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Joining a Gym

Just joined a gym, ive had a treadmill in my house for the last 4 months, but i am now ready for some weights.

It was my first day at the gym today and my self confidence is low anyway, but i just have the feeling that people are staring at me, and sniggering.

Can people who are at the gym let me know what to do and what there first few trips were like ?
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Comments

  • Stick your MP3 player in and ignore everyone!
  • Look like you know what you are doing, even if you dont, wear a good anti-perspirant and some moisture wicking clothing, work yourself up to big things, don't be afraid to start smaller, and above all else, laugh at them if they ever slip up doing something, which they inevitably will!
  • Uncomfortable! I was the same as you. There were people where I went who obviously spent many many hours there, whereas I just wanted to maintain a level of fitness. I decided early on to ignore them and just get on with what I was doing.

    The last time I regularly went there was a strange guy I used to see - he had a massive 'personality' and used to strut around the changing rooms naked - obviously very proud of himself.
  • Do not wear anti perspirant in the gym - you risk overheating if you stop the sweat coming out.
  • Who cares what anyone else thinks mate, just do your own thing and ignore everyone else. Speak to some of the instructors, they'll take you through the weights and what you need to do to achieve your goal.
  • Was it John Travolta, Saga?
  • Just buy some weights and do it at home. Cost you f***-all compared to the ludicrous prices at a gym
  • Gym's are one of the most unpleasant places to be in. Don't waste your money and do what Leroy says.
  • Cheers for the responses.


    @bedsaddick @Leroy Ambrose
    Ive kind of tied myself down to a yearly membership as i feel i need to do it.
    And ive just gone for it, otherwise i never would of done it.
    Does having a partner help ?
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  • Was it John Travolta, Saga?

    Don't think so - has he got a big 'personality' (i.e. cock)?
  • edited August 2012
    Someone at work said this about feeling like people are laughing. a) they're probably not, and b) who cares?? Everyone starts somewhere. Do what you want, plug yourself into your favourite songs and if anyone is sniggering, snigger back because guaranteed the ones doing it are the ones with no life, spend hours in the weights bit, texting, chatting, 'bantering' and occasionally lifting weights. I've never understood why you would take a group of mates to the gym. If you want a social, go to the pub. I go on my own, do my thing and leave. But rant over, if you can afford the extra dough, try and find an over 18 gym, as you tend to get less bell ends.
  • Cheers for the responses.


    @bedsaddick @Leroy Ambrose
    Ive kind of tied myself down to a yearly membership as i feel i need to do it.
    And ive just gone for it, otherwise i never would of done it.
    Does having a partner help ?
    I renew my gym membership during summers when football season is over, mainly to try to shed the weight I inevitably put on during the season! It is best to go with someone, you'll find you'll want to stay longer and are inclined to do more reps etc and rotate exercises with the person you go with.

    it's extremely rewarding when u begin to notic ea difference.once you start going regularly you'll feel stressed without it, so my advice would be not to worry about those that think they're all that and strut around proudly. Do your own think, and keep trying to increase the amount you do.
  • Saga Lout said:

    Was it John Travolta, Saga?

    Don't think so - has he got a big 'personality' (i.e. cock)?
    No idea, but he's allegedly known for trawling around in gyms/spas.
  • Cheers for the responses.


    @bedsaddick @Leroy Ambrose
    Ive kind of tied myself down to a yearly membership as i feel i need to do it.
    And ive just gone for it, otherwise i never would of done it.
    Does having a partner help ?

    Don't get this mindset at all. Why would you need to spunk fifty quid a month to motivate you? After being a fat c*** of note for about twenty years, I decided to do something about it this year. Within two months I'd lost three stone (down to 12 from 15) - just through running and eating less - and this cost me absolutely nothing (in fact, I saved money as I was eating half what I did before.
  • Well done Leroy - that's willpower.
  • Im heading to the gym at my new house and looking forward to it. I can't fit a regular gym into my life as I can't fit it into my work day but the one I'm joining is on my development and "free" (included in monthly maintenance of £100)
    I know I'm a mess so fully expect stares but realy don't care as its about getting healthier

    Do your thing and stop being paranoid. You'll be fine
  • got a free pass from my mum and sister for the gym. Going to use it for cardio only. Not worth the money if you wanna do it for weights. You can purchase your own for £20 and add to it when you've progressed enough and do different exercises for different body parts. Not worth being shown up by a bunch of sweaty meatheads. Did it a couple of years ago and trained from home for about 3 months and started seeing real improvements as I'm a small, skinny guy, people were commenting on how muscley I was starting to look. Then I had a pretty major planned operation and I stopped the habit and went travelling + uni etc. Definitley looking to start it up again as I've actually got some meat on my bones this time so getting bigger will be easier.

