, their trainers host a plethora of different classes from Morning Yoga to Body Pump. There will definitely be something that will interest you.

If working in a group doesn't appeal to you then hire a personal trainer, this doesn't have to be a full time commitment. Having a personal trainer can be expensive - if you do 3 sessions a week with the trainer you can be looking at about £50-60 a week for their services. You can arrange to see them once a week or once a fortnight to just update them on your progress. They can steer you in the right direction.

Maybe get a gym buddy, a friend with a similar goal to you is ideal, people believe in strength in numbers and this is just as important with training, if you have someone to motivate you, and someone you can motivate then you are on the right way to making a whole heap of change. If you're more competitive then bounce off each other and make a bit of a friendly competition. Always work to get one more rep than them.

Don't Be afraid

When you see a gym in a film you will see it's a bunch of meat-heads staring at themselves in the mirror. This could not be further from the truth, every gym that you step in is going to have those people, but for the most part it's people just like yourself. You will see people all shapes and sizes. The main thing is to not be scared.

You may be a bit self-conscious, You might think you're too skinny to use the bench, or too big to use the treadmill. What if people laugh at you? The truth is. They wont. Everyone has to start somewhere, so what if you cant bench 100 kgs for 12 reps and you can just about manage 10 reps of 30 kgs, or even the bar. So what? Saying this isn't going to instantly put your mind at ease. You'll find that you will worry about everyone else around you just as much as they worry about you. Not at all. 

Failing that, look at google, see what times your gym is quiet, if you can fit it in around work to go at that time then BONUS

Experiment

If you go into the gym and you do what you think you need to be doing, your basic compounds and a bit of cardio but you're not enjoying then feel free to experiment. There are going to be ways that your body responds to exercises that you might note like. There might be movements you don't like. But if you can find an alternative to that movement then you might find yourself enjoying it more. For example, You cant stand the bench press. Try some push ups. Experiment with push ups, look at doing them on a medicine ball, add some resistance bands. And if you don't like that then go over to the chest press machine. 

What works for one person might not work for you. You heard from someone they lost loads of weight on a treadmill, But you don't like running. Try the cross trainer, try a different type of training if you're bored of being sat listening to your Spotify gym playlist. Try some interval training on a rowing machine, if you don't like the change and you think that doing the steady state cardio was better then there is no harm done, go back to what you were doing. 

Have a Plan

If you go into a gym with no plan then a lot of your workout has the potential of you staring at different body parts and thinking what exercises can work out that one body part. 

Remember when you were studying for your exams and someone said "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail" there are so many people that will just hope they can wing it. These people are either really arrogant or stupid. Or maybe a mix of the two. If you whole truly believe that you can survive without a plan then feel free and go ahead with what you were doing. It always helps to be prepared. 

If you're struggling to write a plan then fill out the contact form below and I'm sure we can work something out. Plans start out as little as £20. 

The most important thing, make sure you have fun!

#beahero