Starting a workout routine for the first time can be a pretty crazy time in your life. You’re going to be more tired than usual and about as sore as an old man with a replacement hip. Plus, you need to focus on completely rearranging your daily schedule to fit in a workout.
Of course, that’s if you even make it to the gym in the first place. With all those nearly shirtless dudes grunting and screaming as they lift 400 lbs. and women who wear skin tight yoga pants, the gym can be kind of overwhelming. It can make a person lose his conviction in 0.2 seconds.
You’re ready to hit the gym—but you need a confidence boost. No problem! Just check out the following ways to hit the gym like you’ve been going for the last 5 years.
Find a Gym You Like To Be In
Before you even start working out, you’re going to want to find the right gym. There are different types, from your standard open 24/7 establishment to specialized MMA-style gyms. You could be a CrossFit convert or a bodybuilder-in-training.
Step one is all about discovering what makes you comfortable. If you plan on sticking to a workout plan, then you want a gym that will feel like home. Take tours of different facilities until you find a place that speaks to you. It’s like buying a house but for only 60 bucks a month (if you’re lucky).
Learn About The Equipment Offered
Once you’ve chosen a gym, you’ll want to see exactly what it has to offer. Each gym will have different equipment—multiple ways of working out. There are going to be a lot of machines you’ve never seen before. Take a special trip to the gym and study them, figure out how they work. Don’t try to work out at this point, just get an idea of what these machines do.
Your first official “workout” trip to the gym is going to feel less daunting if you know what the equipment does. You’ll spend less time fiddling with weight and dials and get right to work. Cutting out the guesswork will make you feel like less of a newbie. That’s step one to regaining that confidence you so often employ in other aspects of your life.
Remember That These People Are No Different Than You
All of those muscle bound folks who look like they could bench press a car with zero issue did not start out that way. Nope, they were once like you. People might have even referred to them as “noodle-armed” at some point in their lives.
You’re seeing the end result of years of hard work. If you focus on that, then you will probably be more comfortable with the journey you’re about to go on. Your end goals might not be to look like a slightly less green version of The Hulk, but overall fitness takes work. You’ll get there if you put in the work like they did.
Have A Fitness Plan
If you hit the gym every day and wing it, you’re going to get nowhere fast. Sure, you might see some improvements, but they aren’t going to be substantial. This could lead to you giving up too quickly. Did you join the gym to lose weight? Did you join to gain muscle? Maybe you want some 8-pack abs. Whatever your goal, you need to know what it is and how to achieve it. That way, you aren’t spinning your wheels every time you check in at the gym front desk.
It may be tough, but you’re going to need to do some research. You can hit the internet and read some articles or you can talk to a trainer at the gym. Whatever course of action you take, make sure that you have a goal in mind. You’ll be much more likely to reach a goal if one exists in the first place.
Plan Your Workouts
Not only do you need to have a goal, you also need to have a daily workout put together. That way, you can go right in, know exactly what equipment you’ll be needing, what muscles you’ll be hitting, and get right to it. With a plan laid out like this, you’ll be focused on the work and less on the people around you.
If you aren’t paying attention to them, you’ll be less likely to start thinking about how puny you are. Not that you’re puny—you may just think you’re puny—and that’s not going to lead to an effective workout. More likely, it’ll lead to cheese fries. But if you avoid the cheese fries and plan your workout, then you’ll see results, which will probably make you feel just a bit more confident when you hit the gym next week.