    Whatever you do, stick to it. There's nothing like watching yourself gradually get into shape, I can definitley see why some people obsess with the gym. Also, what you do at your resting period between training is where you get 80% of the improvements from. Eat right and sleep right and you will see improvements quicker than 3-4 months. In terms of cardio, remember the heart is a muscle and needs rest, go every 2-3 days at first and then once you get used to that go every other day. Good luck!
  • Cheers for the responses.


    @bedsaddick @Leroy Ambrose
    Ive kind of tied myself down to a yearly membership as i feel i need to do it.
    And ive just gone for it, otherwise i never would of done it.
    Does having a partner help ?

    Don't get this mindset at all. Why would you need to spunk fifty quid a month to motivate you? After being a fat c*** of note for about twenty years, I decided to do something about it this year. Within two months I'd lost three stone (down to 12 from 15) - just through running and eating less - and this cost me absolutely nothing (in fact, I saved money as I was eating half what I did before.
    See thats what ive done already, ive lost 2 stone, and i'm now at a stage where i want to build my muscle up, and buying 20 pound weights isn't going to help me build all round muscle.
  • Use free weights & the wires, don't bother with the machines
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  • Just joined a gym, ive had a treadmill in my house for the last 4 months, but i am now ready for some weights.

    It was my first day at the gym today and my self confidence is low anyway, but i just have the feeling that people are staring at me, and sniggering.

    Can people who are at the gym let me know what to do and what there first few trips were like ?

    Ad

    Am a fitness instructor/personal trainer

    1. Well done in going to gym in first place

    2. As others say doesn't matter what others are doing. Everyone's body is different and people within a gym are at differing stages of their training. Most well meant advice is usually very poor, unfortunately because most gym users don't really know what they're doing. In my experience the majority of men train very poorly. (too heavy, too quick, poor range of movement etc, etc)

    3. Work out exactly what you want to/are trying to achieve and get an instructor to work out a program for you. Don't be afraid to ask the instructor for his/her reasoning of the program. Some I'm afraid are inexperienced and tend to follow current trends/vogues. If they are unable to explain the reasoning then seek out a more knowledgeable/experienced instructor.

    4. At all costs, resist training too heavy weights to start with. You will get injured and set yourself back considerably. The body has to gain gradual condtioning/strength and lay the foundations down. It would be akin to building a house on swampy ground.

    5. Write down your times, sets,reps, weights, etc, so you can chart your progress

    6. Good luck

    7. As said, ---- everybody else


  • Some proper patronising arseholes on here ain't there, bloody hell. Geezer has signed up & wants some pointers and people are digging him out. Odd.

    If the gym is half decent, ask a trainer to walk you through some exercises that target the areas you want to tone/build up etc. That'll get you confident on what you need to do & how to do it. Then you just gradually increase the weight (although they also say your routine should change often so your muscles don't get used to it, but I guess it's how serious you're taking it)

    As for others looking & laughing; that's their own insecurities, trying to make themselves feel better by laughing at someone starting out. We all feel like mugs starting on the lighter weights than the heavier ones, but you've all gotta start somewhere and it won't be long until you're progressing.

    & going with a mate does help, providing you both ain't trying to slack & convince eachother to leave early! You can both encourage eachother on the weights, or on the cardio etc etc.

    If your gym has boxing bags, they ain't a bad thing to work out on either.
  • Melrose said:

    Just joined a gym, ive had a treadmill in my house for the last 4 months, but i am now ready for some weights.

    It was my first day at the gym today and my self confidence is low anyway, but i just have the feeling that people are staring at me, and sniggering.

    Can people who are at the gym let me know what to do and what there first few trips were like ?

