Beginner in the Gym

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cindyhoyos
cindyhoyos Posts: 18 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Currently I am 235.6 lbs (5'6") with a goal of getting to 130 lbs. I would like to shed weight while toning up my body so I'm not flapping all over the place when the weight comes off! Tomorrow morning my husband and I are going to start going to the gym. I'm going to be going 3x's a week. The problem is that I have absolutely NO idea what I am doing! Does anyone have any suggestions? I am getting overwhelmed just contemplating all of the different equipment, and quite frankly it makes me just want to hide under my bed!

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  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    Staff will show you, but they're not psychic.

    Perhaps your husband knows?

    My gym has a youtube channel where they demo all of their equipment. The majority of equipment has diagrams and instructions.
  • dr3w_s
    dr3w_s Posts: 88 Member
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    if you can afford it, get a personal trainer
  • TheChangingMan
    TheChangingMan Posts: 73 Member
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    Can the gym staff set up a program for you?

    If you do the wrong thing you will end up at best demoralised and at worst injured.

    A PT session or two would be great if you can afford it.
  • Tanja_CHH
    Tanja_CHH Posts: 216 Member
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    Some gyms lets you have an induction for minimum price. For my gym it was compulsory as well to learn to equipment so I had to have it!
  • NZAilsa
    NZAilsa Posts: 11 Member
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    When I joined my gym the personal trainer did a walk throw with me on all the machines. At no extra cost to me. It's just what they do at the start of your journey. Also set me up with a workout program to start off.
    I'd never been in a gym before I joined mine.
    I love my time in the gym.
  • beskimoosh
    beskimoosh Posts: 375 Member
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    I got a personal training session, but before that I was just doing cardio, it was mostly to get me going on the weights! Try googling beginners treadmill routine or something like that, I got loads of ideas from that, same goes for other machines. Hope that helps!
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
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    I think, if I was a total newbie and had never set foot in a gym before, a personal trainer session would be good for you. You don't have to book loads of sessions, maybe just one. Just to give you a bit more confidence and to introduce you to the various equipment safely.
  • frando
    frando Posts: 583 Member
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    All of the gyms in my area do an introduction to the equipment and make up a programme as well- this is mainly so you know what you can do in the gym (so you're not going to hurt yourself!) but also for insurance purposes. If they don't give you a full safety briefing for the equipment then have you sign a document acknowledging this and your hurt yourself your well within your rights to sue.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    a lot of gyms will have a complimentary fitness evaluation, aka personal trainer session. use it.

    if not, talk to management, and have them give it to you under the guise of actually getting a trainer, but wanting to see if it's right for you.

    i took the complimentary fitness evaluation at my gym, just for fun, but ended up liking the trainer so much i hired him fo six months.
  • rdwill75
    rdwill75 Posts: 3 Member
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    The first few times can be really intimidating. I would say the first step is to just go. Don't expect your first few times there are going to be hard-hitting workouts. Spend the first few times just seeing where everything is - even where the water cooler, showers, towels, lockers, etc. are.

    Get on a treadmill or an elliptical, turn it on and just see how it works. See how it records movement, calories, etc. Do a light cardio workout. After a few visits you'll feel more comfortable. You'll also start to understand what your goals are better. i.e. strength training, cardio, both.. how much time you want to invest each week.

    Hope that helps... but i wouldn't jump right into a personal trainer. it's a great investment, however you need to get familiar with the gym and start to understand your goals before you can tell a personal trainer what you want from them.

    Above all, just go! Good luck!
  • Chadomaniac
    Chadomaniac Posts: 1,785 Member
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    ask the staff that supervise in the gym , its their job.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    Don't expect a gym staff member will definitely provide the best solution - they may provide an easily packaged solution that most people will accept.

    Pretty much all the gyms I've been to have offered a free induction which includes making up a program for you - presumably the idea being that you're more likely to stay with them.

    Having read about it for some time, I've been doing proper heavy lifting recently and found the results ARE what has been promised for me. Whether that will be the case for you is another matter, of course.
    I've just been doing squat, bench press and dead lift with some pull ups.

    If you are considering something like that, you definitely want to start below the maximum you can do and get someone that knows what they're doing to show you how to do the moves.

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