How do you get over starting at the gym?

You could also just start running if you don't want to deal with people. It's great for cardio and gets you some nice muscles too if you really go at it.

I was in this boat at some point and I want to stress that it's important to overcome this fear and anxiety and NOT to avoid it. Conquering this specific fear is a key link in a chain that will lead to taking even more chances and overcoming all kinds of things for you. The first step is as simple as sign up, go in, find a treadmill and start running. Since the goal here appears to be losing fat and not a skinny guy trying to bulk on muscle, the treadmill is the easy thing to start with if you're anxious about being new.

As for concerns about lifting and acquiring knowledge on fitness, I always point people to the Youtube channel Athlene X. Jeff is about as legit and as simple straight forward no nonsense no bullshit a trainer you're going to find on Youtube. He gives it to you straight, he doesn't confuse things, it's real actual knowledge that can be applied to your training, and he's got programs available that can get you started into a lifting routine that works for you. That being said, I would not suggest following one persons exact routines or advice completely. Read everything you can. Research. Put hours and hours and hours of work into Youtubing the differences between the incline bench press and the flat bench, study how to perform a proper Deadlift and the proper contractions and the mind muscle connections required to perform the work. Look into LISS cardio vs HIIT cardio and the various benefits and drawbacks. To a certain extent you're simply going to have to put in the effort yourself to learn, but Athlene X is a great resource to get that first ball rolling.

Lastly, those adonis's at the gym are nice guys and gals who didn't always look like that. 90 percent of them, probably more are genuinely cool empathetic awesome people who are absolutely NOT sitting there judging you for being fat. Hell many of them probably were fat. You'll sit there afraid of their judgement only to realize they're much much more likely to pull you up and pat you on the back for showing up to the cool kids club than they are to mock you. The mental block of fear keeping any of us out of the gym is 99 percent us, and we all just have to dig down deep and find the courage to push through that sometimes.

Honestly, I would suggest you to join a gym if it's possible. Or you can hire an online trainer. When you train at home doing the workouts from Pinterest, you can hurt yourself. Because in this way he will take for you a set of workouts that will be specially for you, taking into peculiarity of your characteristics (untreated diseases). A friend coach is generally a godsend. He can advise you on some of his training methods, vitamins, nutritional supplements. My trainer advised me peptides https://paradigmpeptides.com/product/rad-140-2 , when I wanted to gain muscle mass. In addition, I would advise you to go to the doctor and consult what you can do and what not.

I myself started doing yoga(DDP Yoga) which after doing 6 Weeks on a 14 Week Plan, I have lost 3 pounds. I can now fit into large shirts and my pants feel looser. I notice flexibility in my legs and knees when kneeing down. I went from 198 pounds to 195 pounds in one month. I plan to drop down to 180 pounds hopefully. I honestly prefer this then a gym as I don't like seeing people who have a better physical physic then me.

Easy.

Step 1: Drive to the gym and park in the parking lot. Give yourself all the time to goof off on your phone for a couple of minutes.

Step 2: Get out and go inside.

The hardest thing is showing up. If you're already there you cant formulate excuses not to do it. So make your mission to just go to the gym parking lot. Don't overwhelm yourself with what your plans are going to be when you get there. Just show up. Go inside. On days where you can think of better things to do when you get to the parking lot then leave and do those things. As long as you are seizing the day the gym doesn't have to monopolize your life. But if you sit in the parking lot and end up leaving more often than not then you are actively making a choice and then gym is not something you have internalized as actually wanting to do.

Well done, I need to get back to the gym too. before I start generating my own gravity.

I will say as someone who has definitely been a gym yo yo attender, don't worry about other people, nobody is going to be looking at you, everyone is there to work on themselves, especially the aforementioned adonis(si?).

In fact, they will most likely see you a positive light, so one who has taken a proactive step towards self-improvement of their health and self-image.

If its something you see as a financial benefit (less expensive than you might initially think), I might also suggest a personal trainer for month or two, they will definitely help you improve your gym confidence, and you'll actually have someone to push you, asks questions, and dare I say, 'hang out' with at the gym in the early going.

