The most important thing you need to keep in mind is that no one in the gym cares about what you look like, how much you weight, and what exercises you perform.
Having said that, a gym is a common area, so it pays to be considerate. While exercising, observe the room. See how people wait for machines to be ready, how they behave, etc. Look for signs that talk about rules (for example, some gyms limit cardio machine usage ). If you're unsure about something, ask. Unless they're in the middle of their workout, most people are more than happy to help. The gym staff are there to help, so always feel free to ask them as well.
Weights: if you're weightlifting, you're going to rest between sets. If the gym is busy, it is good form to share: other people can use the machines/devices/weights while you're resting between sets. Racks (squat, bench) get busy and sharing helps everyone move more quickly. Quick note: if you're sharing equipment/machines, and you're listening to music, male sure you take your headphones/earphones off so you can communicate. You need to hear your buddy. This is especially important if you're ever spotting someone.
If you're using a bench or a seat, it's good form to place a towel where you might sweat on it, and wipe it down after you're done. Before grabbing weights from a machine/bar, check to see if someone is still using them (asking won't harm). Always return your weights to the weight rack. Don't be the disruptive asshole (grunting loudly, dropping weights). If you're unsure about something, or need help with an exercise, ask other people who are not actually working out. The big buff guys are probably the nicest as they usually remember what it was like being a beginner.
Some seasoned lifters in here pointed out that dropping weights and grunting are part of the workout. That's very true, but doesn't mean you get to be an asshole about it. Is there rubber on the floor? Is there a deadlift area? Are you grunting in effort or to show off? Again, it's really about being considerate.
Cardio: observe the time limit if there are people waiting, and wipe your sweat off when you're done.
Studio use: return everything you use in there. Turn off the lights if necessary. Don't drop weights on the wooden floor.
Body weight area: make sure there isn't a class or someone else using the equipment. If it's an individual, ask if sharing is ok. If it's a class, either join in/sign up, or wait for it to finish.
Group classes: these usually need you sign up early, and your membership needs to include them. Always put your equipment away after the class is done, or wipe your sweat puddle. Think of people using the gym after you.
What you would find at the gym
The reception: almost without fail, there will be a desk at the front where someone will greet you and check that you're a member before letting you in. The people at the front desk are sometimes also trained as sales people, so they might try to sell you stuff, but once you're a member, they're there to help you out.
Free weights: this will be one of the the most common items you'll find in gyms. The most basic weight option will probably be a rack of dumbbells, but you'll also see free weights, Olympic barbells, benches, racks, and all sorts of muscular individuals hauling these weights around. The variety and scale of equipment depends on the clientele, with some gyms having a much bigger area dedicated to weightlifting.
Resistance machines: these vary greatly in variety and function. Most will have some sort of weight selection, and they will mostly focus on one muscle or muscle group in the workout. While not very popular in r/Fitness, they do serve a function and are sometimes necessary (for example, they're good for back exercises). Some of them will have cables, some will have complex levers, and almost all will have a small guide on how to adjust the machine, how to use it, and which muscles it targets.
Cardio equipment: these are typically treadmills, elliptical machines, stationary bikes, rowing machines, and other devices that allow you to perform cardiovascular exercises without changing your location. They'll more often than not be seen in rows, usually opposite the windows or mirrors. As their name suggests, they help get your heart-rate up. They're probably the easiest to use, as you probably can run or cycle.
Body-weight and suspension area: better equipped gyms might also have an area that seems somewhat emptier and allows for more freedom of movement, but might have a device like this suspension rack, and might have the big bouncy balls, or thick ropes attached to racks. These areas are designed for body-weight exercises, and will often attract personal trainers or even small group classes in "bootcamp" format.
Studios: a studio is an area that is somewhat separated from the rest of the gym, usually by glass walls and doors, usually has mirrors on one side, and will sometimes have a stage. Studios are used for things like yoga classes, group exercise classes, etc. You might find yoga mats or exercise balls in there. Some are specialized: they might cycling studios or Pilates studios. Studios are usually open to members if there isn't an active class, and they're good for stretching or warming up/cooling down.
Specialized equipment: some gyms have climbing walls, swimming pools, etc. It's worth asking about these if anything interests you.
Group exercise classes: many gyms offer these classes (Les Mills, Spinning, yoga, Pilates, etc.). These are sometimes part of your membership, and are sometimes extra. You should check with your gym on if they have them and how you can sign up.
Gender-specific areas: other than the obvious ones (showers and bathroom) some gyms might have female-only areas: could be a class, could be a studio, could be a certain time in the week. If you're female and would a "safer" environment, you can always ask about these
Showers & sauna: most gyms will have lockers, changing rooms, showers, and some will have hair dryers, ironing boards, saunas, steam rooms, jacuzzis, etc. These are not important to everyone, but a shower might be worth confirming if you're planning on showering after a workout. Many gyms will also offer towels (a small one to carry around and a big one to dry yourself after showering).
