You know you should be in the gym but you have no idea what to do.
You’ve probably thought at least one of the following at some point:
- “Is my form good enough to perform certain exercises? Will I look stupid? Are people watching me?”
- “How much weight should I use?”
- “Should I even use weight?”
- “How difficult is this supposed to be?”
- “How many times should you do the exercise before taking a break?”
- “Should you do other exercises in between, like a circuit?”
- “How many times should you repeat the exercise?”
- “Which muscles do these exercises work? Should I even be working these muscles?”
- “Should I even be lifting weights if I just want to get lean and toned?”
- “How the hell do I set up this machine?”
These stressful questions seem to be the reason most of us never attend a gym. Once fed up with gaining fat and sedentary lives, a good percentage of us will decide to take a trip to the gym.
However, we are bombarded with the above questions that cause enough stress to have us wish we were back in our comfort zone… the couch watching television, convincing ourselves that cleaning the house and walking the dog for 10 minutes is plenty of exercise.
No wonder why every dog owner that keeps a clean house seems to be in such great shape…
There’s some good news… every person that you see in the gym that seems to be absurdly happy to be there once thought the same as you. They were nervous while feeling judged and out of place.
Being intimidated in the gym is a real thing. So real that the combination word of “gymtimidated” was invented.
You probably won’t enjoy coming to the gym until you feel confident. You probably won’t feel confident until you feel comfortable.
Here are 3 steps to help take you from “Gymtimidated” to “Gympressive”:
- Ask for Help- Any trainer or gym owner should have no problem assisting you in your journey from no clue to competent. If you have no interest in hiring a trainer consistently, let them know so you’re not receiving a sales pitch in between each exercise demonstration. A lot of gyms offer a complimentary session. If not, hiring a trainer for a session or two is a great investment into your future health.
- Show Up- If you are currently not attending the gym at all, showing up just once a week is a huge step in the right direction. Work your way up to your desired weekly attendance slowly. Always show up, this gym session is scheduled and cannot be cancelled or rescheduled.
- Perform Enjoyable Exercises- Most of us with minimal experience like to do what they have been told is most effective. Unfortunately, the range of opinions of fitness industry professionals can leave any new gym-goer incredibly confused.