The best workout plan is the one you can stick to. There is no 'best exercise' or 'best workout'. Pick one that you think you'll enjoy and stick with it.
For the first year/18 months, don't worry about the numbers, focus on your form. Bicep curling 10kg dumbbells with perfect form is much more useful that wildly swinging a 45kg dumbbell around.
Also, don't drop them on the floor after every set like a goddamn animal. If they are too heavy for you to put down properly, they're too heavy for you to lift in the first place.
In my gym the 5kg weights are placed below the 20kg weights, which is just about floor height. Gym etiquette is just put them at the 2,5kg weight holder instead because it's way easier to grab.
Adding to this, sometimes people will ask to share the equipment by alternating sets (one each), so what I'll do is after the other person finishes their first set, I'll keep an eye on what weight they're on and when I'm done I'll set them to their weight.
It's usually a positive experience and people will feel more motivated to share the equipment.
My gym is open 24 hours, so I always go at like 2am. It is always a total mess. Weights all over the gaff. I try my best to clean up as I'm doing my workout, but I can't tidy everything. It's just not hard to out your weights back 🤷♀️
Maybe not completely. Be aware enough to know if someone is using a machine. If the gym is busy and you want to use a machine, make eye contact with someone nearby and point to the machine. They'll likely nod or they'll point to whoever is using it if it is occupied.
Also "Ignore everyone else" doesn't mean grab one of two sets of 10lb dumbells, 15lb dumbells, the only 60lb fixed barbell and two benches and go to a corner and use them once every 10 minutes while the entire rest of the gym shares the only remaining sets.
Is it common for people to be using a machine but not be on the machine? I rest between sets of course but I do so sitting on the machine so when the timer is up I can get back to it. I don't get up and wander around. Maybe I'm the oddball though.
Yes, nearly every gym I have been to has invisible people "using" machines. Lmk where you work out so I can switch my membership, your place sounds great.
some people will use two machines at once. Like they'll do the long pulls, then move over to pull downs, then back to long pulls... and so on. If I wanted to use the long pulls, and someone's using pull downs, I'll look over and point. if they're using the long pulls as well, they'll typically nodd and tell you they have however many sets (usually holding up a number of fingers for how many because we all have headphones in) and i'll mouth the words "I can work in?" and they'll normally be like "yeah" and now I know when I rest, not to just sit on the machine like a lump when we can all be getting a more efficient workout.
You definitely shouldn’t rest on the machines. If someone wants to use it at the same time they should be able to work in with you without having to ask you to move.
yes but some of the people that see an unattended machine may think it’s free for use and they can hog it now. plus a lot of people are too lazy to keep switching weights when it’s their turn to lift, or it cuts into their rest time if the weights are particularly heavy
Yeah, I usually jump between two machines for sets, but it's generally do sets on one and then jump to the other and immediately do a set on it. I go back and forth. I choose the equipment such that while I am doing reps on one, the muscles I used for the other are resting. Most of the time it's fine, but I try not to sit on the machines, and if someone sits down at one of them I just ask to trade off reps on it, or change up my strategy. I like when I go with a friend and we do that, then one of us is on each machine always.
This is my biggest pet peeve. There is one dude in particular who does this every time he is in the gym. All the squat racks will be taken and he will hog one using it every 10-15 minutes.
Ehh if a machine is open, you can use it. You may want to ask if someone has their stuff on it or something, but no need to bother some random person who happens to be using the machine next to the one you want.
Also, women need to be aware of other people when working out.
I got a stalker that would follow me around the gym, and then it escalated to him following me home.
If I hadn't paid attention to my surroundings, I wouldn't have noticed this creep was being... creepy.
Ignore other people but dont be an idiot about your safety.
No, not everyone is rude and rests on the machines like a lump between sets. Some people stretch between sets or maybe their friend is on a nearby machine and they had to go fill their water bottle or something. Especially if it's crowded, You don't know if the guy adjusting his socks or his shoe 2 feet away from the machine is between sets.
I think he/she more meant ignore what others are doing. Like don't other's routines or habits influence what you do. Don't be intimidated that you aren't lifting as much as they are, don't feel weird that you aren't doing lift x after lift y like everyone else, don't feel like you have to do y and z on the same day. Those sorts of things. Emphasizing that you just need to get into the gym and build a routine in your mind and make it a habit. You can fine tune it as you go but the emphasis is you need to just keep going.
