Top Tips for Getting Started at the Gym
Since I began working in the fitness industry nearly 10 years ago, I’ve been on a mission to help people find enjoyable and sustainable ways to incorporate strength training into their lives. After personal and professional experiences of unwelcoming and, at times, unsafe gym environments I knew I wanted to create an alternative option for gym goers.
That’s why I co-founded Dynamo Gym in Brighton with my physiotherapist husband and created a safe and friendly gym, open to anyone who wants to feel supported and cared for whilst on their fitness journey.
Getting into the gym and taking up strength training is one of the best things you can do for your health and wellbeing. However, between the overwhelming amount of information available on what workouts you should and shouldn’t be doing and the sometimes-daunting task of setting foot in the gym, starting out on this journey can feel far from easy.
Here’s my top tips for getting started at the gym, getting the most out of your time there, and how to sustain your routine.
Tip 1: Reduce Your Barriers to Exercise
This means looking to make it as easy as possible for you to set foot in the gym. Whilst this might seem simplistic, it can be overlooked and is often a sticking point for many people. Think of yourself at your most unmotivated, then plan how you’d make it easier for that version of yourself to chose to go to the gym rather than not. Some things to consider are:
Location: Is your chosen gym a short walk from your front door? Or is it across town and require two buses to get there? Even if the gym across town is your preference, how likely is it that you’ll want to travel that far when your motivation is waning?
Cost: Try to choose a gym that you can you afford for the long term. You are trying to build a lifelong habit, so it needs to be a sustainable option.
Preparation: It might be easier to attend your gym after work, mitigating the desire to slump into the sofa and sack it off. Having a gym bag prepared in advance reduces on the spot decision making.
Comfort: Make sure you wear clothes you feel comfortable working out in. If you feel anxious about crowded gyms, find out when the quieter times are.
Support: You might want to get a gym buddy to come with you, hire a coach, or attend a gym like Dynamo Gym where you have a coach with you in every session.
Tip 2: Have a Plan, Follow it, and Track Your Progress
Following a workout plan is a great idea for several reasons. As someone new to exercise, you’ll need to learn movement patterns before you can progress them. Proficiency comes from repeating the same exercises over a period of time. You will achieve greater results from this, then performing random exercises every time you come to the gym.
Setting foot in the gym can feel overwhelming. There is so much machinery/equipment, and everyone is doing something different. Having a plan to follow mitigates this feeling and allows you to use your time effectively.
The advice I always give to anyone completely new to strength training is to do full body workouts that incorporate these main movement patterns: squat, hinge, push, pull, and core. You can easily look up these patterns and devise a programme of your choosing. Here are some examples.
Squat: barbell back/front squat, goblet squat, split squat, leg press machine, hack squat machine
Hinge: deadlift, Romanian deadlift, good mornings, hip lift, kettlebell swing
Push: press up, bench press, overhead press, shoulder press, chest press
Pull: pull-up, bent over row, lat pulldown, inverted row
Core: crunches, side bends, loaded carries, Russian twist
To build muscle and strength you will wan to progressively overload your exercises over time. This means adding intensity or weight to a movement as you adapt to it. Begin by doing 4 sets of 8-12 repetitions of each exercise at an easy weight. After a couple of sessions increase the weight to an amount that feels difficult in your last 1-2 repetitions and adjust as you build strength. Follow your plan for at least 8 weeks before you change it up.
Photography by Viktor Freitas
Tip 3: Take it Slow
Start with weights that feel almost too easy and build up intensity over several weeks. Initially you should feel like you could do your workout twice over with no issue. I know the temptations is to “go hard or go home”, but this is not where you want to start out.
Trying to challenge yourself from day one prevents you from learning proper mechanics that will help you train safely and effectively over time. It also increases the amount of muscles soreness you will encounter. You will, almost certainly, experience some muscle soreness due to performing novel movements but rest assured this will abate as you continue your programme.
Be realistic in your plan. You may wish to attend the gym 4 times a week but going from nothing to gym bunny is a huge step. It’s great to have ambition, but failing to hit your target will be demotivating and is likely to cause you to throw in the towel. Instead do what is achievable in the present. This might mean starting out at once a week for some time.
And don’t forget to incorporate rest days. Building muscle and strength takes effort in the gym but also recovery outside of it. Aiming for at least one rest day in between training days is a good place to start.
“I know the temptations is to ‘go hard or go home’, but this is not where you want to start out. ”
Tip 4: Be Consistent
We know that exercise, in particular strength training, is vital to keeping us healthy and ensuring a good quality of life as we age. Therefore, it’s something that we need to do for the rest of our lives. It becomes easier to incorporate this into your life when you make exercise a habit and embed it into your routine. Simply relying on motivation to exercise is a surefire way to guarantee you’ll pack it in as soon as you have a little wobble.
To be consistent you’ll need to develop a level of discipline. This does not mean, beating yourself up or speaking down to yourself when you find it difficult. It’s quite the opposite. When you exercise you are performing an act of self-care. Simply showing up on a day that feels tough is proving that you value your wellbeing.
Ways to help keep consistent with exercise might include:
Find exercise that you enjoy. If you hate what you’re doing, you’re unlikely to want to keep it up.
Setting a goal or something to work towards.
Workout with a friend or hire a coach.
Schedule in your workouts like you would a doctor’s appointment. Make it take priority.
Use the 10-minute rule. When you really don’t feel like exercising give yourself permission to stop after 10 minutes.
Adapt to your abilities. If you can’t do a full workout due to time constraints, do half of it instead. Lose that all-or-nothing mindset.
Join a community and workout with others.
I hope you found these tips helpful. If you have any questions about getting into strength training or what Dynamo Gym has to offer, then get in touch, I’m always happy to have a chat.
Dynamo Gym is a strength training facility in Hove near Seven Dials, offering a friendly and welcoming environment. They’re owned and operated by Ben and Cat, seasoned professionals with over 25 years of combined experience in physiotherapy, mental health, and the fitness industry.
This article is part of our Wellness Budget campaign, sharing different ways that the City Girl Network audience can spend their money, time and energy on improving their health and wellbeing.