How should gym for beginners?

Going to the gym (also known as bodybuilding) is the hottest trend today, but going to the gym is not as simple as it looks and there are quite a few things that you need to get used to. So if you are a beginner and have not yet exercised the gym properly and effectively, please read this article. Fitness Channel will help you understand everything so you can start working out and improve your physique.

Before going to the gym

Know your own health

Most gyms provide a full range of equipment to help you achieve your goals. Whether you go to the gym to work out or improve your physique to get six pack abs, round butt, etc., you need to know your current health status so that the trainers at the gym can design a gym schedule that’s right for you.

Here are some examples you can tell your coach

• Do you have any cardiovascular diseases?
• Are you being treated for a medical condition such as diabetes?
• Has your doctor previously advised you to abstain from exercise?
• Have you exercised before?

If you do not intend to hire a fitness coach to design your workout schedule, you can learn how to schedule your own gym with this guide.

What is your goal when going to the gym?

Before going to the gym, you need to ask yourself what you want. Are you looking to lose weight or gain muscle, you want to have muscles like athletes and slim like a model?

Clearly defining your goals before going to the gym will help you plan the right exercise as well as bring faster results.

What time of day is best to go to the gym?

A question that newbies to the gym often ask is what time of day to go to the gym.

Morning is often considered a good time to hit the gym, but the most accurate answer depends on your biological clock.

Your biological clock will make you feel alert or tired at specific times of the day, and you should choose the times when you feel most alert to go to the gym (except for work time, of course). If you often feel most alert in the morning, or go to the gym in the morning, you can choose to exercise in the evening or even exercise in the afternoon. Listen to your body and exercise at the best time for your muscles.

In addition, you also need to note whether the time you go to practice is peak hour or not, if the time you go to practice coincides with the peak hour of the gym, you may also consider changing to another time with fewer people to make sure your gym schedule is not interrupted by having to wait for your turn as well as being unnecessarily prolonged.

What should I wear to the gym?

Usually, quite a few people know what to wear when going to the gym and you are no exception, so you need to prepare before going to the gym so that your training session can go as smoothly as possible.

Here are the gym equipment that you should prepare in your gym backpack

• Gym shoes (see instructions on how to choose gym shoes)
• Sweat towels (to absorb sweat as well as wipe the device after you have finished using it, this is considered a civilized practice, you don’t want to lie on someone else’s sweaty chair, and they don’t want to lie on the sweaty chair you just used).
• Towels, shampoo, shower gel (for use after training, if your gym doesn’t have a bathroom, you don’t need to prepare)
• Gym clothes (very easy to buy at sports stores) you can see more articles on how to choose gym clothes for women
• Gym shaker (can be used to store water, electrolytes or BCAAs, pre workout, mix whey protein)
• Snacks (such as whey protein, protein bars) to eat after the gym (see why to snack after the gym)

How to start working out in the gym?

First, you need to warm up your body

The first thing you do when entering the gym is to warm up your body, especially when you go to the gym early in the morning. Warming up is important because it helps to lubricate the muscles and prevent injury and muscle cramps during exercise.

A lot of people go to the gym to warm up the wrong way, so you can read through these warm-up instructions before hitting the gym.

Where to start practicing?

Once you’ve warmed up, it’s time to start your workout, but where do you start? People who seem to just climb on the treadmill, bike, and then flip through the other machines are not really working out.

If you do not have a gym schedule, we will need to understand the uses of the equipment in the gym to understand which muscle group the machine works for and whether it is the target you are aiming for.

Explanation of gym equipment

When going to the gym, the first thing is don’t be afraid to ask, usually gyms will have a few days of free support for you, so take advantage of all that time to ask what you have questions about, especially how to use the gym equipment in the room.

Using the wrong gym equipment can damage the equipment or worse, injure you – that’s not a great way to start the gym, is it?

Here are some gym equipment that you often see in the gym

Cardio equipment

These devices are great for those of you who want to improve cardiovascular endurance and lose weight.

• Treadmill (Treadmill): Treadmill is a device that all gyms have, you can customize the speed, inclination of the machine to practice jogging. Each machine has different usage functions, you can ask the staff at the gym for instructions.
• Elliptical exercise machine: This machine is similar to a treadmill, but you will be able to use the whole body with more muscles working than a treadmill.
• Tractor (Row Machine): This machine simulates how people row a rowing boat, it’s also a great full body exercise machine to help reduce belly fat and fat.
• Bicycle machine: The machine is designed like a bicycle and your job is to ride it like a bicycle.
• Stair climbing machine (Stair Climber): As its name suggests, it simulates climbing stairs, this machine is great for exercising your legs, buttocks, thighs.

Resistance training equipment

These are useful devices for those of you who want to gain muscle and improve body strength

• Smith Machine Shoe (Smith Machine): This is a fairly versatile device for doing exercises such as Bench Press (chest exercise), Squat (butt thigh), Deadlift (lower body). The machine will include a bar and weight wheels to attach to the bar. Training with the Smith machine has the advantage of increasing safety, but it can make it difficult to perform the correct technique if you are new and easy to create a feeling of illusion when lifting heavier weights than usual.
• Cable Tractor Shoes (Cable Machine): This is also a versatile device for training, for gyms that use a simple type, it will have 2 handles connected to the machine via 2 cables, you can use it to practice chest exercises (Cable Chest Fly), back arms (cable push down), front arms (cable bicep curl) and pull-ups. With more modern machines, there will be built-in exercise chairs for you to practice back muscles like Cable Row.
• Leg Press: This is a machine with the same name as the Leg Press exercise, how to do it you can see in this article.
• Chest Fly Machine: Some gyms will have this machine, this is a specialized machine for chest exercises with Chest Fly