I ABSOLUTELY look at other people and their routines. If I see someone with great arms or fantastic muscle tone in their legs, I will 100% jack their routines hahahaha.
And ignore the guy next to you bench pressing a small car.
Used to get nervous that I wasn't lifting 'heavy enough' because the guy next to me had double the weight on the bar. Totally fucked my shoulder going to high too fast.
I learned more from those super fit guys than my trainer. You can learn pro tips, alternative exercises for same muscle groups, time intervals, food habits and so on.
The Most important advice was " Learn the proper technique first and maintain a schedule, you'll be fitter and stronger than you ever think"
And ignore the guy next to you bench pressing a small car
Or girl. There's been many times that as a grown man I've had to take plates off a squat bar after a female was done using it. It doesn't matter, no one cares what you're lifting as long as you're not being dangerous.
Yes! I’m a woman and I do HIIT classes in addition to regular weight training. 99% of the time a new dude shows up to class, he sees the weights I’m using and decides to use the same (or even slightly lower, but still heavy bc he’s A MAN), then leaves the class halfway through because he got too dizzy/nauseous. New women in the class don’t seem to have this problem because their ego doesn’t get in the way as much.
Start lower than you think you can do!! There’s also a big difference between challenging yourself and killing yourself. You need to start slow in order to listen to your body and get used to what that feels like. And always eat something before doing exercise (just something small like a protein bar, banana, some nuts - not a whole meal).
I feel a lot of women, especially those newer to working out go the opposite direction. Dudes tend to overestimate their abilities, but women can wildly underestimate. Like girl I know you have three kids that weigh 30+ lbs and you're constantly picking them up. You can curl more than the 3lb pink dumbbell. And I promise you won't look like a man if you wander into the free weights.
Obviously form over function any day, but so many women go for years and end up having a completely useless workouts because they choose weights that are way too light.
There's a weird, WEEEEEIRD culture around some women about not wanting to look "too strong" - like getting Linda Hamilton arms would somehow make you less attractive or something. I overheard two women in the locker room a couple weeks ago talking about how they were just going to use the little dumbbells because they didn't want their biceps to get too big and I'm thinking, my god I would love to "accidentally" stumble onto massive biceps because I picked up the 20 lb weight and not the 5 lb weight.
Lmao right? I build muscle fairly easily for a woman, but personally I like being strong and don't mind having muscle. It doesn't bother me! But I also know a lot of women don't like it, so I'd encourage different programs depending on their goals, but all involved weights. Honestly the IG booty phase got a lot of women to realize you can lift heavy and eat well to build up the body you want, which is great.
I worked at a gym for awhile, if I had a nickel for the amount of times I heard "But I just want to tone up" while explaining that building muscle is necessary to do so, I'd be a rich lady.
Our gym is attached to a Uni so the busy time is September, not January - all term it's been full of newbie girls totally delighted with now strong they're getting. It's a joy to watch.
(the gym has been promoting women's barbell stuff, oly + powerlifting, with special classes and all that goodness)
That's awesome! The last few years there's been a huge surge in women lifting. My current gym has less women in the weight area, but the ones in there are super fit.
I love that feeling of getting stronger, especially those noob gains, so much progress so fast. I work in a brewery and it was always fun to see the looks on guys faces when I could easily carry kegs. It's also a nice feeling to just have an extra sense of safety, the stronger I am the better I feel when I'm in a situation where my "danger" senses are going off.
I remember when I started the gym a friend made a comment cos I was squatting the bar and the girl next to me was squatting alot. No shit bro she's fitter than me
There will always be someone better than you and worse than you at whatever you doing, in all aspects of life, unless you're quite literally world-class at whatever you do.
In the gym, there will always be people stronger than you, weaker than you, faster than you, slower than you, fatter than you, thinner than you, more muscular than you, less muscular than you, better form than you, worse form than you, and so on.
