How To Appear "Pro" In Your First Day In The Gym

It has been 6 months since I enrolled myself in a gym. The objective was really to lose the extra pounds, having gained so much after a 6-month hiatus since I got off the cruise ship. It was my first time to enroll in a gym as a member but it wasn't my first time to get inside a gym. My first time was aboard the cruise ship where I used to work as a Medi-Spa physician. The gym was after all just a floor down my clinic. So after clinic hours, I would head to the gym and do some running and weights.

For a newbie, stepping inside a gym can be intimidating. The numerous machines can be very confusing. Here are some few tips on how to appear "pro" inside the gym.

Know Your Goal First.

It is important to know what your motivations why you enrolled in a gym in the first place. In this way, you don't have to frustrate yourself with unrealistic goals. My motivation was simply to lose weight and tone some muscles a bit.

Start simple.

You don't need to use all of the machines. All you need is just a simple work out plan. Make sure that you do a "warm up" and a "cool down" whenever you do your workout.

Look the part.

Make sure you have the right gear and attire when you head for the gym. A pair of shorts and sleeveless shirt usually would do the trick. Don't forget to bring a face towel as well. Some gyms are equipped with shower rooms. You can bring your personal towel, slippers and undies inside a backpack. You can leave them in the lockers provided which are usually located inside the shower rooms.

Start with familiar activities.

You can start your workout on a treadmill which is also the most familiar machine you can find in the gym. I would usually do a 10-minute run on the treadmill. Sometimes I would do a 5-km run on the treadmill if I have time.

From the treadmill, you can then hop from one machine to the other. You can start with arm machines, working on the biceps and triceps. Remember that muscles burn fat faster. You can do 3 sets of 15 counts doing bicep curls and then 3 sets of 15 counts doing triceps as well.

From the arm machines, you can work on your chest using the pectoral machines or the chest press. After adjusting the weights, you can do 3 sets of 20 counts.

You can then work on your upper back muscles using the Lat Machine. Lat is short for latissimus dorsi, which refers to that large back muscle. Again, 3 sets of 20 counts on the lat machine would suffice. You can repeat another 3 sets of it as well or change grips so you can also work on the deltoids and even the upper arm muscles.

Of course, don't forget the lower extremities too. There are equipments such as Leg Curls and Leg Press that can help you work on your quadriceps femoris, the huge group of muscles of the upper thighs. Again, 3 sets of 15-20 counts can do the trick.

If you are not into running, you can do the alternative activity such as cycling. There are bicycles available in a gym and you can either do cycling alone or join the spin class if your gym is providing this group activity.

Some gyms would provide areas for stretching. Here you can grab a mat and do your sit-ups. Or you can use some abdominal crunch machines that can help you target the abdominal muscles.

Personal trainers can be very expensive so unless you have enough dough to spend then you can do your workouts all by yourself. You can start simple and once you get the hang of it, you can accelerate your workout program by either increasing the weights, or the number of sets or even progressing to other equipment available in the gym. Of course, having a personal trainer can help you check whether or not you are doing the exercise properly. It is really something which you need to decide later on.

So for the last 6 months, I was able to lose 20 pounds at least although some of my workouts have been irregular since I would spend time traveling and on the road. It takes commitment really if you want to enroll in a gym.



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