Non-machine weight training equipment

In addition to assistive devices, you will also find many other exercise equipment including

• Singular (Dumbbell): Dumbbell is a must-have gym equipment in the gym, the ways to use dumbbells are numerous because it can be used to exercise any muscle group.
• Warm weights (Kettlebell): Warm weights (or dumbbells) are often used in Cardio or recovery exercises. It can also be used to replace dumbbells in some cases.
• Weight cake (Plate) + Bars (Barbell): These 2 devices will go together, the barbell is used to attach to the bar. Bars also come in many varieties, but you’ll see the most common ones that range in length from 1.2m (with or without dumbbells) to 2.4m. Bars and dumbbells are most commonly used for heavy exercises such as Bench Press, Squat and Deadlift.
• Exercise ball: There are many types of exercise balls, from very large to small, exercise balls are often used in exercises to train balance and build function.
• TRX: This is a gym equipment usually only found in large gyms and the exercises with this equipment are also quite interesting, you can see here
• Weighted Sled: This is also a tool only found in the big gyms because it requires a lot of space to perform, you just need to lift the weight and push or pull it to build your strength.

Start practicing

But newbies to weightlifting can sometimes make mistakes that lead to injury, and wandering around the gym and grabbing whatever dumbbell you like can make you more prone to injury than you think.

The good news is that if you use the right weight it’s not dangerous, here are the steps you should follow when you first hit the gym.

1. Start training without weights

Training without weights, ie you will use your own body to exercise in a bodybuilding called Bodyweight Training. Bodyweight training does not require the use of weights to increase strength, and in bodybuilding, strength is the key to everything.

Bodyweight training is a lot safer than jumping right into the gym with weights. Movements like Squat, push up are simple exercises to help your body get used to. If you do not have any experience in weight training, temporarily skip the barbell and find a place to practice Bodyweight.

2. Start with the lightest weight

The first time you hold weights, start with the lightest weight, if you use barbells, start with no dumbbells (not yet attached to the barbell) you will be surprised at how heavy it is. Going to the gym is the most dangerous thing to do is face, don’t care what people think of you, just practice according to your body’s ability, don’t try to pretend to be strong and then suffer unpredictable consequences.

3. Remember some rules when working out in the gym

When going to the gym for the first time, there are a few rules you need to follow not only for your own safety but also to make everyone in the gym feel more comfortable.

• Do not drop weights on the floor: Dropping weights on the floor not only damages the equipment, but it also makes noise, affects the people around you and can be dangerous to others while they are exercising. After training, you should carefully put it on the weight rack is the most civilized way to practice.
• Take your place and put it back: There’s nothing more frustrating than having to constantly walk around the gym just to find dumbbells. As soon as you finish practicing, put it back on its shelf.
• Be careful when asking someone for help: In some cases you will need someone to assist you when pushing weights, but before asking someone to see if they are available to help you or not, do not disturb them when they are focused on their training session. (Oh, don’t skip this article on how to properly lift weights in the gym.)

Using weights can be confusing when you’re not used to it, but don’t be afraid to ask other people in the gym, most people will be more than happy to point you out if you ask.

Gym program for beginners

Once you’re familiar with the equipment at the gym, it’s time to start working out. Remember that there is no one-size-fits-all exercise program, maybe this person will, but not sure, you will. Read the article on how to split a gym schedule at the top of the article to be able to divide your own workout schedule that suits you best.

The workout schedule below is suitable for doing in 45-60 minutes

1. Cardio 5 minutes: Walk uphill at a brisk pace for 5 minutes to get your heart rate up and lubricate your joints.

2. Do resistance exercises

Pick a weight you’re comfortable with that you can lift for 10 reps (the last few reps will be really hard on you). Do the exercises below for 3 sets of 10 reps each and rest 60 seconds between sets.

3. HIIT

Perform the HIIT exercises (see What is HIIT) below for 5 sets with as little rest as possible.

4. Stretch and Cool Down

Stretching and Cool Down after exercise are very important to reduce the risk of injury as well as to recover faster after exercise, as simple as walking lightly on the treadmill. You will probably feel a lot of pain after the first day of training, but that is normal and it should go away after a few days. Eat well and get enough sleep every day to recover your muscles after exercise.

See also: Detailed workout schedule for beginners

Support for your workouts

Join a gym class

Gym classes will usually be taught in a group with a professional trainer. If you want to achieve your goals quickly, taking such classes will save you a lot of time. Such classes are very diverse in medium and large gyms, if you are just starting out, you should join the light-intensity gym classes for beginners.

Hire a personal fitness trainer

If taking gym classes doesn’t meet your goals, hire a personal fitness trainer to guide you. With a personal trainer, they will create an exercise program specifically for you that best suits your condition.

This makes your goals easier to achieve. Some of the benefits of hiring a personal trainer include

• Get an exercise program tailored just for you
• Workout more motivated
• Reach your goals sooner
• Develop better strength
• Better workout performance
• Know how to eat more in line with your goals

Usually, hiring a personal trainer will have a separate fee, but if you choose the right coach, the results you will get will be well worth the money you spend.

To learn how to choose a good fitness trainer, read this article 7 Criteria for Choosing a Personal Trainer now.

Besides hiring a trainer at the gym, you can hire an online trainer, and the pros and cons of hiring an online trainer, you can read the article on whether to hire a fitness trainer online or not.

Epilogue

Through this article, you have a fairly complete view of the gym and can confidently go to the gym to get started. Over time, you will become more familiar with everything and more proficient in achieving your goals.

Remember, no matter what level of proficiency you are, if you have difficulty, don’t forget to hire a coach to help you. And work hard to follow the bodybuilding knowledge section at Fitness Channel to update the latest gym knowledge.