Personal trainers: as the name suggests, these individuals dedicate their time to just you in the gym! PT sessions are usually an hour to 90-minutes each, and are designed to help you focus and get better results. PTs are not for everyone. First, they're expensive. Second, they need you to agree on a predefined time and place to exercise. Third, you might not need them if you've been doing this for a while. However, they can be good if you're an absolute noob and prefer someone to handhold you for the first month or so. PT sessions are sold by the # of sessions, and can used over a specific period. Check with your gym on what options they may have.
Chillout area: some of the nicer gyms will have a lounge area, with coffee, a juice bar, etc. available to the members. This isn't really related to exercise, but having an area like that makes a gym more appealing to some.
Cool, sound like fun! Where do I start?
First, find a convenient gym. I highly suggest a place that is either near work or near home; anything too far will lead to excuses for not going. You also need to make sure your gym has the equipment/timing/price that's good for you. Google is your friend (and I guess Yelp). Once you have one or two options, head down before the day you intend to start working out. Walk up to the reception and ask them for a tour of the facilities, and about their pricing options. I suggest you go the gym around the time you intend to work out, to see how busy it is. Don't forget to see the showers and lockers. Before signing up for a long-term contract, see if you can get a test run (some will give you a 3 day trial, some have one-month options). A one-month option helps you see if a gym is really for you (some people will always prefer to run/cycle/swim outdoors). If there are several gyms that are convenient location-wise, I suggest you see them all before signing any commitments.
A small note: while in general gyms and gym-goers are welcoming, some gym environments could be toxic (judgmental, show-offy, superficial). Don't be discouraged! That's why I suggest trying a gym out for a month, to make sure the environment is positive and supportive. You need to find a place that you'll be happy going to.
Second, once you've settled on the gym, get ready on the day you want to go. Wear some comfortable clothes and shoes, pack a change of clothes (if you need to change), a bottle of water, and head to the gym (I wouldn't initially worry about things like gloves or wraps; you won't need those for a while). At the reception, check in and ask for a towel (if the gym provides it), and ask for help for whatever you're trying to do: if it's weights, ask them for help with the weight area, cardio, ask for help with the machines, etc. The staff should be able to orient you and give you the basics of the gym. Ask about any special rules (use of chalk, grunting, music, etc., some have funny rules). At this point you should follow whatever program you've researched before. Remember, this is not a working out guide!
Third: shower and change, and congrats! day one is done! Keep in mind that a gym is not the cleanest of environments, so make sure you also wash your bottle, etc.
- Just because your numbers are going up doesn't mean you're doing the exercise right. I remember hitting plenty of milestones in regards to benching, squatting, and deadlifting. However, I would later find out little things I was doing wrong that could have led to injury. Fixing these minor tweaks made the exercises much harder, but I felt much stronger and safer because of them.
- Mobility work is extremely important. After a couple years of lifting, I was at the top of the world. I was bigger, stronger, had more confidence, etc. However, I didn't realize how tight I was, and how that was restricting much of what I did in the weight room and in my life. If you don't know much about mobility, do some research. Thoracic spine mobility, shoulder mobility, hip mobility, ankle mobility, the list goes on and on. Look up people like Kelly Starrett, Eric Cressey, Matthew Ibraham, and others. They all have YouTube channels and their attention to detail in regards to range of motion, stability, and mobility are some of the most useful and eye-opening pieces of information you can find.
- Never underestimate the power of warming up. I see a lot of people walk into the gym, do a couple of shoulder circles, then jump into their workout. I used to do the same thing. However, once I started adding in dynamic warmups and prehab/mobility exercises before lifting, I noticed a world's difference. Consider the exercises you'll be doing that day and work on those areas before you hit the weights.
- Compound movements really do trump all. This was a hard lesson for me to learn. I used to do the typical back/biceps, chest/triceps, shoulders/traps, legs split (which, depending on your goals, isn't necessarily a bad thing). However, once I switched over to Push/Pull/Leg splits, I really noticed a change in my body. Cut down the isolation work. Focus on exercises that will truly challenge your strength, stability, and coordination. Pull ups, chin ups, bent over rows, squats, deadlifts, RDLs, overhead presses, bench/incline bench, pushups, dips, cleans, snatches, etc. Those are the exercises that should make up the majority of your workouts. Find ways to make them harder if you've already mastered them. Not only will your strength increase, but you'll look even better.