    Ad

    Am a fitness instructor/personal trainer

    1. Well done in going to gym in first place

    2. As others say doesn't matter what others are doing. Everyone's body is different and people within a gym are at differing stages of their training. Most well meant advice is usually very poor, unfortunately because most gym users don't really know what they're doing. In my experience the majority of men train very poorly. (too heavy, too quick, poor range of movement etc, etc)

    3. Work out exactly what you want to/are trying to achieve and get an instructor to work out a program for you. Don't be afraid to ask the instructor for his/her reasoning of the program. Some I'm afraid are inexperienced and tend to follow current trends/vogues. If they are unable to explain the reasoning then seek out a more knowledgeable/experienced instructor.

    4. At all costs, resist training too heavy weights to start with. You will get injured and set yourself back considerably. The body has to gain gradual condtioning/strength and lay the foundations down. It would be akin to building a house on swampy ground.

    5. Write down your times, sets,reps, weights, etc, so you can chart your progress

    6. Good luck

    7. As said, ---- everybody else


    @melrose cheers for all this.
    Really appreciate it, starting today .
    Will do everything you say.
  • Ad, Good luck and keep at it. Weights will greatly help you shift body fat, and get a decent body shape
  • Just to pick up on some of the points made on this thread, as this is the industry that I work in:

    Gym membership even at £50 (there are many that are cheaper) is great value for money IF you go regularly.

    Most home exercise equipment ends up not getting used.

    If you get weights to use at home and you actually do use them, then you'll soon grow out of them as you get stronger.

    I think that you'll be lucky to find a set of weights for just £20.

    Resistance machines are still a great way to build muscle and can be used in conjunction with the other equipment.

    Running outside is probably the most efficient form of cardio, but it does carry the greatest injury risk compared to other forms of cardio exercise. Consider the risk:benefit ratio for yourself and decide if it's the right thing for YOU. Running on a treadmill carries just as much risk as running outside, but for beginners it can work a lot better because you can accurately measure your pace and be more progressive.


  • Harry Hutchens. Good advice, spot on
  • Ad. A brilliant book is "The complete guide to strength training" by Anita Bean. Will tell you everything you need to know about training methods, rest, nutrition etc. About £15, but worth it. (Not a body building book)
  • Had been a member of various gyms for 15+ years but finally saw the light this year - to get fit at home you don't even need weights, just learn how to do press-ups, planks, squats etc. and all the variations thereof.

    However if you persist, I can honestly say that I have never sensed that the more 'ripped' members are sneering at their less defined counterparts - you get the odd meathead who spends most of his time leering at women, but as mentioned I'm no longer a member :-)
  • If you grow out of the £20 weights, surely you just buy more? I've got a barbell and two dumbbell bars - they cost me £30 the pair, and each came with plates that you can change/add to. I've got a selection of plates, totalling 100kg, that I've bought a couple at a time from Tesco. Altogether it's cost me less than 70 quid. Admittedly if I bought a proper bench instead of using an old ottoman that would set me back a bit more, but within three months I'd have paid more than that joining a gym.

    I certainly get where you're coming from re: toning up after weight loss. I always considered myself pretty lean apart from the beer gut and man-tits, but most of the weight I lost came from other areas (neck, arms, legs etc) and I've still got the age old problem of a protruding belly to work on. Still the best thing for you by far is running, so even if you want to bulk up, still do a load of running whilst you're on whatever programme it is you're doing.

    Echo what the above poster said about what you do during your days off. The temptation will be to load up on protein with a supplement - don't do this. Unless you plan on lifting every day. Eat a lot - A LOT of green salad, with no dressing. You'll be amazed at how much this fills you up, and how little calories there are in a f***ing huge great bowl of it.
  • The thing about going to the gym is that you are doing it for yourself not anyone else, never mind the muscle bound tanned adonis sitting on the next bench, this is about and what you can do for yourself. In my experience people are not looking at you with any sort of malice or critical eye they just dont have a lot to look at in a gym, they do tend to be rather drab places.

    Well done for starting but, it's the continuation that makes the difference, keep it up never for one moment think about what others think. In a years time you'll watch as new people start (esp in January), feeling every bit as 'first day at school' as you did and you will be able to extend a welcome knowing how it feels.
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