Beginning At The Gym

Are you new to the gym? Perhaps you have decided to take the plunge to join up at your local gym. You are most likely filled with excitement and motivation about beginning your brand new fitness journey, but maybe you are unsure where to begin. What can help you to get to grips with this new and unfamiliar environment.

Sign Up For A Gym Induction First

The best thing you can do for yourself as a beginner at the gym is to sign up for a gym induction. Try not to let fear or worries stop you from booking on to an induction, the instructors are there to help you on your fitness journey, they are wishing to see gym members make good progress. During the induction, they will guide you through the gym and introduce you to each piece of equipment. You will learn how to adjust and set the weights correctly and gain the confidence to perform the different movements in your workout solo. So that when you enter the gym the next time, you will feel confident in how to begin working out in a safe and independent manner.

I know that you guys are all very busy productive people and you might be thinking, well I've had my induction, but after I’ve gone to work, completed the school run, washed my car and cleaned my house, I can't quite remember everything that I was shown, and I seem to have forgotten a bunch of important information! The next time you step into the gym, feelings of disorientation, lack or just feeling a little bit perplexed might reemerge, but fear not, if you look out for these things below, they can help you sail smoothly into your new fitness journey.

Look Out For Staff Members On The Gym Floor, Who Can Help You Out.

In most gym environments, you will find staff members who can help you if you are stuck. Sometimes it can take a little while to get used to the equipment, especially if you are not familiar with it. Don't be afraid to seek help with adjusting the machines or learning a new piece of equipment in the gym.

Look For Diagrams On The Resistance Machines

When you approach the resistance machines, look around, because somewhere on the equipment, you should find a very useful guide. The guide will show you a couple of things, a picture highlighting the muscles you will be activating while using this particular machine. Also a diagram showing how the exercise should be performed. Using this diagram will help you start to understand which muscles you are working on, this will allow you to build a well rounded workout whilst you're at the gym. The pictures on the machines can also jog your memory just in case you have forgotten any information given to you in your induction.

Some of the resistance machines you may come across in the gym are equipped with these fabulous little screens that allow you to watch a video demonstration of a person performing the exercise, before you begin. They also track your repetitions during the workout which is great because we tend to all lose count from time to time and this is one less thing to worry about.

Check For Extra Information and Guides. Wall Charts And Posters

Throughout the gym, you might find pasted on the wall, some Wall Charts, good old paper still works well here! These posters form a guide usually for one particular piece of equipment. You might find these for suspension trainers or a vibration plate. They are usually situated on the wall very close to the piece of equipment. They contain different exercises with detailed diagrams showing you how to perform them. You should find it fairly easy to follow along with some of these movement ideas and as you string together a series of these, you’ll have made yourself a great workout in no time.

Look Out For Daily/Weekly/Monthly Challenges Check For White Boards Today

Some gyms might post up on a wall or a white board, a challenge or workout for that day/week or month. These workouts can be a great source of knowledge and can be helpful if you have gone to the gym with no plan that day. They are a good way to track your ongoing progress, as they can be performed time and time again. Each time you perform the same workout you can keep a log of how it went and hopefully next time your score will have improved. The challenges posted might be very different from what you normally do in the gym and can serve as a great source of new inspiration for your workouts, keeping them fresh and exciting will boost your enjoyment of each session.

Get Structure, Guidance And Coaching With Group Exercise Classes

You might even find your gym offers group exercise classes or circuit based classes, which might be between 30 and 45 minutes long, which is brilliant if you are short on time.

These will provide you with a structured workout, which can be a blessing at the beginning of your journey, following along with a class is a fantastic, worry free option for your workouts.

Check Your Smart Watch, Let Technology Do The Work

Owning a smart watch can be a useful tool to track your workouts, check up on your Heart Rate during your workouts, to see how hard you're working and monitor your recovery with sleep patterns. But It might also contain an app with a wealth of inbuilt workouts and challenges. There will often be incentives for completion of challenges such as badges or medals which can gamify your workouts, keeping you on track and making them more fun.

Think About Working With A Personal Trainer

If you are struggling with getting to grips with the gym or the equipment, and you feel that you could benefit with some extra guidance, then working one to one with a Personal Trainer is a fabulous option. A personal trainer can help guide your progression over a period of time and help you reach your desired goals.

These are just a few ideas that could help you to banish those pesky feelings of stuckness that sometimes show up at the beginning of new fitness journeys. They should be easy to spot once you know where they might be. So next time you enter the gym take a moment to take a look around the environment for the guides and prompts listed above.

New To The Gym. Information, Guidance And Where To Find It.