New to Fitness
There are 5 reasons why you should start working out and go to the gym. We all want to look good and be fit, be healthy, lose some weight, self-improvement or simply because summer is coming.
In this article I will explain the basic steps that any beginner has to take on its first day at the gym.
Before going to the gym:
Going to the gym does not consists only on lifting weights in a random way, there is a previous preparation that we all have to do in order to avoid injuries, maximize our results and most importantly: to have fun.
First of all, dress appropriately. There is nothing worse than seeing someone going to the gym dressed in a casual way. If you are decided to workout dress according to the occasion. On top of that, fitness clothes are designed to keep yourself cool and avoid dehydration.
My favorite clothes are Nike’s Dry shorts, Nike Zoom Speed Train 4 and Under Armour’s UA Tech short sleeves T-Shirt. This set of clothes will offer all the flexibility, support and aeration needed during a heavy-lifting day.
Like the products? Save for later to buy!
Water!! Do not forget to bring your own water bottle. Even if most gyms have fountains to drink water, I highly recommend to bring your own bottle of water during your gym sessions. It will allow you to avoid losing time by going to the fountain and can be used to mix your proteins and other products (I will talk about that in another post). I personally use MyProtein’s basic mixer.
Last but definitely not the least: Workout routine. Having a good workout routine is vital to avoid injuries and build muscle.
There are two options: book an appointment with a personal trainer and ask him to create one for you, or create one yourself (the more self-rewarding in my opinion). In the case of choosing the latter, I recommend going throw blogs such as T-Nation, Bodybuilding and Muscle and Strength and reading magazines of the likes of Men’s Fitness or FitnessRX.
First time in the Gym:
We have all been there: entering the free weights area of the gym and feeling almost scared by the panorama: Pumped men and women lifting weights that seem impossible of being handle by a human being.
However, the good news is that even those gym beasts also felt impressed when they first entered the gym.
My biggest advices at this point for anyone are:
1. Complete your previously defined workout routine and ask for help if you are not feeling comfortable with some exercises.
2. Do not hesitate to ask for advice to someone (not much however because it can get annoying). The best place to improve movements and even know new ones is the gym, whether by asking or by observing.
Keep the gym clean:
We probably have all herd our teachers say “do you throw rubbish on the floor in your house also?”, well in the gym the same rule applies, keep the gym clean and tidy.
Muscle is not only built when lifting weights, but also when putting them back in their place when done with the exercise.
On top of that in the case of going to the gym without a spotter, people will be more likely to help you if they see that you keep the place clean and tidy.
I hope you find this article helpful and do not forget that Rome wasn’t built in one night and that the first step is always the hardest.
I will soon post more articles concerning workouts, nutrition, exercises and much more.
Here is an article from the website Bodybuilding that was extremely useful to me when I started