As I've seen above, free gym classes like Spin also a great way to start.

Good luck!

It's been two years. So I'm guessing that @sombre is now ripped and has bigger guns than a shooting range?

Gyms have been shut in my town for almost a year. I walk everywhere now, so my legs are like steel pythons

@sombre: A simple starting routine for you. Three days a week (Mon. Wed. Fri., if you can manage it.) For you first week, it may only be 2 days (as you might be a bit too sore). That's normal and okay. When it becomes easy to do max repetitions (reps) for all 3 sets (a full number of reps), up your weight. If you want to know what the form looks like, Google should help you. The benefit of this routine is that it is almost entirely machine-based, which makes maintaining form quite a bit easier.

Squat (preferably assisted with a Smith Machine. If you have trouble squatting all the way down, put a low bench (most gyms have them) underneath you and squat-sit (basically go down until your butt is just barely above the bench): 5 reps X 3 sets (1 minute and 30 sec. rest between sets)

Form note: keep spine straight. Test with an unweighted bar, close your eyes an do a single rep. Pay attention to how the weight feels on your spine. If you feel it in your lower back, your spine may be too crooked.

Bench press (or press machine, preferably): 5 reps x 3 sets (1 minute and 30 sec. rest between sets)

Form note: keep your shoulders pulled back as much has you can. You should feel this in your chest and arms, not your shoulder. It's not a huge deal on a machine, but on a free barbell you can injure your shoulder having them come up/forward and bear too much weight.

Pull downs: Same deal. 5 reps X 3 sets (1 minute and 30 sec. rest between sets)

Leg curls: 10 reps X 3 (1 min. rest between sets)

CRITICAL IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not go to failure! Your first set should be 5 clean, smooth reps, maybe struggling a little at the fifth. Previously, it was thought that training to failure was the best way to maximize gains, but that has recently been proven to be less effective than training just BEFORE failure. For max efficiency, your should NOT be red in the face, limbs shaking on your final rep of ANY set. If so, it's too heavy. Lower the weight.

Remember: While the 5 rep-range is going to be on the heavier side, it's totally okay to not be lifting super heavy weight at first. You're a Level 1 weightlifter right now. You gotta kill some mobs first, level up a bit. What matters is you getting stronger than before, not how much you lift.

This routine should take maybe 40-45 min., I think. You'll probably want to add an ab routine in there somewhere, but this is a good, simple beginner routine for overall body strength. The squats in particular are a big deal, as they work a large muscle group, which in term helps your body produce more testosterone and growth hormones. That is the real reason why you've heard "you don't wanna skip leg day."

Hope this helps!

As for what to wear, that really depends on the gym dress code (if they have one). I've worked out in everything from khakis to athletic pants, and while it's easier with squats in looser clothes, it really doesn't matter all that much, though I definitely recommend comfy shoes. Best of luck, duder!

EDIT -- Didn't realize this was such an old post. Saw it from the front page and got really excited.

I'm rooting for you OP, and so are many others!! I've had a part time job at gyms for about five years now, going from front desk towel folder to a group fitness instructor. Here are a few thoughts:

1. When you start, it's OK to have one thing you want zero in on. Maybe it's the stair machine or the treadmill. Try it for 30 minutes. It could be all you do that day for that trip, but that's fine! Go in and take a look at what they have. I honestly wouldn't start with a big routine involving free weights if you're new to working out.

2. Most gyms offer personal trainers, maybe even one free session when you sign up. Could be a good idea to take them up on that and have the trainer show you around and demo some of the machines and weights so you're more comfortable. I think personal training is too expensive to do much of, but it can be good to get over some initial barriers. It's better to not rely on trainers in the long term because it is EXPENSIVE, and I see a lot of people fall out of good habits when they don't want to pay for it anymore.

