10 Tips for Getting Started in the Gym

The gym can be an intimidating place. Whether you're intimidated by other people, confused by the equipment or worried about hurting yourself, here are some tips and reassurances to help you get started. 

The gym is a safe space

I'd by lying to you if I told you that nothing bad had ever happened in a gym, but you are far safer in the gym that walking down the street. Yes, there are big strong men who you may find intimidating, but there are also plenty of very capable people there who will intervene if needed.

Everyone in the gym is there to better themselves, and nine times out of ten will support everyone around them. If you pick the right moment to ask the guy built like a tank for tips, he will probably be more than happy to help you out.

There will always be the occasional weirdo as in any walk of life, but anyone who is being outwardly aggressive or creepy will get shut down pretty quickly. Generally speaking, gym management has a very low tolerance for this kind of behaviour and will ban members who intimidate others. 

It will take a long time to see progress

Those bodybuilders with muscles on their muscles? They've probably been going there for ten years. The skinny minnie on the cross trainer? She's been coming six days a week for the last two years.

Instead of hopping on the scales or flexing in front of the mirror after every session to see if you've made progress, focus on sending longer on the cardio machine or lifting more weight each week. Building muscle and losing body fat are both long term projects, so if you spend all your time focusing on the outcome you're going to get frustrated and disheartened. If you've been going to the gym for three months and your clothes don't feel any tighter/looser then you may need to look a bit closer at what you're doing, but this is a long term project you are starting, not a quick fix. 

It's wasted time if you don't follow up with good nutritional habits

If you want to build muscle you need to eat a lot of protein and sit in a calorific surplus most days. If you want to lose weight you need to be very mindful of your eating to ensure you hit a sensible (200-300) calorie deficit most days.

If you work super hard in an exercise class but celebrate with a box of donuts on the way home, or grind away in the gym and fuel with fast food, you will never see the results you're looking for. Around 80% of weight loss comes from diet, while a bodybuilder will never see any gains if they don't give their body the materials it needs to build muscle. 

Don't get carried away

Many of us will join a gym and go really hard in our first workout. We'll be really sore due to the fact our body is completely de-conditioned, but drag ourselves back the next few days as we want to stay consistent. After a week of this gruelling punishment we'll take a rest day, then when it's time to get back to it the next day, the chances are we won't want to.

Yes we can expect some low level muscle soreness after a session, but if you are just getting started, you probably want to train for three days a week. This is a LOT better than not training at all, and gives your body time to recover. After a few weeks after your body becomes better adapted, you can start going four days a week, maybe build that up to five over time. 

A lot of people start by wanting to get their money's worth from a gym membership, but it's much better to go twelve days in your first month than six because you went too hard in the first week.

Don't focus solely on strength or cardio

If you are a bodybuilder, you need to look after your heart and general health, so you need to do a bit of cardio. This can simply be warming up on the cross trainer or including walking in your day, but when putting your body under great strain, you need to make sure you're looking after your health, not just your muscles.

For those who would rather use the treadmill or exercise bikes than even look at a dumbbell, I'm afraid you're setting yourself up for disaster. Whether it's injury or low bone density as we age, staying strong, mobile and injury free is essential if we don't want to spend out twilight years shuffling around on a zimmer frame.

Start with low risk options until you build confidence

If you have joined the gym after an extended period of inactivity, you would do well to keep things simple to start with. This could be using the weight machines of free weights, the cross trainer instead of the treadmill, or just using lighter weights instead of testing what you're capable of with a barbell. The last thing we want is for someone to hurt themselves. 

However, there comes a point where we need to graduate from low risk options and start pushing ourselves. While we shouldn't do anything which we feel outright scared to do, we do need to pick up some dumbbells instead of living on the weight machines, and really push ourselves during our cardio instead of stopping as soon as our legs feel tired. 

Follow a plan

Once you have developed a bit of confidence, I highly recommend you follow some kind of plan, as randomly working out won't deliver meaningful results. 

I know this is easy to say as someone who sells plans, but having structure in your training will help you achieve better results quicker. There are thousands of exercises to choose from in the gym so having someone do all the hard work planning for you will reduce feelings of confusion and frustration.

Don't compare yourself to others

Comparison is the thief of joy as the saying goes, and this is especially true in the gym. Genetics do play a part in someone's ability to gain muscle and lose body fat, although this can always be achieved with enough hard work and discipline, you may just find that you are progressing slower than you would like.

Instead, focus on yourself and how you are progressing. If you are following a plan written by a reputable coach the results will come, it will just take time, and you need to trust the process. You never know what drugs those around you may be using to achieve their results faster. 

Respect other gym users

The gym isn't really the place to be hitting on strangers or trying to strike up conversation. If someone has their headphones on and are totally focused on their workout, only interrupt them if you need to ask something relevant, such as if you need them to move something, or you want to ask them how many sets they have left.

Sure if you have exchanged eye contact and smiles with someone several times you probably have a license to see if they're open to a chat, but this should be the exception not the rule. If you're just in the gym to pick up girls/guys, you're going to get yourself a reputation and may be asked to leave.

Find a way to make it fun

Nobody who turns up to the gym six days a week every week hates it, they're there for the love of the process as much as the results. If you can't find a way to enjoy your time. at the gym, you will find an excuse not to go.

I'm not suggesting you're going to enjoy every workout, a level of discipline will always be required, but you shouldn't dread turning up to the gym. 

Conclusion

I could probably list 50 tips for those new to the gym, so I have no doubt missed some points, but hopefully this is enough to get you started and avoid the most common mistakes.