Gym intimidation and strength training

CompressedCarbon

It will get easier when you feel confident and have been there a while. So, as others have suggested, going with a trainer at first is great. I spend a lot of time looking at videos during the day and imitating them.

You know what else makes it easier? When you start recognizing people on the same basic schedule as you. Though I've not spoken to anyone, I've named the regulars and look forward to seeing the Conjoined Twins, the Lunker, BamBam, Thor, and Angry Old Man. I have seen some of them looking at me but they don't seem to be judging me.

Just go, you'll learn to love it. And you'll like what it does for you.

MissFit0101

Keep in mind that people watching is different than people judging. Yes, I look at people in the gym. Not in a creeper way, but in a "I'm between sets and kinda bored" way. I don't judge. I might notice if they're doing something cool (pull-ups...I can't do those yet) or something that intrigues me because I haven't tried that exercise. I'm sure they do the same to me. I was downright stared at one day by a couple of bodybuilders because I was squatting 190. Yes they stared, but not because I was doing anything wrong, but rather doing something very right.

Remember that everyone was new at one point. When I started lifting, I would research and learn one exercise before I went to the gym. I'd get my cardio out of the way, and then head over to the weight section, practice the one lift I had learned, and leave. The next time, I'd come prepared with an additional lift, and practice the new one plus the one I had learned last time. In just a week or two I had a good routine learned and was spending more time with the weights than on the cardio.

I'm a people watcher in between sets as well. I like to see cool new exercises that others are doing, that I might want to throw into my routine sometime. I definitely am not judging.

Holly_Roman_Empire

The first gym I went to where I actually was in the weight section using a barbell and plates was in the Middle East. I REALLY was the only women on that side of the gym, not to mention the men outnumber the women on deployments by about 5 to 1. Anyway, after the first 2 or 3 times of going there, the men figured I was serious about this. I eventually made friends, and they came to respect and admire that I wasn't just there for the elliptical. Not that there's anything wrong with the elliptical.

Men are men, but they probably aren't going to go out of their way to make you feel uncomfortable or unwelcomed on the weights side of the gym. Educate yourself, ask questions, and ask for a spotter when you need it. You'll be fine.

TheStephil

It may be awkward or uncomfortable for you but stick with it and it will get easier. At the gyms I've been to the men have been very friendly, offering to share equipment, spot, help take down the million 45lb plates that someone left on the squat rack, etc. Do your research ahead of time, try to practice the lifts at home if you can, etc. Know what you are going to do before you get to the gym, bring music and just focus on yourself.

If you are unsure about your lifts, you can try to hire a personal trainer to look over your form and give you tips. Most gyms offer a free session when you sign up. Not all personal trainers know what they are doing but having a professional with you in the weight room can help make you feel less awkward.

A workout buddy is also a great help. I love dragging my boyfriend along with me because it's someone to help spot, check form and just chat with. I wish he had agreed to go with me in the beginning because the time flies when he is with me.

GFreg

Well I'm sure that there is always the exception to the rule but in my experience, those really fit people will usually offer tips and advice. I would avoid the typical high school kids that are in there to throw weights around and try to look "bad-*kitten*" and there are usually some people that plug in to some music and just avoid people but I think you will find that most of those big muscle guys would like to see someone trying to better themselves.

Some gym etiquette to remember would be to put the cell phone away. If you use it to track, that is fine but don't sit at a piece of equipment answering texts. Use the equipment as it is intended, i.e. no curls in the squat rack. Rack your weights. I lot of people will just leave their weights sitting on the bar or at the station they were using but that is pretty rude and generally frowned upon.

Edit: You can also check out a place like exrx.net to get familiar with some of the different exercises. They have a huge library of different lifts that they illustrate as a gif so you can see how they are performed. Going in with a clear plan of what you want to accomplish and what you are doing is going to be much more beneficial than going in there and just bouncing around to different stations.

Miss_james1990

Walking in is always the hard part and picking your first thing to do but seriously that can be avoided by planning ahead

cebreisch

It isn't that bad at all. My husband had the same feeling before going to the gym too. He felt like he'd be in there with all these 'buff" men, and be real intimidated by all the "manly men" working out in there.

