Tips For When You First Join the Gym

Around 10 million Brits have a gym membership, and of those, many will be hitting the gym more often now that the lighter days and better weather are here. If you’ve just joined a gym or are thinking of using your membership for the first time, this article will look at some of the challenges new gym-goers face and our top tips for making the most of your gym membership.

What Are the Main Challenges of First-time Gym-Goers?

Here are the main three challenges new gym users face.

Lack of Knowledge

If you’ve never attended a gym before, the chances are you won’t know how to use the equipment or what exercises to do. This can put many people off using their membership for fear of looking silly or doing something wrong.

Gym Anxiety

A recent study by European lingerie specialists Hunkemöller polled 2,000 Uk adults and found that around a quarter of women (28%) and 16% of men felt anxious in a gym environment. Reasons the women gave for their anxiety included lack of knowledge about exercises and equipment (26%), feeling they were being stared at (26%), and just generally being uncomfortable (22%). Men, on the other hand, cited being uncomfortable in that environment (19%), finding the equipment intimidating (17%), and lack of knowledge about exercises and form(16%).

Speaking to Hunkemoller about the research, Personal Trainer and Education Manager Emily Servante from Ultimate Performance said: “Gymtimidation describes a fear of exercising at the gym or working out in front of other people. Far more than simply a media buzzword, this phenomenon presents a significant barrier to exercise. While such fears stem from various sources, common causes of gym anxiety include feeling body conscious, worrying about exercising in front of others, and pressure from social media expectations.”

Expecting Immediate Results

Another challenge first-time gym users experience is expecting immediate results and being disappointed when they don’t quickly see or feel changes in their bodies. This can lead to them feeling despondent and wondering why they’re bothering, leading to a loss of motivation.

Top Tips for When you First Join the Gym

So how can new gym users overcome these challenges and start to reap the benefits of their gym membership? Here are some tips for anyone just creating.

Have a Plan

When you start using the gym, it’s a good idea to have a goal in mind, so you know why you’re going and what you’re hoping to accomplish. This will help you get out of bed on the mornings you don’t feel like going and can also help you decide what to focus on while you’re there.

When you know your goal, you can then plan what you’re going to do to achieve it. If you know that you’re going to spend a certain amount of time on a particular machine or want to achieve a set number of reps, then it will be easier for you to walk into the gym and make a confident start on your routine.

It’s also important to remember that rest days are a crucial aspect of any exercise or fitness regime, so don’t be tempted to skip them.

Ask for Assistance

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Every new gym member should have an induction, where a qualified instructor will run through the different equipment, show you how to use it, and explain any rules and regulations you need to be aware of. However, even if after that you’re still confused, or you’ve forgotten, or you want to try something new, don’t be embarrassed about asking. After all, that’s what they’re there for!

Go With a Friend

If possible, tag along with a gym-going friend or if not, find a friend willing to tag along with you! Not only will this make you feel more confident, but it also means you’ll have someone to chat to so the time passes quicker, and you can be each others’ cheerleaders.

Wear Comfortable Clothes

The last thing you want, if you’re already feeling nervous or self-conscious, is to wear clothes you don’t feel good in. So if you’re serious about your new commitment to the gym, invest in some new activewear. That way, you won’t be worrying about how you look when you should be concentrating on what you’re doing!

Track Your Progress

It’s easy to lose motivation if you don’t see the results you hoped for. However, bear in mind that fundamental, sustainable changes to the way your body looks or feels take time. Many people make the mistake of jumping on the scales after a workout session and thinking it hasn’t made a difference, but there are many better ways to measure your progress.

Why not take entire body measurements and compare them a month later? Or you could use phone apps to track the number of reps you can do or how many minutes you can run for and watch the numbers increase steadily over time. You can also use fitness trackers to record data like your heart rate and see how your overall health improves.