** This post contains affiliate links or links to my own products. If you choose to purchase via these links, I will earn a small amount of commission which will be at no extra cost to yourself. Purchasing via these links supports me and my work and I’m grateful for any commission I get. While I recommend these products, they are items that I love but may not work for you.
Starting the gym as a beginner can be daunting. There’s so much equipment and terminology and it can be overwhelming. Despite this, there are so many benefits to starting the gym so hopefully this post will give you the confidence to tackle the gym and progress even as a beginner!
Gym terminology
There is a LOT of gym jargon and it can be a lot to get your head around but these are the basic terms it would be useful to know.
Reps/repetitions – performing the exercise once. For example, 1 squat
Sets – how many reps you perform before taking a break. For example 10 squats then a break. It’s most common to do 3-5 sets of each exercise.
Barbell – the long pole that you add the plates to. These are often 15-20kg so keep that in mind when starting out as you may not need to add extra weight.
Dumbbell – the shorter weights that are often on a rack/shelf
Split – what workouts you do per week. For example a 4 days split may be: Day 1 – back and biceps, day 2 – glutes and hamstrings, day 3 – chest, shoulders and triceps, day 4 – quads and glutes. Splits are not the same for everyone and differ based on your goal.
Dynamic stretches – stretches that you don’t hold to warm your limbs up. For example, a dynamic stretch before squats would be leg swings.
Hypertrophy – exercising to increase the size of your muscles, often accomplished by higher reps and lower weights.
Bulking – eating in a calorie surplus (eating more calories than you burn) in order to build and gain muscle.
Cutting – eating in a calorie deficit (eating less calories than you burn) in order to lose body fat.
Body recomposition – eating at maintenance (amount of calories needed to maintain your body weight) or in a slight deficit, but keeping protein high in order to lose fat but gain muscle at the same time. Results often take longer.
To determine how many calories you burn in a day, search a TDEE calculator online.
How do I start working out?
When I first started the gym I was so scared and I would only walk on the treadmill or force myself into a corner with minimal equipment.
In all honesty, it’s all about the mindset. If you want to work out at the gym, then work out at the gym! The first time I walked into the weights section I was so scared but as soon as I was there, it was easy.
It’s so important to remember that everyone was a beginner at one point. No one’s judging you – they’re not even watching you. Everyone’s there to do their own thing and focus on themselves. Even now, I have days where I’m self conscious or confused about a new exercise I need to try but it’s all a learning curve.
If you do find yourself struggling with an exercise, you can always approach someone there or a personal trainer and just ask for advice. The people who go to the gym are often so friendly and they won’t make you feel silly and as for the personal trainers – it’s their job! They’re more than happy to help people, epically beginners!
Sometimes, gyms can offer inductions for beginners, if yours does, go along and ask some questions so you feel more prepared when you start your gym journey.
You may also find yourself not knowing what to do in the gym and that’s totally normal as a beginner to! Personally, I watched TikTok’s for inspiration or used an app that had pre-made programmes on. These often show you how to perform the exercise too which is helpful!
How do I keep motivated to working out as a beginner
Often to start with, beginners have so much motivation for the gym, but motivation doesn’t last forever and that’s why those who go to the gym regularly, says it’s more about discipline. Sometimes you’re not going to feel like going nothing will motivate you and it’s those sessions that are most important as they’re the ones that will prove you won’t just quit.
However, there are some things I like to do to motivate myself. Sometimes, I switch up my workout to add some variety, when following a programme it can get boring so switch it up for a session to make it more appealing. You could also buy yourself a new outfit – I love the gym wear from Oner Active especially. I’ll also compile a playlist of all my favourite upbeat songs. This consists mostly of Taylor swift and Maisie peters and it really gets me in the mood to workout!
What’s a programme and how should I follow one?
Programmes are set workouts that you follow for 4-12 weeks. For example, you’ll have a split and you do those same workouts for a few weeks. I tend to create a new split every 4 weeks to keep it fresh but this is completely up to you and your goals.
As a beginner, I would recommend an app that will create you a gym programme just so you can understand what a plan looks like. Just doing this for 1-2 months should help a lot.
The purpose of following a plan is so you can track your progress and improve your strength in certain exercises. Being able to track progress other than weight can also be motivating as a gym beginner.
You may have heard of the term “newbie gains” this is the idea that new gym-goers often see some fast progress when they start – especially in strength so use this to help motivate you for those first few weeks and maximise the ability to see this by following a programme.
Important things to remember in the gym as a beginner
Nutrition is key
Going to the gym is so important for your physique (depending on your goals of course) but nutrition is really what’s important to determine how quickly you see these changes and how defined they become.
As a beginner, focus on getting a source of protein in every meal and figure out what your calories should look like for the goal you want to achieve. It really doesn’t have to be difficult!
Focus on your form
Your form is the way to perform the exercise. For example, a deadlift isn’t just picking up the barbell off the floor, you need to keep your back neutral and it’s a hinge movement.
Having good form is so important to prevent injury however, it can take time to perfect so keep your weights lower until you feel you have your form nailed.
It also helps you avoid “ego lifting” which is lifting more than you safely can and you compromise form for more weight. Ego lifting can be quite common in beginners at the gym (I went through an ego lifting phase!) so let this be your warning to avoid it!
Start now!
What reason have you got to wait? A lot of people will wait until new year but why? Why not get a head start on your goals? Additionally, you can help those who do start in January and give them some inspiration and advice!
The longer you put it off, the more likely you are to not start at all, and if you’ve read this post, you’re clearly thinking about starting the gym but you’re a complete beginner. Don’t let fear or procrastination stop you from doing what you want to do!
I hope this post has helped and given you the push you need to get over your fear of being a beginner and starting the gym!