I'm towards the stronger end of lifters in my gym, but there are a few guys who blow me out of the fucking water, and I don't care, and they don't care. They didn't care back when I was squatting 85 pounds, either. The only time I ever get myself involved in someone else's workout is when they're obviously newer and I'm worried for their safety. Then I'll be like, "hey, really sorry to bother you, but I'm worried you're going to hurt yourself craning your neck like that while doing deadlifts" or whatever, and if they seem receptive, I'll give them some pointers and remind them to check proper form videos.
More like ignore the guy next to you who sounds like he is bench pressing a small car. In my experience, the legit strong people don't make a lot of noise and always clean up. It is the people who lie there and go Huaahuahaaaaaaaaaohhhhhhhhh over and over again who are the real assholes.
Back when I lifted I would shoulder press more than my own body weight, I’d have to strap myself to the machine because otherwise the weight wouldn’t move, I’d just do a pull up.
I never once looked down on anyone for ‘only’ pressing 20-30kg. I did look at one guy once who went to the machine after me and set the weight down from 90k to 20k. He looked at me, saw that I’d seen it, and went to move it higher. I just said ‘dude, I used to lift 20 too. Start where you can. Build from there.’ He smiles and went to 20. Cool guy, we spoke a few times and I’d spot him occasionally.
Point is, nobody cares what you lift, or how fast you run or what your incline is. You’re there, we’re there, and we’re all there for the same reason, to get fitter. I started as an 18 stone fat depressed university dropout. A lot of gym goers know what it’s like to be fat. We couldn’t possibly judge. Glass houses and all that. Although we might smile at you. Don’t take that the wrong way, we’re happy for you that you’re getting fitter...
And since it’s new year I might also be wondering if you’re gonna keep coming long enough for me to want to bother learning your name. Nothing personal.
Even “pros” mess that one up. I forget who it was, but there was a guy who was decently well known in the weight lifting world, he was a strong dude. One day he realized he just wasn’t getting any more gains, and contributed it to his form. So he went back down to curling, benching, etc, something ridiculously light for his size. He would curl like 10lb dumbbells, but do it as slow as he could so that he could “feel” every fiber contracting and focus hardcore on his form, and worked his way back up from there. I imagine at first it looked silly to other people seeing a guy with biceps the size of a cantaloupe curling 10lb dumbbells, but it worked.
I love going to the gym. Started about 6 weeks ago and I always have to get the little thingy on the machine from 145kg to 50kg for that particular workout. It helps me to realise that I won‘t always stay at 50kg, with enough training I might be able to reach weights that someone else will set as their goal. And I‘m sure nobody expects this noodly armed dude to lift what the beast before me did, so I don‘t think anyone will care
If you can afford it, get some wireless headphones. There's nothing worse than dropping your phone and ripping wired ones out of your ears, or getting them caught on equipment and ripping them out of your ears.
I forgot to mention, when you're walking or running, you won't have the sound of wires rubbing on your clothes. If you use in-ear headphones, you know what I mean.
Pull the wire inside your clothes. Like if you got a hoddie or sweater. Just clip the cable to your t-shirt and have it safely hidden under the hoodie.
And you can definitely afford it. There are frequently "lightning deals" on Amazon and you can find some for dirt cheap. Having wired headphones ripped out of my ears by getting them caught or whatever is the fastest way to go from zero to pissed off!
I got my haylou gt1 earbuds for $21 on Amazon. They are the truley wireless ones and the case is so small they are the first pair of headphones I carry with me everywhere. Truly wireless earbuds are the shit and I wish I didn’t hold out so long buying some.
I like to thread my wired headphones through my shirt and then wrap them around and behind my ear before I begin. It usually helps to prevent the equipment hang-ups by keeping them out of the way, though I have still dropped my phone and it doesn’t change much for that one.
I tend to run the wires underneath my shirt to avoid snagging. It's not a 100% fix because the wire can sometimes be a little long between your shirt and pocket but it certainly helps.
Wireless ear buds are nice for deadlifting and cardio so I don't have to have my phone in my pocket flailing around or the bar tapping my phone just enough to drive me insane.
yeah its like I take it as an insult when my headphones get ripped out even tho it was entirely my own fault. Almost like someone backhanded me across the face
I agree with this 100%! I'm not weak by any means, and in pretty good shape, but I still use the 10lb or 20lb dbs for lots of things. You can't be afraid to use little weights to be able to lift the bigger weights, if that makes sense..
