do you lack confidence in the gym?
We have all been there, even me. It can feel so alien at first, you know you want to make a change but you have absolutely no idea how to do it or where to start.
The first gym I ever trained at was the school gym in the small town I come from, It had a small selection of machines, some dumbbells, cardio equipment and an abs area.
The machines just looked alien to me, how do I use them? What do they do? How many reps should I do? The dumbbells were the same, what do I do with them? There were some other people in the gym who looked like they knew what they were doing. So to avoid looking like an idiot, I ran straight to the cardio section, the recumbent bike of all things. Simple and I knew how to use it, I followed this up with a 30-minute abs session which was basically the same as what I had been doing at home previously.
The days and weeks went by and my confidence had grown, I had figured out a routine and almost felt like I was beginning to nail this gym thing. I had even started using protein shakes, it was only a matter of time until I got the results I desired.
Then one day a friend of mine, Dave, had offered to take me into the gym he trained at, The Body Academy gym in Perth. When I first walked through the doors of that gym with him, all of a sudden I was back at the start. This gym was full of guys who looked huge, throwing about weights I’d never seen anyone moving before, using machines I’d never seen before.
Any confidence I had built was now gone. I had to restart, build confidence in a new gym, find out how the machines worked, I even had to up my game strength-wise otherwise what would all these bodybuilders and powerlifters think of me, did I even have a right to train there at my level?
Luckily, I had Dave to show me the ropes. We went straight into a workout where we did each did 100 reps of 100kg of squats. I was thrown in at the deep end for sure, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me. From that very day my confidence, my knowledge and my strength just grew and grew.
The reason I’m telling you this story is to let you know that I’ve been where you are. I know how it feels, but also to let you know of my experiences and how I conquered my lack of confidence so that you can do the same.
my 5 tips for increasing your confidence in the gym…
take a friend
Even if neither of you knows where to start, two heads are better than one. Having a friend by your side is a great way to feel like less of an outsider in a new environment and also spend some time bonding with them.
have a plan
I wouldn’t recommend most experienced gym-goers go into the gym without a plan however as a newbie this is even more important. Having a plan in place going to make you look like you know what you’re doing and make sure you have a productive workout. If you would like a free workout plan to get you started, feel free to get in touch with me via any of my socials.
pick an independent gym
In my experience independent gym’s often have a great sense of community in comparison to big chain gyms. The Body Academy is a great example of this, instead of laughing at people or filming them for social media the people of these gyms tend to want to help newbies and help them reach their goals. We all started somewhere, and without the help of others none of us would be where we are today.
be rational
What’s actually the worst that can happen? You make a mistake?… So what! We all make mistakes, in fact, I’ve made plenty of them. Every mistake is another chance to learn, if you find you're not getting something right then come back and try again. Forget about everyone else, focus on you and just doing better than you did last time.
hire a personal trainer
I won’t tell you that you can’t figure it all out for yourself, because you can, it will just take longer. However, if it’s a viable option for you then hiring a trainer will put you miles ahead in terms of progress. You are getting years worth of experience and knowledge from someone who has been where you are and done what you want to do. A few months of personal training will leave you with a plan in place, a structure to follow and the knowledge you need for the rest of you life in the gym.