Looking weird at the gym.

Does your gym has any trainers that will show you the proper way to use the equipment? They should do that free of charge.

There are a lot of programs out there for beginners. Strong lifts, SS, NROLFW. Personally, I was worried about what I looked like when I first started lifting heavy too, but now I only care if I'm making gains. People can stair if they want!

If they have time to stare at you, they aren't working out hard enough. I'd probably ask a creeper if I was doing the lift wrong or something. There should definitely be someone there to show you proper form. Don't let the rude people mess with your workout.

I would try to change your mental perspective. I go in with a Bluetooth headset on my right ear, my iPad in one hand, a towel over my shoulder, and my HTC One X smartphone in my other hand. I go running on the treadmill watching Netflix tethered to my phone for internet. I haven't really cared to look around me to see if anyone looks at me weird. I'm doing what I want to do. I suggest you do what you want to do, and not care about how the others look at you in the gym. Changing your mental perspective, may also introduce new ideas about how to perceive yourself. It's worth it.

If they are just floor exercises where you feel self concious then save them to do at home before you go or when you come back.

Well in the past year alone, I have been called flamboyant in the locker room by an older lady cause I wasn't changing in a bathroom stall like her. (because I just walk in change and walk right back out) and a girl(very thin) just a few years younger than me was pouting to her mother on a treadmill near me about working out and her older sister pointed at me and said "keep going you don't want to look like her." I was even asked once by another member why I try to struggle with ab exercises when there is equipment for that. I just nicely explained that some of them are to large and some just plain suck! So yeah people are staring. When I went to a larger gym, people stared too but they had more variety of machines where I could get a full ab workout.

i was thinking I would use the gym for cardio and do the rest at home. I have tons of dvd sets. But then I feel horrible about paying for a membership and getting the full benefit.

Obviously, the older lady has body issues, and is "bothered" because you don't...

the anorexic girl is using YOU to show what she doesn't want to be like ( even though you are closer to a healthy weight, I assume)?! Just roll your eyes and offer to crush her

as for the issues with the machines, I feel ya! The trainer told me that they are made for someone who is about 5'8" tall...I am 5'2" on a good day ( actually, the trainer LAUGHED a few weeks ago when he was helping me with squats. He pulled the bar up to where he *thought* it should be, looked at me and realized it was eye level, and laughed. I always joke about being "3 feet tall"). You could always inform the person that A) machines are not made for people your height and it is ALWAYS better to do the exercises without a machine because you have to use stabilizing muscles to keep your form correct.

If tuning out is not a possibility, is there another gym that would work for you? Honestly I see all types at my local YMCA and everyone seems to play nicely and keep to themselves.

Maybe they are curious about what you are doing because they are wondering if they should try that too. Or maybe they think what you are doing is interesting.

There are all kinds of reasons why people at the gym look at other people. I do different things and I'm sure that at any one time a person could see me and judge what I am doing and different people for opposite reasons. One person may think I am lifting excessively heavy. Another person might think I am not lifting heavy enough. Someone else may think I am struggling at something that should be easier. One person may wonder why I choose to do a certain exercise and think another is better (another person may feel the exact opposite of that). It's my time to work out for me. I don't care what they think. And if they are judging, that's their issue, not mine.

Other times people watch me because they are curious, they think it's cool when a small person lifts heavy (and gets them rethinking what they are capable of). I've seen people watch me and then try some of the things I did. I've turned to people and asked if I was in their way because I thought that's why they were looking and they said they were just watching what I was doing. I've seen other people stand beside a weight machine and peek out at me (maybe they didn't know I saw them).

And sometimes I watch other people as well. I am curious about what they are doing and I watch their form for more info to help me, I watch how heavy they lift for ideas and comparisons. I watch them, so that I can coordinate my workout around them and not throw them off. Sometimes I am lifting heavy and I stare straight ahead and people think I'm looking at them, I'm not, I'm just really working hard.

Sometimes I feel a little self-conscious when I am working hard and struggling a little. But, I am there for my fitness. So, when I feel that way I remind myself that none of this matters. Soon I will be done and out in the world and I won't remember these people at the gym and they won't remember me (not that they even care what I do) and I will be fit and that's worth it.

Take a different tack, and just believe you do look weird at the gym and people are acknowledging your difference.

When Im at the gym, I rarely make eye contact, I put on my headphones and tune out to everybody else... yes I know I prob look weird, Im the only one in a skirt, I huff and puff loudly, and sweat buckets, but I set goals to achieve for my gym session and thats why Im there and unless I hit my targets for the session Im not leaving.

I used to be quite intimidated by the 'stunning' looking people at the gym, now Im a bit 'meh'.
My sister was a fully fledged lycra wearing gym junkie, so she had deterred me from stepping into a gym. I liked outdoors running and swimming, so going into a gym for the first time 12 years ago was off-putting for me.
So I started by trying classes.
I remember going to my first yoga class wearing long shorts and a tshirt and one of the regulars in her 'yoga' outfit asked me if I knew the class was yoga and not the weights room, then started to explain how strenuous some of the poses were. I looked at her and smiled and said glad I wore a cotton tshirt as it should soak up the sweat better... The look of horror on her face was classic, but I was not going to be judged and deterred by her. (Admittedly after her comment about the weight room led to me venturing in there too)

Arlala, you have paid your fees, you have every right to be there, dont let anyone's comments stop you.

BTW, a rowing machine is great for upper body workouts and doubles as a cardio workout too. Ask the staff if you dont know how to use it as technique is the key to not hurting yourself
A couple of workouts I do here is a run and row where you run on a treadmill for 5-10 mins then row hard for 5-10min and repeat. Another is row and pushups row as hard as you can for 2 min, then recover with 10 pushups beside the rower and repeat.