3. Group fitness classes are awesome and are often included with your membership. Plus, having a scheduled work out you want to do can help you stay consistent. Cycling is a simple class to get started with and you don't need any equipment -- ignore that many people may have fancy shoes that clip into the bikes. You don't need them. If the class is too difficult at first, you can just peddle as much as you can and take a break when you need to. It's your work out -- remember that. Try a few different style of classes and instructors (finding an instructor you like makes a massive difference) and stick with something you enjoy. Show up 15 minutes early your first time at a class so you can introduce yourself to the instructor and ask them to help set you up. I personally love it when people do this!

4. Consider that all gyms aren't the same and have different feels. If the first one you join doesn't have what you want or you just don't enjoy it, take a look at others.

Good luck, OP! This is a big step and one that EVERYONE is nervous about.

bit of an old thread, but no joke here: all those muscle-bod super fit guys are only looking at each other. they're comparing themselves and silently critiquing each-other's reps. they are not looking at the out of shape guys.

if you really want to lift weights and are feeling self-conscious start with the machines, not free-weights; they will teach you basic form and it's hard to look that bad using them.

Sorry for the immense necro, but I got an update.

My partner and I signed up to the gym last week, and we've been using it! We're doing "Body pump" and "Body shape" once a week, and a swimming session once a week.

When I did Body Pump on Tuesday...Jesus wept. My legs are still aching two days later

@harinosho: The best tip I can give is that going to the gym isn’t a “diet”, it’s your new life. As such, the single most important thing is that you GO. If you show up, you win. Ideally you do something when you are there. But the first muscle you build is that of routine. Even if you do just a tiny bit, consistently, you WILL see results. It’s like gravity. It’s a law. You do the work, you WILL see some results.

Other than that, find a system taht works for you. You’ll get great advice here. But the MOST IMPORTANT THING is routine.

This thread needs to stay active, because its very important these days. As someone who needs to work out for health reasons, my advice is that you need to really want it. You can look at the so called "Adonis" and get jealous, then tell yourself to workout to try and be like them, but you'll give up quick because you didn't really do it for yourself. This has become an even bigger problem with people because of social media. It's called body dysphoria, where you look at someone else and get insecure. Getting out of this habit is the first thing you need to do. You're not going to look like that Instagram model, whom in most cases are on all kinds of stuff to get that ripped look. Some even openly talk about it.

Second, and this is very important, DO NOT ego lift. Don't go to the gym and see someone lifting very heavy weight, and you try to do it, to either impress yourself or people whom might be with you. All that does is lead to injury, and the other people in the gym don't care anyway. Injury makes you give up, and before you know it, you're six months in lounging on the couch binging on Netflix. Start with weight you can control fully and slowly do full motion reps with them. Trust me, you'll feel the burn and get the pump you need. When it comes to cardio, 20-45 mins, 5 days a week is all you need for your body to feel active. You don't need to run a marathon, or walk 50,000 steps in one day. Start slow and build yourself up overtime. To help the time go by, listen to your favorite music, or watch an episode of a show you like. The time will fly by.

I could go on, but I'm sure you read many of these tips already. I just wanted to give this thread another bump.

@sombre: find a good long show and stream it while you are on the treadmill by the end of the show you will notice great results.

When it comes to staying fit and healthy, working out at the gym is one of the most popular solutions. Going to the gym can provide a number of benefits, including improved overall health, increased muscle strength and endurance, improved cardiovascular endurance, and better coordination. Additionally, by working out at the gym, you can create a customized routine to suit your own needs and goals.

When beginning your journey at the gym, it’s important to focus on the basics. This includes learning proper form for exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, and focusing on exercises that you can do with good form. Additionally, it’s important to warm up before each workout and to cool down afterward. A good warm-up involves dynamic stretches, such as squats and lunges. A cool-down can involve stretching and mobility exercises.

Starting at the gym can be tough, but the key is to take it slow and steady. Don't try to push yourself too hard right off the bat, and instead focus on developing a consistent routine that works for you. Start with simple exercises and gradually increase the intensity and duration over time. And remember, everyone starts somewhere, so don't be too hard on yourself if you're not seeing immediate results. Just keep at it and you'll be amazed at what your body is capable of achieving!