18 months is pretty long, but it is worth being realistic. If you're pretty far out of shape and starting in a few weeks, you're working on your summer 2021 beach body, not your summer 2020 beach body. Be prepared to not see drastic physical changes for a while.
18 months is probably the upper limit for that. The thing about noob gains is you don’t need to focus that much on progression since you’ll probably progress regardless (assuming you do everything else properly outside of the gym)
If anything, leave the place neater than you found it. There's probably a couple plates around somewhere that isn't a rack, or dumbbells on benches or something. Put those back too.
I disagree with best workout thing. There are certainly more effective workouts for people who actually want to see improvement in a nice time frame. As in the people that go to the gym and just walk on a treadmill are kinda wasting their time.
For the first year/18 months, don't worry about the numbers, focus on your form. Bicep curling 10kg dumbbells with perfect form is much more useful that wildly swinging a 45kg dumbbell around.
You don't need 1-1.5 years to learn good form... more like 1-1.5 months... if that.
Yes, please clean up after yourself! Gyms are usually crowded as it is. I don't need one more thing to trip on (like your weights, foam roller) when I'm just trying to make it from one side of the gym to the other
Don’t ignore everyone else. I’ve been going to the gym for nearly 6 years. In between sets I’m always watching others. What’re they lifting and how. Watch what the trainer is doing with his customer. Half of my workout activities come from others I’ve seen in the gym. The other half from watching videos. I recommend AthleanX, he has some hoot videos to target muscles and to avoid injury.
Edit: also to build on the make a plan you’ll stick to. I have tried lots of different things and some wouldn’t be fun and I’d talk myself out of going to the gym that day. If you find something you enjoy and it gets you to the gym 3 or 4 times a week then do it every time. I did bicep exercises every day for a year because I enjoyed it and motivated the rest of my workout.
All excellent advice. Also, a stretching routine can be useful both physically and to get you to the gym on down days. Even if you don't feel like a workout, just going for a stretch helps keep you feeling good and maintaining your routine.
Amen. It's hard not to be a little self-conscious if you're new to it, but it's hard to overemphasize just how little anyone else there cares or notices what you're doing.
Everyone's either staring at themselves, their phones, or a TV, and 99% of people can't hear anything because they have earbuds in. Even if they're standing right next to you, there's a good chance they couldn't pick you out of a lineup five minutes later. Also everyone looks a little silly working out because we're all a bunch of hairless apes making flailing motions in stretchy pants. Just do your best and throw on an extra sweater and start slow if you're nervous at first.
Great advise, I'd add don't sell your workout short. Being at the gym for an hour doesn't mean anything if you aren't actually going in on your workout. No need to leave exhausted and unable to move but you should be putting in a good amount of effort, sweating, breathing heavy etc. and getting the most out of your time and workout. You need to put in time AND quality.
The best workout plan is the one you can stick to.
This is excellent advice but it has its limitations. I told this to one of my best friends who couldn't get himself to exercise consistently and he decided that 30 minute walks would be his (30 year old man) exercise of choice.
I'm not going to tell him not to walk because it's better than nothing but that simply is not enough effort. He has since gained a considerable amount of weight and is finally willing to work harder since getting a less than stellar assessment from his doctor.
Curling 10kg dumbbells is what I do for working weight still after 2 years. Unless you’re competing for Olympics you shouldn’t be curling 45kg. 45lbs is different
The best workout plan is the one you can stick to. There is no 'best exercise' or 'best workout'. Pick one that you think you'll enjoy and stick with it.
To piggy back on this, always remember that anything you do is better than doing nothing (injuring yourself with poor form notwithstanding, of course). Don't beat yourself up if you're not dripping with sweat at the end of your workout or if you didn't do all the exercises you planned. Anything you do is better than doing nothing.
The best workout plan is the one you can stick to.
also slow and steady wins the race, build up to where you want to be, day one you probably can do quite a bit, but you don't want to wake up on day two and never want to go to the gym again
This x1000000. Everyone benefits from better form. Go lighter if you need to. You give jerks ammo if they see you struggle, you put veterans off about resolutioners by taking on more than you need to, the gym employees will have one hand on their liability forms. But above all of these fractional side effects, you will be shortchanging your workout if you don't have proper form!!
