It is most difficult for beginners who find themselves in the gym for the first time - they often do the exercises incorrectly, do not know where to start their workout, how to eat properly, what to do to achieve the desired result. A novice athlete may have questions about whether he needs a coach, whether to take a friend with him to training, and what clothes and equipment to choose.
First time in the gym: false myths
People visiting the gym for the first time are nervous, slightly afraid and stiff. Such feelings arise due to the huge number of “myths” associated with the place to cultivate one’s body. Let's look at what beginners need to do and what they shouldn't be afraid of.
Everyone is looking at you
Most experienced athletes do not pay attention to beginners until they start doing ridiculous exercises with the wrong technique. In this case, you can catch a “sideways” glance, a remark.
Such situations can be easily avoided - get a trainer or work out with a friend who already has experience in strength training.
No coach needed
Bodybuilding enthusiasts should start their journey in the gym by working together with a trainer. This will allow you to gain initial training experience.
The trainer will always correct the technique of performing the exercise and tell you which muscle group is involved in a particular movement. A mentor in the gym will tell you about the intricacies of nutrition, regardless of the goal of the trainee: weight loss, mass gain, or something else.
The coach will indicate the optimal duration of training, recommend specific sports nutrition, and create a training program tailored to the individual characteristics of the athlete.
You can wear whatever you want to the gym
Before going to a public place, you need to find out what the dress code is there. In places where they play sports, this is sportswear. Good sneakers, sports shorts or pants, a T-shirt or T-shirt.
You cannot come to the gym wearing dirty clothes. There are people just like you studying there. It may be unpleasant for them, since dirty, unwashed items have a specific smell and appearance.
First time at the gym. THE BEST COLLECTION :)))
Where to start for a newbie in the gym
There are many things to pay attention to. It’s worth deciding in advance on your ultimate goal, devoting time to studying the theoretical part, finding an experienced trainer, and drawing up a training plan with him. Initial actions will help the trainee to show interest in iron sports, and will also help avoid possible disappointments and injuries.
Decide on your training goal
- Lose weight;
- Tighten the body;
- Classes on an ongoing basis.
Do you want to lose weight? Train large muscle groups. They eat a lot of calories. Reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your diet and add protein. It is also recommended to gradually increase the intensity of the workout, reducing the rest time between approaches and exercises.
Do you want to become slimmer? Add cardio exercises such as jumping rope, running or swimming to your gym routine. It is best to perform them before training as a warm-up, for 10-15 minutes.
Have you decided to study permanently? Then get ready for gym training to become your favorite hobby. It is often difficult to drag people into the abode of building a beautiful body, but after that it is impossible to kick them out of there. The main thing is to follow the advice of the trainer and all the basic concepts of training with iron and nutrition. In this case, you can count on a stable increase in muscle mass and strength indicators.
Starting from the goal, you can move on. It is advisable for a beginner to find a coach, and if that doesn’t work out, work with a good friend who will give instructions.
Study the theoretical part
We live in a time when all information is available online. Anyone can learn how to eat and what exercises to do to develop certain muscles. There are training videos on the Internet and on our website that show the technique of movements. You can even look at a training split, a technique used by a professional athlete from the bodybuilding field.
It will be useful for a beginner to learn about what sports nutrition is. Probably, for some, myths as old as time about the dangers of such additives will be dispelled. So, if you use protein, gainer, BCA, and amino acid complexes wisely, this will have a positive effect on the athlete’s results.
Follow experienced athletes who you want to be like. The main thing in this case is not to copy the entire diet and training, but to take only the main, key subtleties into account.
Make a workout plan
The best training is when an athlete does exercises “by feel”, feeling which muscle group needs to be trained on a particular day. True, this rule does not apply to beginners. An inexperienced athlete who comes to the gym without a training program for a specific day is doomed to spend most of his time “inventing” the next exercise.
It’s good if a novice athlete has a certain theoretical basis and knowledge. But it is better to approach training with responsibility and preliminary preparation. It is mandatory to create a split.
Read also: 10 Reasons why muscles do not grow after intense training
Example of a training program for beginners:
Monday – chest/triceps
- Bench press on a horizontal bench.
- Incline dumbbell chest press.
- Exercise machine "Butterfly"
- Bar push-ups.
- French press.
- Finally, cool down with light cardio and stretching.
Wednesday – legs/shoulders
- Squats with a barbell on your shoulders.
- Leg press.
- Leg extensions in the simulator.
- Lifting with a barbell on your toes (for pumping the calf muscles).
- Dumbbell raises to the sides (sitting, standing).
- Army press.
- Barbell row to the chin.
- Finally, cool down with light cardio and stretching.
Friday – back/biceps
- Wide grip pull-ups with extra weight.
- Deadlift.
- Bent-over barbell row.
- Upper block pull.
- Barbell curls on a Scott bench.
- Hammer style dumbbell raises.
- Finally, cool down with light cardio and stretching.
