Joining gym for the first time! Any tips?

[EeeyMacarena]

Hi all.

After having a baby almost a year ago and discovering the other day that the baby weight still hasn't shifted, I've decided to get my backside into gear and sign up to my local gym. I've also signed up with a personal trainer who is going to tailor a plan for me; otherwise I'd have no idea how to start!

I'm not terribly overweight (BMI of 25) but I'm quite unfit. Of course I'd like to lose weight, but I'd also like to tone up and get fitter. But I'm quite scared/intimidated. I imagine the gym will be full of super-fit gym bunnies and then there'll be chubby old me huffing and puffing away in the corner

Funnily enough though, I'm actually looking forward to it as well! I do enjoy exercising and how I feel afterwards. I just don't do it often enough (paired with crappy diet which I'm already improving).

Any tips for a first timer? Thanks

Yes, there will be gym bunnies. There will also be roly-poly bunnies and all sorts of other bunnies in between. None of them will pay you any attention, so just get on with what you're doing and enjoy.

The personal trainer is a great idea. Doing things correctly is very important so make sure they drill you in the correct form and if any aspect of an exercise feels weird or off then ask them to double check you are doing it right.

Yes to a trainer. They’ll show you the right way to do things. Then once you e been a few times and get the hang of things with the trainer go alone and just do what you did with trainer.

Remember everyone is far too worked up about their own workout than to even notice what you look like. It took me ages to work this out.

I've recently joined a gym for the first time, too. I have social anxiety so have a lovely extra layer of stress!

Honestly, it's been great. Yes, there are a few what I call Proper Gym goers, but more people like me, average run-of-the-mill trying to get fitter types. And absolutely no one takes any notice whatsoever of what you're doing, how much you're sweating, what machine you're on, how heavy you've set the weights, or anything else.

Does your gym offer classes? I'm doing two classes a week as well as my workouts, and I massively enjoy the classes, I can really recommend getting involved if yours does offer them. It's nice for the exercise to be structured for you, and takes away my worries 'what should I do now...do I look like a tit...' etc.

It's made me feel far more confident, as well as fitter, I don't think you'll regret it :)

I love my gym. And it's a commercial chain gym, but actually has very few gym bunny/Bro types. Maybe because they all go in the evening - I try to go in the morning as it's a better time for me physically to work out. I work out alongside an 86 year old woman. She can do squats.

What to do:

• If I were you, I'd try to do some classes - you'll learn a lot about good form & technique.
• Take note of what class instructors suggest in terms of form & technique - be coachable. In my regular Pump classes, our instructors coach all the time & I am always amazed that people ignore them - good form helps you get stronger & avoid injury - so listen
• Good form & technique are super-important for avoiding injury.
• Take it slowly
• Stretch after a work out - but learn some safe & useful stretches
• wipe down your equipment after use
• re-rack your weights and other equipment (ie put them away!)

What not to do - pretty simple & common sense really:

• don't lounge around on equipment - use it or move on (although I had to learn in the free weights area that what looks like lounging around is taking your 120 second break between sets of deadlifts etc - you have to rest - it's not like cardio conditioning).
• don't take selfies (or use your phone) in the changing room don't wear sweaty smelly clothes - clean on please that stale sweat smell makes me retch take a shower before the sauna or steam room. Really DO this - and wear as little as possible in the sauna/steam room - swimsuit at the most. People who go into a sauna or steam room in their work out gear are disgusting

My personal rule (that no-one else follows ) is that people should be BANNED from talking in the sauna ... but I'm on a loser with that one.

I'm clearly obsessed with what people do in the sauna .... sigh

People who go into a sauna or steam room in their work out gear are disgusting I thought you out in their work gear! Mind you, work out gear is equally disgusting yes.

I'd say get there nice and early esp if you are doing classes. BodyPump for instance, there's a fair bit of equipment to set up - anyone will help you if you ask I'm sure - you don't want to be rushing in when everyone else is set up and feel stressed or worse still, have to be at the front!

Put, not out obvs

Don't feel self conscious, there'll be people of all shapes and sizes there and most are too busy with their own thing to notice what you're doing. I sometimes watch people on the floor or weights while I'm on the treadmill if they're doing something I think I might like to try, but I think a PT is probably a better idea.
If they do classes try a range and with different instructors, they all do things in different ways and you may find you love something you'd never even thought of.