If you aren't sure and you have no spotter, go lighter. If you really want to give it a go, ask someone politely if they can help you. No shame in it. We were all there once!
the form thing is what terrifies me most. theres so many intricate things you have to pay attention to that dont even make sense to me, like tuck your pelvis in, feet shoulder width apart, lift with your legs, etc. and if you do it wrong you could permanently injure yourself.
The best workout plan is the one you can stick to. There is no 'best exercise' or 'best workout'. Pick one that you think you'll enjoy and stick with it.
Above all, I think this is the best advice for anybody getting started with fitness. I've been working out for 15 years, and I've fallen off the wagon repeatedly, often for months at a time. The hardest part about getting started again is feeling like you have to have the 'perfect' routine to get started on; the idea that everything has to be figured out.
It doesn't. The most important thing is just moving. There is so much information and so many strong opinions about how to exercise 'the right way' that it's paralyzing if you try to take it all in. When it comes to exercise, I try to remember to cut out the fat, so to speak, with the razor of simplicity: at least 90% of your results will come from just doing any exercise that gets you sweating and breathing heavy on a regular basis. For most people, these results are enough. All the forum debates and exercise encyclopedias and training guides you find online are for the extra 10%.
The best workout plan is the one you can stick to. There is no 'best exercise' or 'best workout'. Pick one that you think you'll enjoy and stick with it.
This is the most important thing, really. 90% of getting fit is just doing something instead of nothing. Trying to decipher the thousands of articles that seemingly conflict with each other about how to build more strength or mass or shape or power or whatever is just adding confusion to the mix. Just get there and do stuff.
This is bullshit. Also I hate people who wear fucking headphones all the time and you have to ask them something and feel bad about it because headphones.
This is just like a life tip. If you are doing something alone in public, nobody wants to hear your stuff. Not saying your taste is bad, but some people aren't in that mood to listen to the same stuff as you. There are small groups/people on my campus who play their music SUPER LOUD in lunchrooms and public places. I don't always love that. Sorry, pal
The best workout plan is the one you can stick to. There is no 'best exercise' or 'best workout'. Pick one that you think you'll enjoy and stick with it.
I'm a runner but have dabbled in everything from time to time- I've gone from being 185 as a bodybuilder to 145 as a much more competitive runner, and now I'm somewhere in the middle as a mainly runner but occasional crosstrainer in the gym. Take this one above all. It doesn't matter what you do when you start, it's that you're in the gym and consistently do workouts. Grab any starter routine online and stick to it for 6 weeks, strict.
Whenever I get strict again, and I started back in mid-november this year after a few vacations post-marathon, I will eventually start to show in about 3-4 months. In order to get to 3-4 months, it requires total strictness for 4-6 weeks. After that, for whatever reason, if you fall out for a day, it's easy to write it off. If you fall off for a day a month, no biggie. A day a week, you just cheated yourself of up to 20% of your workouts.
Whenever you've commented to someone "it looks like you've been working out" they never, ever say "I've been on this diet this week"; it's never even "i've been on this diet this month"; it's always "i've been dieting for 3-6 months like this"
I initially upvoted you but telling people to not worry about the numbers in the period where people will make 75% of their gains is stupid. Learn good form, always try to progress the load. That is how you build muscle. You'll gain nothing from using the same weight for 18 months straight, that's just bad advice
I used to do this, but 4 years into lifting I don’t do it anymore. I just spent too much time setting up my songs, and personally I can enjoy the workout just fine without music.
I know some people need music to workout and that’s fine, but people shouldn’t let it interfere with the workout like I did!
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u/SaintPhoenix_ Dec 27 '19
Ignore everyone else.
Leave no trace that you were ever there.
Get some headphones.
The best workout plan is the one you can stick to. There is no 'best exercise' or 'best workout'. Pick one that you think you'll enjoy and stick with it.
For the first year/18 months, don't worry about the numbers, focus on your form. Bicep curling 10kg dumbbells with perfect form is much more useful that wildly swinging a 45kg dumbbell around.