At first, the optimal repetition range will be 10-12. 1-3 approaches per exercise. The interval between sets (approaches) should be from 1 to 3 minutes, depending on the athlete’s condition. The break between exercises is no more than 5 minutes. The workout itself should last (in the case of an inexperienced athlete) no more than 45 minutes.
Get a training partner
One of the surest ways to achieve a good result is to practice together with an acquaintance, friend or significant other. There are simply a lot of positive aspects to such training:
- There will always be a person who can provide backup during a heavy approach.
- With a partner, there is no time to be distracted by your smartphone - you do the exercises one by one.
- Motivation – training partners do not allow each other to be lazy, which makes training extremely productive.
- Competitive spirit - if two people are approximately equal in their parameters, they will be interested in competing with each other on the way to the desired result.
First time at the gym. Tips for beginners.
First day of training: where to start for a beginner
Not all girls know what beginners should do in the gym. They don’t understand which machine to use, what exercises to start with, how many to do, etc. You need to act according to this plan:
- First you need to choose a gym. Agree with the administration about a free trial session. Look at the set of exercise equipment, their condition, the number of visitors, the cleanliness of the gym, locker rooms, etc.
- Determine the main goal of training: losing weight, building muscle mass, drawing relief, increasing strength and endurance.
- Even if a beginner girl plans to conduct classes in the gym without a trainer, at first she needs the help of a specialist. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct an introductory training with a trainer who will tell you what exercise equipment to pay attention to, what exercises to perform and how to do it correctly.
- Take a towel with you.
- Do not borrow equipment during the pause between sets and ask permission from other athletes to borrow it.
- After use, put the sports equipment back in its place.
- If you don't know how to use the machine, ask a trainer or a more experienced bodybuilder.
- Keep to your gym schedule.
It is better for a girl to start with simple exercises with light dumbbells, kettlebells, a barbell, a fitball, and an elastic band. This equipment will help you strengthen your muscles so you can move on to more complex workouts.
Attention! Do not forget to consult your doctor before exercising in the gym to determine if there are any contraindications. If they are, the doctor will tell you which exercises you need to avoid.
Some tips for working out in the gym
Not everyone can approach exercise in the gym correctly. Many people have the goal of getting a beautiful body while improving their health. But it often happens that a person forces events and, through his stupidity, gets injured, as a result of which he only harms his body.
Don't chase the scale (in the beginning)
Increasing the weight on the apparatus is always nice. This helps a person to assert himself in the eyes of his company, friends working out in the gym, who will see your progress. However, at the beginning of training, chasing weights is not appropriate - the athlete must first develop technique in all basic movements, strengthen his body: bones, ligaments, joints.
The weight should be increased gradually, slowly, when the feeling comes that the current working weight is becoming too light. So, about 12 repetitions with a fixed apparatus is a reason to “add” a little.
Basic exercises - best for beginners
For a novice bodybuilder, the priority should be the “puerlifting trio” with one amendment - follow the correct technique. The fact is that basic movements engage the maximum number of muscle groups - this is a stimulus for the release of hormones by the body.
True, you should not neglect isolation exercises - the main thing is to prioritize the basic ones. For example, after a classic chest press on a horizontal bench, it would be advisable to perform a French press.
Don't train each group on a separate day.
After all, this training method is mostly suitable for experienced athletes. It is best to give preference to classic training schemes of three days a week. We recommend combining the following muscle groups:
- The legs can be trained along with the deltoids.
- Biceps along with back.
- Pectoral muscles in combination with triceps.
This is a classic option. You can come up with your own. Important to remember:
Large muscle groups are quite difficult to train in one day; it is recommended to distribute them one at a time per workout. Large muscle groups include: legs, back, chest.
Record results, set goals and achieve them
Practice shows that a person who writes down the results of his workouts on paper is much more productive in his next sessions. It's all about the psychological factor - the motivation to work to improve your performance is much higher when everything is captured.
By recording the number of repetitions and weight in a particular movement, a person will always be able to analyze his results. Determine what he is doing correctly and what aspects of the training process need to be corrected.
A good solution would be to keep a diary in which the athlete, after training, will record the maximum working weight taken with good technique during training in a particular movement.
Train at the same time
Whether morning, afternoon or evening, most workouts should take place at approximately the same time. Then you can count on getting the most out of your body during exercise. He will know that it’s time to work.
Training in the gym at a certain period of time should become the rule. After class, it is advisable to have a good rest - choose a time period with this in mind.
Individual training. Looking for the ideal lesson format
Personal training is fundamentally different in structure from team training. Here the child already receives 100% of your attention, and not 5-10% as in the case of team training. Today we will talk about the formats in which you can conduct individual training and look at the main pros and cons of each with video examples.
Recovery lesson
This type of individual training is used to bring a player back after a long period of inactivity in training. The reason for downtime may be injury, illness, or departure. In such training, the simplest basic exercises are given, which allow you to smoothly transition to a standard training regimen. If a player begins training after an injury, it is important to completely eliminate contact exercises
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