The Beginners Guide to Getting Started at the Gym
Let’s admit it, going to the gym for the first time is scary. If you’re new to the gym scene it can be a very intimidating place. It doesn’t matter whether your gym says “judgement free zone” or not, the moment you walk in and see people running faster or lifting heavier than you could ever imagine you instantly feel your anxiety start to rise. There are many reasons that people feel uncomfortable going to the gym. They’re insecure about the way they look or they feel judged by their lack of physical ability. However, the number one reason people feel out of place at the gym is because they don’t know where to start. No one wants to look like they don’t know what to do, after all you decided to make this purchase. Beyond the orientation from the sales person, you honestly have no idea where to start or what to do. It’s frustrating and disheartening so you just stop coming. If you want to start working out, but have never had a gym membership before and you don’t have a workout partner to help you through it, this article is for you. By the time you’re done you’ll know where to start and how to have a great workout to get you on your path to becoming the best version of yourself.
“I’m new to the gym and it’s overwhelming. I’ve never worked out before and I don’t know where to start or what to do.”
Every gym membership process is the same. When you go in to sign up the sales person will give you a tour of the facility. They show you the cardio area with all the different pieces of equipment laid out in nice rows. Next they walk you through the strength training area that’s almost always broken into two zones; the strength machines and the free weights. Finally, depending on your gym you could be shown a variety of fitness options from pools and saunas to ladies only and functional training areas. Before you leave they’ll ask to schedule an appointment for your first workout. If you’ve never used commercial gym equipment before this is going to be very important. That appointment is so a staff member can go with you to show you how to turn on, adjust, and safely use all the equipment you just saw on your whirlwind tour. It’s all designed to help you feel more comfortable coming to the gym, but it’s not that first workout with the staff that’s the issue. It’s workout number two.
Workout number two is where you come in all alone and quickly realize things just got real. Your head’s spinning with a hundred articles and Instagram posts about what you should be doing to look strong and sexy. Now you’re full of questions. Do I start on cardio or finish on cardio? How much strength training should I do? What weight do I use? How many reps? What exercises? You’ve seen fitness gurus and exercise buffs doing this ever changing complex of exercises and wonder where did they even come up with those movements. You’ve read about leg day, HIIT, and muscle confusion only leaving you just plain confused. Take a deep breath, because none of that matters to someone getting started on their own. That comes later. It’s like building a house and jumping right to putting up the roof. You have to build a foundation before anything is going to work right. So lets build your foundation.
Your fitness foundation is built on total body strength and cardiovascular stamina. Total body strength means you’re putting equal emphasis on all of your muscles getting stronger, not just one part. Your cardiovascular stamina is about more than just getting your heart rate up. Stamina is your ability to do work for a longer period of time. It includes managing your respiratory rate (breathing) and cardiovascular rate (heart beat) while you challenge yourself to get uncomfortable. When you get started building your foundation you’ll be surprised to see where you’re stronger than you think and where you’re weaker. Make notes on those strengths and weaknesses so you know where to focus later after you’ve built your foundation. The plan below is designed for you to get comfortable being uncomfortable. For now every workout is going to include cardio and total body, which means we aren’t doing Monday chest day, Tuesday leg day, etc. The first week will be the hardest both physically and mentally, but as you settle into your routine and build this solid foundation you’ll feel more comfortable not only being in the gym, but also with your new found strength.
Warm Up
To goal of the warm up is to get the blood flowing to the joints and muscles. This will help prevent injuries and muscle soreness afterwards. It also allows your heart rate to come up slowly, instead of jumping up quickly, so you can maintain the workout longer. Start with some total body movements that include multiple planes of motion (moving in multiple directions)
Body Weight Exercises
Alternating Standing Torso Rotation x 20 total reps
Side Bends with Reach x 20 total reps
Toe Touches x 10 reps
Squats to Walk-Out High Plank x 10 reps
Jumping Jacks x 20
Cardio - 20 minutes @ 70-80% of max heart rate
This heart rate zone is important to help you with your heart health while still keeping you from burning out physically or mentally. It’s also a key fat-burning zone to help you with your weight loss goals. If your cardio machine doesn’t have a sensor on it, here’s how it should feel. It should feel challenging, but doable. You’ll feel your breathing get heavier and your heart rate a little faster, but you’ll feel in control like you could do it for the 20 minutes you plan to be on there. You’ll also be able to talk to the person next to you in short sentences.
What equipment should you use? A treadmill is the preferred choice. Whether you walk, jog, run or do a combination of all three, the movement of a treadmill is your body’s natural movement. However, if you have issues with your knees or hips or just want to change it up, an elliptical machine or bike are great options. They’ll take some of the impact out of landing on the treadmill with each step and will also have adjustments to increase or decrease the intensity. Just remember to still work towards your heart rate or feeling goal.
Total Body Strength
Doing strength work is important not only for your transformation goals, but your psyche as well. Building strong muscles will make any task you have at home, work, or the gym feel that much easier. Once you get started the strength floor is also where you’ll likely see improvements the fastest. It starts with your weight selection. For any exercise select a weight you feel comfortable with and attempt to do 10 repetitions. How did the tenth rep feel? If it felt easy, then congratulations you’re stronger than you thought. If you could only do eight or nine, then you’ve got the perfect weight. Remember, just because you started with that weight doesn’t mean you have to finish with it. Adjust as you need to and know that over time that weight should be able to increase. We’re going to do each exercise for the full number of sets and reps before moving onto the next exercise.
Rep (repetition) = One movement of an exercise; Set = Completed number of reps (ex. 3 sets of 10 reps = 30 reps total)
Seated Chest Press Machine - 3 sets of 12 reps
Seated Lat Pull Down or Seated Row Machine - 3 sets of 12 reps
Body Weight Squat - 3 sets of 12 reps
Body Weight Lunge (forward or backward) - 3 sets of 12 reps for each leg
Assisted Sit-up Machine - 3 sets of 12 reps
Seated Shoulder Press Machine - 3 sets of 12 reps
Standing Dumbbell Bicep Curl - 3 sets of 12 reps
Stretch & Cool Down
After you’ve finished your workout it’s every bit as important to cool down as it is to warm up. Over the previous hour your heart rate has gone up and your muscles have done a lot of work. Now you need to let all of that settle down and relax before you go sit on the couch to relax for the evening. Stretching post workout while your muscles are warm is the best way to loosen up and let circulation return to normal. Stretching doesn’t have to be complicated either. You don’t have to be a yogi twisting your body in all sorts of directions. Listen to your body and stretch the muscles that feel a little tight. Hold each stretch for 30-60 seconds while taking nice deep breathes. As your body regains the oxygen you’ve burned you’ll feel the muscles relax. Trust me, stretching is one of the best ways to feel recover quickly and feel great the next day.
We’re going to do this workout three times a week for 3-4 weeks to build you that strong foundation.