- The best core work you can do (in terms of both safety and results) doesn't involve crunches and russian twists Just hear me out on this one. I used to do the usual ab exercises -- sit ups, crunches, leg raises, russian twists, side bends, etc. While these will all work your abs, they do little to nothing to help your overall core stability. Start using movements that will help you in your other lifts (and they will strengthen and grow your abs as well). These movements refer to anti-extension/flexion, anti-rotation, rotational movements, etc. I've been doing these exercises for my core and have noticed my other lifts improve because of them (in addition to being extremely sore the next day): Hanging leg raises, Pallof presses, landmine rotations, woodchops, planks on a stability ball, rollouts (wheel or stability ball), dead bugs, bird dogs, back extensions, dragonfly's, rotational throws, plank slides with gliders, side planks, farmer carries, overhead carries, L sits, etc. A lot of these can be done on one knee or can be made harder by taking away an arm or leg. Basically, any exercise that challenges your body's ability to stay stable has a profound effect on your overall strength and still give you that ab soreness that so many people desire (even though that's not what we're after..but you know what I'm saying). Another note on this: people tend to think of the "core" as just your abs. But your core is actually all of the structures that support your trunk and limbs. This includes your abdominals, obliques, shoulder joints, hip joints, lower back muscles, etc. By strengthening these areas, you improve your trunk rigidity. When your trunk rigidity increases, it allows more freedom of movement from your limbs. All proximal tightness will improve distal ROM.
- Kettlebells are AWESOME I avoided kettlebells for a very long time up until these past few years. Talk about a game-changer. Kettlebells allow you to do some crazy movements that'll challenge your body in ways that you didn't think possible. Kettlebell swings are towards the top of my list. Not only are they great for glute strength/power, but it has a carryover effect for teaching proper hip hinge mechanics, and is a great tool to add in for high intensity conditioning. Turkish get ups, windmills, clean and presses, one-armed presses, goblet squats (great for beginners), and many other exercises challenge you in a unique way. If you haven't tried training with kettlebells, I recommend you start now.
- Cardio really, really, really does not have to be a drag I know a lot of people have recently moved away from the long duration treadmill, elliptical, stair-stepper, and biking trend that has dominated the fitness culture for so long. But a lot of people still limit themselves to just that. Circuits and HIIT are truly superior if you want to add in cardio work. Not only is it faster, but it's way less boring and much more fun and effective. Some ideas of exercises to use for your conditioning: PROWLER PUSHES, kettlebell swings, rower intervals, ball slams (both front and side to side), plyometric work, speed ladders, tire flips, mountain climbers, box jumps, sprints, battle ropes, jump ropes, sled pulls (with a rope, working primarily your back), etc. These will not only leave you gassed but also work your entire body instead of just your legs. The possibilities are endless.
- Writing out, or following, a detailed workout program will get you to that next level I can't tell you how many of my workouts in years past consisted of me walking into the gym and meandering from exercise to exercise. Sure I walked out with a nice pump, but how did I know I actually made any progress. When I follow a pre-written routine, I go into the gym on a mission. I know what I'm going to do, how many times, and how much weight I'll use. This really drills discipline into you. Some days you come in feeling sluggish, but if you have a routine set up, you know that you must finish what you wrote down. Otherwise, you'd probably cut your workout short. Having a specific goal changes your mindset completely. Tracking your progress keeps you honest and prepared. Looking back on your numbers and seeing them increase is an awesome feeling. Look into programs like 5/3/1, starting strength, PHAT, just to name a few. Or, if you feel competent enough, write up your own. Take progress pictures. Track your numbers. It is essential for success.
- Learn your damn anatomy. A lot of things really started clicking for me once I began studying anatomy and physiology. Although it may be boring, once you learn about where each bone is, where your muscles originate and insert, how the contraction process takes place, etc. then you will start viewing lifting in a whole new light. Biomechanics is a big one too. These things can change how you lift and help you pay more attention to your technique. For instance, you know you need to keep your elbows back to target your triceps during dips, but do you know WHY? Did you know that your pec actually inserts onto your humerus (arm bone) therefore when you keep your arms close you're essentially taking the pec out of [majority of] the movement? Not only will this help you, but it will help if someone ever needs advice or has any "why" questions. Do your muscles flex? Well, no they don't. Your joints flex and extend. Your muscles contract and relax. Find out the function of each muscle, what muscles contribute to elbow/shoulder/hip/knee extension and flexion, and you'll learn a lot of new things. Look up websites like getbodysmart.com which have great illustrations of muscle function and placement.
- Nutrition and sleep really are as important as people make them out to be. I know, I know. Everyone has heard this by now. But I had to mention it. Just google the benefits of sleep if you don't know them, but they are substantial. Nutrition..well, I could write an entire essay on that subject alone but you must, and I mean MUST make this a priority over everything else. If you have your nutrition on point, everything else will come with relative ease. Don't undermine its importance.
