Since there have been a few posts on the subject lately, I thought it might be worth posting a few tips for gym newbies. I'm not a trainer, but I work in the industry (designing machines) and I train regularly, so I have a fairly good grasp of exercise physiology.
- When you walk into the gym you may initially feel quite lethargic, especially if you've been in the office all day. If you've got that "can't be bothered" feeling, first sit in the sauna or steam room for a few minutes (hopefully your gym has one - these are great in winter!). Cool down for a little, get changed, have a drink, and then start with weights: slow movements, increasing in intensity, over a period of 10 minutes or so. It doesn't really matter which exercises you do. You'll soon be 'in the zone'.
- A critical aspect of exercise is continuous improvement. Don't just go through the programme your trainer gave you six months ago, over and over. Try to add one more rep, or go up a weight, at each session. Try to run a little faster, or cycle a little harder. Don't get too over-enthusiastic: small increments are fine.
- If you're doing CV, don't do "steady state" exercise, and don't bother with that "fat-burning zone" nonsense. Go intense. The most effective method is to alternate bursts of all-out activity (say, one minute) with a rest period (one to two minutes) at lower intensity. For example, if you know that you can run 0.1km at 14kph - but no further - try alternating 1 minute at 13kph with 1 minute at 10kph, over 1km. There are many different ways you can do this. Use your imagination. Note: choose settings that suit your fitness level, and if you have known heart problems, this may not be for you. Check with you doctor.
- All things considered, weight training gives you the best bang for your buck. Weight-training not only builds muscle (which gives your body an alternative location to dump carbs, if you're eating them) but also gives you a "free" cardio workout. In fact fat-burning persists for a long time after a strength workout, but not so much after a cardio session. That doesn't mean cardio is futile, but do understand the purpose - which is to improve your cardiovascular performance.
- When using weights, use controlled movements. You should not be feeling excessive forces at the beginning or end of the stroke. If you can't control the weight, it's too heavy. If you're on the lightest setting, use dumbbells (most gyms have a smaller range if you need them). Free weights, in general, are a better choice than machines anyway, because they recruit entire muscle groups to perform the work, rather than isolating large muscles in a linear movement.
- Mix it up. If you find that you're not making progress, change your routine. Change the machines that you use, or the way you exercise specific muscle groups, or the way you move from one set to another.
- If it hurts, stop. Never, ever exercise through muscle or joint pain. You'll just make it worse. If you have some injury, try to keep the joint mobile, but don't put extra stress on it until it heals.
- If you are significantly overweight, don't try to do anything other than low-impact compound movements. Don't attempt to run or do dynamic movements (eg., swinging kettlebells around). Focus on your weight loss first (via diet) and as you lose weight, you will be able to do more.
- Don't worry about people staring at you or judging you. Nobody at the gym started off looking like a gym bunny - if they look like one now, it's because they put in the effort ... and they may well have started where you are now. They might not say so, but they're probably rooting for you.
Going to the gym is not about "burning calories" to offset what you're eating. It's about getting stronger and fitter, which is very fulfilling in itself. And you'll see the results in the mirror, too!
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TheAwfulToad
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This seems to consolidate all the stuff I have read in the last couple of years. I hate gyms so have put a few bits of exercise machines in my garage. I always hated exercise but have now realised at 53 that it makes me feel good improves my mood clears my mind. I love to do yoga and exercise bike, will do some exercise dvds Shaun t. I used to do weights but got out of the habit, I think I will give it a go today and I will try the intense burst training hiit training being looking at joe wicks stuff on YouTube. Have lost 2 stone want to lose more but now have a healthy bmi, I want this to be part of the rest of my life so I can get old disgracefully lol 😂 I have lost the weight by reducing what I eat exercise helps burn calories but more importantly helps me feel great
So thanks you have given my some motivation to do a bit more
This is a brilliant post ThwAwfulToad, thank you. I haven’t a clue where to start when it comes to exercise. A couple of years ago, my size 8 daughter decided she wanted to get healthy so talked me into joining a gym with her. Where I live there’s a council run program that allows access to their facilities for a rolling monthly fee which can be cancelled at any time. I am morbidly obese and have battled with my weight for years. We had instruction on all the equipment but was then left to our own devices.
I felt so self conscious there. I walked on the treadmill using a steady incline with my daughter fiddling with the buttons trying to make me go faster. That panicked me as I’m terrified of whizzing off the back of it. To my left there was a man pounding away on the treadmill and to my right my petite daughter in her skimpy shorts with the red faced dumpling of me in the middle. I wanted to die.
