New at the Gym?

New at the Gym?

 

 

Some of you may have already given up on your new years resolution to go to the gym more, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop altogether. A big factor in people not going is the fact they’re unsure what to do, as it can be quite intimidating to walk into a big gym full of people who all seem to know exactly what they’re doing! Here’s some tips to help you beat that gym anxiety!

 

Prepare!

Before you go, make sure you’ve eaten enough during the day and have drunk plenty of water. There’s no point starving yourself on a low cal diet, as you need the energy to train and sculpt your body to be how you want it. You should be drinking a good few litres everyday to keep your head and skin clear, as well as making sure everything internally is working properly.

 

Outfit?

I always find that the more I like my outfit, the better I train. Its true when they say the better you look the better you feel! If you’re going to be weight training opt for flat based shoes such as vans or converse, as it will help with your balance and stop you wobbling all over the place. For cardio, make sure you’re using shoes with plenty of support and padding to help protect your joints! I also find that a good quality pair of leggings that are squat proof and fit right, and a supportive sports bra that matches my outfit make the world of difference. Good places to get gym outfits are Gymshark, Alphalete, Merakilo, Nike, Primark and My Protein!

 

Music

A banging playlist helps to get me through those early morning sessions, or the late-night ones when ive had a long and tiring day; It can really make a difference and upbeat songs definitely encourage you to keep your energy up throughout. There are plenty of playlists available on spotify specifically designed for workouts, however I usually opt for a homemade one with all my favourites on! It is also a big help to invest in some wireless earphones or headphones, as it can get very annoying to constantly be getting tangles up in the wires.

 

Training Split

Although full body sessions are effective for some people, most prefer to focus on different body parts on different days so they can really push themselves to their limits. Your split will depend on how many times a week you’re going, and what your goals are; for example, I train for hypertrophy 5 times a week so my usual split would be 2 leg days a week, 1 chest/back and 1 shoulders/tris/bis, then on the extra day I’ll do whatever I feel needs the most attention.

 

Don’t be shy!

Once you get to the gym, don’t be afraid to use whatever equipment you need to. Many people (girls in particular) stick to cardio machines as theyre too scared to venture into the free weights area. Once you realise that nobody actually cares about what you’re doing and that nobody is watching/judging you (harsh but true) it becomes a lot easier, you just need to learn to not give a shit! In majority of gyms there will be PT’s and staff members wondering about all the time, and they’re literally there to help you. If you’re unsure of how to use something or the correct form for an exercise, don’t be scared to grab one of them and ask for their help. If you’re really not sure, book in for a training session with one of them and they’ll guide you through everything step by step.

 

Stuck for ideas?

The internet is FULL to the brim of instructional videos, example workout plans, guides and all sorts of other free information for you to do your research on. All it takes is a quick search on google or Instagram and youll have more help than youll know what to do with! A good rule of thumb is for every session, pick 2-3 big compound movements that you can push yourself to go as heavy as you can with good form, then 3-5 smaller accessory movement s to really fatigue the muscle and get the blood pumping. For example, my staple leg day would consist of heavy squats, hip thrusts and leg press, followed by Romanian deadlifts, good mornings, leg extensions and hamstring curls to really burn out the muscles!