It’s 2020 Resolutions time. If your resolving to hit the gym here are 10 things to keep in mind.
1. It’s normal to feel a bit nervous if you haven’t been to the gym in a while. Or ever. Don’t let the feeling of trepidation stop you. Once of you’ve been to the gym a few times you’ll feel way more comfortable.
2. You don’t have to do every exercise. Seriously. Pick 3-5 compound lifts and work on doing them with the best form you can. If you come across an exercise you absolutely hate, find a replacement.
3. Compound lifts are ones that use the body’s larger muscles and involve more than one joint moving. Some examples are (any variation of) squat, deadlift, bench press (or push-ups), rows, chin-ups/pull-ups (or lat pulldowns), and lunges. There are tons to choose from. See no. 2.
4. Go easy the first couple weeks. You want to ingrain the habit of working out. You want to practice doing the lifts with proper form. The objective is not to turn into the Hulk in 2 weeks.
5. You’re going to be sore. This is your body adjusting to you placing new demands on it. The object of your workouts isn’t to see how sore you can make yourself tomorrow. But soreness is part of the process. The temptation may be to lay around and be as still as possible. Don’t. Get up and walk around a little bit. Stretch. Very light exercise improves blood flow, which helps speed up recovery.
6. Don’t do biceps curls in the squat rack. I know, it’s tempting. It looks like a great place for it. But you can curl anywhere in the gym. The squat rack is for squatting.
7. Have a plan. Before you go, know what lifts you’re going to do. This plan doesn’t have to be perfect or intricately detailed. If you’re totally lost, do 3 sets of 10 repetitions each of a compound lift for legs, a compound upper body push lift, and a compound upper body pull lift. There, you just did a full body workout. It doesn't have to be complicated. Your results are going to come primarily from your consistent effort, not specific lifts.
8. Don’t be afraid to ask. Nobody knows all the answers when they’re first starting out. Or ever, for that matter. If you have a question, ask a trainer a the gym. Or you can ask another gym-goer. They’ll usually be happy to help. Just wait until they’re resting between sets. And if they’re a jerk, that’s on them, not you.
9. It’s a gym, not your living room. The gym is a shared space. When you’re done with a piece of equipment, put it back where it belongs. Seriously, re-rack the weights. When you grab dumbbells from the rack, step away before you start your set. Allow other people to have access to the rack. If you’re doing a superset using more than one piece of equipment at a time, first off, don’t. But if you insist, if someone wants to use it, let them work in with you. If the gym is crowded, scrap the superset.
10. Be patient, enjoy the process. Big change takes time. You can get there if you keep showing up and giving effort. Have fun!
*11.* I'm happy to help you if you have any fitness questions. Feel free to use me as a resource. Leave a comment or question below.
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