Leg weights were not an issue. I’m on my feet all day in work so had no problems using the weight machines. My arms were a complete different issue. I couldn’t even lift the weights despite being on the lowest setting. I later found out my seat was too low.
There was a pec dec machine. I could pull it inwards but it sprang back. After a few attempts I gave up.
In the end I cancelled the membership.
Currently I do a beginners walking HIIT routine at home on alternate days with dumbbells to tone up my arms on the other days.
I’d dearly love to go to the gym again once I’ve lost some weight but don’t have funds for a personal trainer. I wouldn’t have a clue what weights to even try doing.
I had a similar experience at the local authority Gym, virtually non-existent advice regarding machines, and everyone looking very fit 😩. Years ago I was a member of a private gym with a fab PT who said he loved people like me because he could make a real difference to their lives, his words have stayed with me, fit people wouldn’t be half as rewarding 😊
Maybe once I’ve lost some weight so I don’t keel over and die, I will research private gyms that are within easy access to me. My nearest gym is council run x
The hassle of getting there puts me off too😕 I do a short workout at home. Have you seen Lesley Sansome? Walking for fitness videos on YouTube, they’re very good
No I haven’t. I shall hunt her out. I’m currently doing a Jessica Smith Walking HIIT one from YouTube. I cannot master the legs apart to knee raises routine. She looks so graceful but my arms and legs are all over the place. I’ve always done my thud thud clap exercises at home sometimes with the occasional kick Basil thrown in for good measure. He just follows me up and down my living room. Luckily Bertie stays out of hams way x
LOL. Sorry, I couldn't help smiling at that mental image. Seriously, though, nobody in the gym is going to mock you for being there. As various famous people have said: 80% of success is just turning up, and they'll all be thinking, "good on you for turning up".
Personally, I can't work out at home. Apart from anything else, home-use equipment is just appalling quality. Professional kit is a pleasure to use. When there are people around you looking ultra-fit, just think to yourself: "that'll be me in a few years time". There's absolutely no reason why it couldn't be.
It's really a pity people are just left to their own devices. This is especially true of the council gyms. We sell a lot of kit to local authorities, and all of the buyers are rotund 50-something guys who wouldn't know one end of a dumbbell from the other (yes, I know both ends look the same, so maybe that's not the best analogy, but you know what I mean). Anyway, the point is, all they're interested in is whether our kit has Internet connectivity, or 100 channels of cable TV, or whether it will communicate with your Apple Watch. They don't care in the slightest whether it will help people get fit and healthy. I only do this job part-time; it'd be too depressing to have to think about the next pointless gee-whiz innovation 9-to-5.
I've added a hint about technique in my original post. You don't need a personal trainer - there's a load of great stuff on YouTube, and it's not nearly as complicated as the professionals make out. Like most experts (including myself ), their job is to make it all sound very mysterious so you'll stump up 40 quid an hour. It isn't. In fact it sounds like you're on the right track already.
Having run for my school, and cycled the Paris-Brest-Paris (760 miles in 90 hours)I think I have a fairly good grasp of exercise physiology.
I don't think there is a gym within ten miles of here.
I think, if my life depended on it, I could walk 5km in an hour.
It is not "totally flat" here, so I can do a bit of HIIT by walking fast up hills (when I feel up to it).
I am 70, and I was disabled for five years - so I am careful not to over-do exercise, and I want to keep fit, and not try to push myself to get athletic.
I do one or two body-weight exercises, e.g. the plank, and some stretches.
I have about 80Kg of lean mass - and I think that is enough?
I agree that significantly overweight people should not try to run... but gentle walking is a great deal better than no exercise?
I use the HRV (Heart Rate Variability) function of my Apple Watch and HRV4Training to tell me when I over-train.
My 2m tall 84-year-old friend who broke his pelvis a few weeks ago said he was a bit stiff today... having walked up and down his (20m) drive ten times yesterday... horses for courses?
I was just suggesting that people who aren't ready for it shouldn't push themselves too hard, because the most likely outcome is injury.
My post was mainly addressed to people who have been prescribed exercise by the doctor (and just left to get on with it) or who are exercising because they think they have to in order to lose weight. If people don't know the basics, they won't see any improvement and they'll get disillusioned.
If you are significantly overweight, don't try to do anything other than low-impact compound movements. Don't attempt to run or do dynamic movements (eg., swinging kettlebells around).
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), their job is to make it all sound very mysterious so you'll stump up 40 quid an hour. It isn't. In fact it sounds like you're on the right track already.
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