First day at the gym tomorrow

nuna22
nuna22 Posts: 13 Member
in Getting Started
Tomorrow will be my first day trying to work out at the gym and I am quite nervous. I don't want to put myself off the experience by doing something too hard.

Any tips on how to get started with exercises at the gym? I have some warm-up stretches and yoga I want to do, then I have no idea which machine to use. Hope anyone can help! Thanks

Replies

  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
    walk for 15 minutes on the treadmill.
  • lmhbuss
    lmhbuss Posts: 282 Member
    It's your first day! Just hop on whatever looks interesting and try out lots of stuff. :)
  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
    Have someone on the staff show you how to use the machines--many of them are not intuitive. There is nothing more pitiful than watching someone use weight machines in incredibly wrong and sometimes comical ways. If there is no staff available, ask someone that looks experienced to show you, they will be flattered and happy to help you.

    Go easy, the machines will feel deceptively easy but if this is your first time to lift, you will feel it in the morning. Form is more important than the amount of weight. Slow reps with good form is very effective.
  • kayla_who
    kayla_who Posts: 540 Member
    First off, ask an employee to show you around so if you have any questions about the machines you can ask then. I usually start with 30 minutes treadmill, then I lift weights (remember work upper body one day, lower body the next...never work the same muscles consecutive days), then I do 20-30 minutes on the elliptical depending on how much time I have.

    It's really whatever works best for you. I'm sure someone could tell me I'm doing it wrong, but it works for me so I'm happy.


    Edited because I can't spell...
  • KatVarley
    KatVarley Posts: 534 Member
    Mulecanter could not have said it better.... Good Luck
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    Exactly what mulecanter said!!definitely ask someone to show you around first and take it slow on the first day :-)
  • nicki_lynne
    nicki_lynne Posts: 55 Member
    First, give yourself a high-five for getting there. Then like the others said, you can always ask staff for tour. When I first started going, I would hop on a machine that looked easy for me - elliptical, treadmill or bike. Don't put pressure on yourself to keep up with the regulars. I think the most important part about the first few weeks of the gym is developing the habit of just getting there. Then start changing things up so you don't get bored. I like to look up strength training exercises the night before so that when I get to the gym i'm less intimidated by all the equipment and am more likely to add a new exercise to my routine.
  • gymkoala
    gymkoala Posts: 76
    Aside the type of exercises that you are gonna do the important thing is feeling your body
    you are gonna be aware of a lot of new sensations
    and you are going to finally feel your body united with yourself
    even if you are just stretching you can feel your skin, your muscles in a new way
    it's a wonderful sensation!!
    props to taking the first step!!
  • ProjectYummyMummy
    ProjectYummyMummy Posts: 98 Member
    Aside the type of exercises that you are gonna do the important thing is feeling your body
    you are gonna be aware of a lot of new sensations
    and you are going to finally feel your body united with yourself
    even if you are just stretching you can feel your skin, your muscles in a new way
    it's a wonderful sensation!!
    props to taking the first step!!


    YES!!! Oh, and don't be afraid of DOMS (Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness). Depending on what you did, can be quite scary. Just keep at it. It will get better.
  • juekes
    juekes Posts: 12 Member
    Well done on taking the first step and joining! I HATED my first session at the gym, I'd been for an induction with one of the staff who gave me a program to follow and then it was up to me so I forced myself to go the next day and have been going four times a week for the past year and a half. I started off really slowly, using different machines until I found the one's I liked and then built up from there, increasing my pace, resistance and time gradually - it's something I continue to do as I like the challenge i.e. going 1 m.p.h. faster on the treadmill, or lifting heavier weights - when I start to feel comfortable, I increase. You will soon feel the benefits, more energy, an awareness of your health and what foods you put in your body, so much so that you'll miss it on the days you don't go. Enjoy it - everybody in the gym is there for the same reason! Let us know how you get on.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    i would suggest finding a program and sticking to it.
    don't be afraid of the free weight section.
    pick up a copy of starting strength and/or new rules of lifting; 5x5 is also a great program.
    lift heavy using compound movements - deadlifts, squats, rows, overhead press, pull ups/chin ups etc…


    please ignore the advice about 'just hop around and mess around with everything.." that is really not going to accomplish anything and you are just wasting your precious time.
  • Chickee8586
    Chickee8586 Posts: 155 Member
    What everyone else said, plus you will probably feel weird doing any of the machines. But once you do them (or any exercises) a few times, you will feel more comfortable. The biggest thing is just to move; using whatever exercise you do.

    Good luck!
  • lunula71
    lunula71 Posts: 13
    I'd recommend classes at the gym, if they offer any. I joined the Y back in early 2011 and would've stopped going within a few months had it not been for taking any & every class that looked interesting. I found out what I loved, and what I hated, and made a great new group of friends along the way. 3 years later, I still workout 3-4x per week because I have friends to help motivate, and I like my workouts.
  • rhiol
    rhiol Posts: 5
    Lunula71, that also works for me. I workout on my own if I can't make a class. So I had the staff show me how to use the machines and it was very helpful. But most of the time I take classes. I push myself more and I am force to workout the full hr.

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