INTRODUCTION
Joining a gym can be very intimidating! Could be the brand new environment or all new people, even having something new to do and having to start from the bottom. All of these can be genuine worries, However, there are a lot of gym worries that people have that you don’t have to have.
Over here at Sets & Reps, we have been going to the gym for years now. We are all experienced with “going to the gym”, we have also been too many gyms and have experienced that “first gym” feeling a lot, so we are going to spend the time to debunk some common gym worries. Things people worry about that they don’t need to. In the hope that it makes everyone worry less about going to the gym or just working out in general. So let us start with the biggest one. People watching you!
PEOPLE WATCHING YOU
This is a common worry when joining a gym, we have mentioned it many times on other blog posts. A lot of people are worried that people are going to watch them or look at them when they visit the gym. This simply is not the case.
Everyone in the gym is there to work out, that is everyone’s goal! To work on themselves. This means everyone is too busy working out to focus on you. In the nicest way possible, no one cares that you are there! There will always be a handful of people in the gym that want the whole gym to look at them. They will make loud noises and slam weights in the hope that people will look at them. You will quickly learn to ignore these people.
If you are still worried about this after reading this, just think. How many people do you watch in the gym? Do you spend your entire gym session staring at people? The answer is most likely no. Well, other people are the same! This is one of the many Gym worries that you don’t need to worry about at all.
HOW MUCH YOU CAN LIFT
We have all been new at some point, Everyone starts from somewhere, in everything, in lifts. You don’t need to worry about how much you can lift, how far you can run or what you can do in the gym. Everyone starts from somewhere. Everyone has a baseline and works up!
Not everyone has a goal to be able to lift as much as possible, to be a powerlifter! Some people have different goals so won’t lift the heaviest weight possible. Another thing to note is that people do different workouts. Some people like to lift heavy and some people don’t. I have found that I have started lifting lighter. Just prefer it.
As we said at the start, everyone starts somewhere, not everyone is born super strong. If it was that easy, everyone would be doing it. Just focus on your journey and progress at your rate.
WHAT GEAR/EQUIPMENT YOU SHOULD BRING
You will notice, scrolling through Instagram and other social media’s is that there is a load of accessories that you can buy. Belts, supplements, shoes, hats, gloves and the list goes on and on! Sometimes you will think “Do I need this?” Or “I won’t make any progress unless I buy this”.
Remember, you don’t any and extra equipment to go to the gym. Will some of it help? Of course, but is it a must? Not! You will do just fine without any of it. Some of those products are complete rubbish and just aimed to help the owner get rich. However, some product may be useful but only in certain areas of lifting, or certain goals.
As you progress on your gym path, you will see if you need any extra help from any accessories. However, to start with, just get into the gym and get moving. Progress will be made without having to buy any fancy shoes.
I always try to keep my gym list low, I don’t like having to carry around a huge bag of products in fairness. So it is just me, my headphones and my water bottle! (Obviously, my phone to play music).
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE LOOK LIKE
This is another big one! People judging their progress on other people looks and progress. “He is a lot bigger than me” or “look at how shredded he is”. This is a very bad thing to do! The only person you should be comparing yourself to is yesterdays version of you!
Everyone in this world is different, we all have different routines, different diets and different genetics. This means we are all going to progress in different ways. So comparing your progress to someone else’s is just pointless. Take photos of yourself, and compare your progress to those photos, this is your journey and only yours.
Also, people have different goals, that person who is lean and shredded might be prepping for a competition, or that really strong person is getting ready for a powerlifting event. This means they will be training for that “event” or “goal”. The best thing to do is spend a few minutes to look back at how far you have come!
WHAT PROGRAM/EXERCISES YOU DO
As with the above, everyone has different goals! Everyone likes different exercises. People might think that they are doing the wrong thing because “that guy over there is doing this”. Well, you need to remember that people are on different programs and have very different goals. Some people want to lean, some people want to be strong, some people want to run a half marathon. These people will have different programs to help with their goals.
Another big thing to remember about exercises is different people like different exercises. It is important to do the exercises that you enjoy, as the gym is a hobby and you want to enjoy it! This means people will have different favourite exercises, and just because someone enjoys a certain exercise, doesn’t mean you have to do it. For example, I don’t like Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press. I never feel like I connect with it and sometimes get some pain. So I don’t do it.
CONCLUSION
So there you have it, 5 gym Gym worries you don’t need to worry about! Everyone will have gym worries when they first start the gym. Hopefully, this article will make your first visit a little less stressful and worry-free! Remember, the gym is meant to be a fun place that you enjoy, not a place of worry and fear. Go and enjoy the gym, keep it fun and keep it enjoyable!
Is there anything we missed? Any other Gym worries that you have that we didn’t cover? Let us know on our email page or over on our Instagram! If we get enough Gym worries we might do another post about them.
If you like this workout and want similar ones to this then check out our app for a free workouts!
Written by Kieran Blacker
Kieran is the CEO and Founder of Sets & Reps. He decided to make an application that helped people get a gym workout when not at the gym. He designed, Coded and built the application himself.