Getting started in the gym is one of those things that many people put on their New Year’s resolution list. However, many people don’t get to go and others give up in less than a month because they don’t know how to start in the gym. However, there are many reasons why this happens. Not having set goals, lack of motivation or an inappropriate routine are some of them. So how do you start in the gym?
Next we are going to give you some tips to start going to the gym.
7 tips for going to the gym
Find a motivation
Let’s face it: if you’re not motivated, you won’t go. That’s why the first thing is to find something that makes you want to play sports. In general, this is equivalent to setting well-defined objectives. They can be losing weight, toning muscles, increasing flexibility or breathing capacity, there are many possibilities. You decide what you want to achieve.
Of course, you have to set realistic goals. You cannot pretend to lose ten kilos in a month when you know that you are not going to achieve it in a healthy way. The only thing you would do is demotivate yourself when you see that you do not succeed.
Choose a gym and the right equipment
The second thing to do after wondering how to start training in the gym is to choose a gym that meets your expectations. For this you have to consider the quality of the professionals, the level of hygiene and the facilities. Also, keep in mind the location of the center. If it is too far or inaccessible it is easier to stop going, especially if you want to exercise early in the morning.
The next thing is to get basic equipment that fulfills its function, and the most basic are good shoes and sportswear. Remember that the latter must be breathable. You can include many other accessories, such as those that help you control the intensity of the exercise. However, it is perfectly valid to start with what is strictly necessary and acquire new items as you go.
Do not demand more than necessary
Many believe when wondering how to start in the gym that it is best to start by going every day, however, sometimes we want to get things done too fast. For this reason, this is not highly recommended when you play sports, since it can lead to avoidable injuries. Keep in mind that the first thing is to learn the basic techniques. If you don’t know how to do the movements well, they won’t give the expected result and you can also hurt yourself.
Prepare your things the day before
Procrastination is one of the big problems when starting to exercise. The “I start tomorrow” is getting longer and never comes. Therefore, if you are going to go in the morning, leave things prepared the day before. This way it is more difficult for laziness to overcome you and you will feel somewhat more obligated.
Have the help of a coach
The best thing you can do when you start going to the gym is to have a trainer. Perhaps it is the best advice for the first day at the gym, since he will explain how to do the movements and will control that you do not make gestures that could be harmful to you. Likewise, he will watch that you do not involve muscles that you should not so as not to distract attention from the muscle group that you do want to work.
Also, at first it is difficult to know how to start a routine in the gym or what routines are going to work for you to meet your goals. Obviously, the exercises will not be the same for a person who wants to treat back pain as for someone who wants to score abs. That is why we recommend that you talk to your trainer so that he can make you a personalized routine.
He will explain how to start in the gym to lose weight, tone up or whatever you want.
Beware of injuries
We already said that you have to be careful to avoid injuries when you exercise. In fact, it is a precaution that you have to exercise at the beginning, when you are still not 100% sure that you are doing the movements correctly.
To prevent the best thing, you can do is warm up before starting the main part of the routine and stretch afterwards. This will ensure that your muscles are prepared. In any case, don’t worry too much about this point if you have a trainer, because he himself will mark it for you in your exercise table.
Go writing down your progress
This is advice that not only applies to the first day, but you can always use it. We already said that it is essential to find a motivation to start going to the gym. However, it’s easy to lose it if you don’t notice the progress.
That is why it is completely necessary that you become aware of what you are achieving thanks to exercise. The advances can be of any kind: more marked muscles, kilos lost, more energy, greater resistance… There are many changes that you will notice in your body and looking at them is your main motivation to continue.
You have already seen how to start in the gym. These are basic tips that you can apply easily. Of course, the main one is the following: do not leave for tomorrow what you can do today. Prepare your shoes and your sports bag and start as soon as possible. Start with simple and not too demanding routines and work your way up little by little. The results will not take long to be noticed.
Routine to start in the gym
Despite the fact that you comply with the advice that we have mentioned above, it is still possible that you still have a hard time going to the gym. For this reason, we propose a routine to start in the gym that we hope will make things easier for you. This routine consists of 5 exercises, which are easy to do and are not heavy.
Run, bike or row
To start a little cardio never feels bad, and it is the best option to warm up and start the routine. No matter what you do, you can get on a treadmill and start jogging, or start pedaling on a spin bike or rowing on the rowing machine. This exercise will simply be to warm up the muscles and prevent any injury. Think that if you don’t go to the gym there are muscles that don’t get stronger or that it just costs more to exercise, and if we start using them and push them to the limit it is very likely that we will injure ourselves.
Do cardio for 15 – 20 minutes.
Squats
This exercise consists of sitting on the air, that is, positioning yourself as if you were sitting but without a chair, then and without allowing time to elapse, stand up again.
The good thing about doing squats is that you can increase their complexity. To do this, you simply have to add more weight by taking a fit ball or doing them in a multiport.
Do 3 sets of 10 squats with weights.
Pull-ups
This exercise cannot fail in your routine to start in the gym. It is so important since doing so exercises many muscles. However, if you are not used to it, the first few days it will be hellish, but when you see that every day you can do more and more pull-ups you will love it.
To get started, simply do 3 sets of 5 pull-ups each. If you see that you can do them calmly, increase the number of repetitions, on the contrary, if you see that you cannot, reduce it. The important thing is that you start with the right pull-ups so that you don’t find it hateful and gradually increase the number of pull-ups.
Bench-press
When you ask us what routine to start with in the gym, one of the classic exercises that personal trainers tend to like is the bench press. With this exercise you will work the upper part of the body, such as the serratus, triceps, pectoralis, the anterior deltoid and the coracobrachialis.
To carry out this exercise you must put on the weight that you see fit on the bar. Once this is done, lie down on a flat bench with your feet touching the floor. Take the bar that you previously loaded and secured. Arms should be bent so that elbows form a 90-degree angle. Take a deep breath and lift the weight as you exhale. Lower the bar until it almost touches your chest, take a breath and raise it again. Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
Lateral raises with dumbbells
To do this exercise you will simply need to take a pair of dumbbells of the weight that you see fit. Stand up, and extend your arms without bending them to the sides, so that they are aligned horizontally. With this exercise you will be able to tone the trapezius and the middle deltoids. Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
End this routine to start in the gym doing some stretching and thus avoid soreness the next day.