It's been so long since I first started going to a gym that I guess I don't have that anxiety about it anymore. I'm not there to make friends. It's not a social gathering place for me. I'm there to "work out", or "life weights" or whatever.

The purpose of going to the gym is to be productive towards bettering your body....building strength, being healthier, all that jazz.

As one of the girls here says, I don't give a "flying floof" about who else is there doing whatever they're doing. You're there for you.

As others have said, hardest part is really just walking in the door - making yourself show up.

willrun4bagels

Just go in there and do it. If I can, anyone can. Seriously. I'll share my story.

I'm on week 3 of Stronglifts. I was 281 lbs last September. I'm 223 right now. I'm also 6'2" and have zero balance or grace (I blame it on the higher center of gravity...). I'm like a trifecta of things that I thought people would laugh at. Awkwardly tall, fat, and clumsy. And an inexperienced noob to boot? Pfft. I was sure everyone would make fun of me. The free weights area of my gym is down a few steps from the rest of the gym, with a lower ceiling... it's like a free weights lair. It was always full of big scary men (so I thought). There is only one squat rack.

On the first day I was planning to do a Stronglifts workout, I walked on the treadmill for 5 minutes, and almost could not muster up the courage to go down there and start. I kind of wanted to throw up a little bit. I wanted to leave.

I walked down there, headphones in, and waited to see if anyone was using the squat rack. No one was. I got through my workout without anyone saying a word to me, or even looking at me for that matter. All of the big meaty dudes that were down there were honestly more focused on what they were doing to notice anything else.

The first workout was the scariest for me. It's been easier and easier every workout since then. The regulars in that section of the gym all say hi to me now when I get there (I work out at 5am M-W-F). I also totally fell over when doing squats last week... luckily the cage caught me from dropping the bar onto the floor... but not one single person noticed or said anything. There are some wandering eyes that I can see staring at my booty during squats... but I think that's inevitable. Heck... I even stare at people's booties when they're squatting. Not a big deal. People watch eachother lifting because between sets, there usually isn't much to do aside from sitting still or pacing around. I always watch other people. I'm still very new to this, so I'll try to watch someone doing an exercise and see if I can guess what parts of their body they're working with that particular exercise (back, chest, etc.). Helps pass the time.

I use the SL app on my phone to track sets and track rest periods. Re-rack all of your weights correctly. Watch lots of videos ahead of time to get your form down correctly. You got this!

sc003ro

no one comes out of the gate a inshape meathead......just remember each one of them could have been the overwieght kid in highschool, was in shape and gained 50 pounds or always was heavy lost a ton of wieght and now is a "the meathead"......

most people at the gym are just focused on their workout not you.....

I never pay attention to anyone and just lift

willrun4bagels

I'm also glad that no one is around to see me on my last rep of OHP, because I probably look like an idiot.

@lreed hahaha that was me at my gym this morning. I can't even imagine how I must have looked, but the last rep of set 5 wasn't pretty. In my head, everyone at the gym was applauding me when I finished that rep. It was that tough.:laugh:

DrMAvDPhD

Honestly most commercial gyms aren't dripping with "the bodybuilder type". At my gym (LA Fitness) there are maybe 2-4 members total that look like they might compete in bodybuilding competitions (and definitely no pros lol), and the rest are just us normal folks. Which means, depending on when I workout, there is at most 1 seriously intimidating (by looks, not by actions they are all super friendly) person in the weight room. Usually, there are ~5 other people lifting at any given time, 1-2 of which know what they are doing (good form, good manners, things that you should read up on before lifting!), and ~3 people just in there goofing off or not knowing what they are doing/not trying to learn (don't be them and no one will think you are out of place).

stumblinthrulife

People think about you much less than you think they do. The judgement people think they experience at the gym is mostly their own dissatisfaction with self, projected on others around them.

tomomatic

The folks at my gym have always been really friendly. I've never had a problem finding someone to help on my form or giving me pointers.

One thing to remember is that you will never look as dumb as these guys: