Starting at the gym, any simple tips?
Discussion
Hi all
I’ve just joined the gym as I realised I’m sitting in my car for 45 mins of a lunch time just eating
hopefully combining some weight training with a run or swim a couple of times a week in the evenings should see some reasonable results.
The gym is conveniently round the corner from work and I would like to lose fat and gain some muscle. They’ve done me a routine which I’m being taken through later this week, because to be honest I haven’t a clue what I’m doing or how to do the exercises properly! Is 35 mins mon-fri even suitable? Better than nothing i guess!
Any simple tips on diet or protein/recovery shakes (if necessary at all..) that might help me as a beginner? I’m not trying to be ridiculously healthy and of course it’s Christmas soon, but my plan is to change up the food I take to work from the usual sandwich, choc bar, yoghurt and fruit to chicken/steak and salad in two smaller portions to be had in the morning and the afternoon, ditch the choccy bar and keep the yogurt and fruit, maybe a boiled egg or two.
Anyway, wish me luck! Any advice for a newbie appreciated, I’m really hoping to make this part of my every day routine and stick at it. I’ll let you know how I get on!
Cheers
Phil
I’ve just joined the gym as I realised I’m sitting in my car for 45 mins of a lunch time just eating
hopefully combining some weight training with a run or swim a couple of times a week in the evenings should see some reasonable results. The gym is conveniently round the corner from work and I would like to lose fat and gain some muscle. They’ve done me a routine which I’m being taken through later this week, because to be honest I haven’t a clue what I’m doing or how to do the exercises properly! Is 35 mins mon-fri even suitable? Better than nothing i guess!
Any simple tips on diet or protein/recovery shakes (if necessary at all..) that might help me as a beginner? I’m not trying to be ridiculously healthy and of course it’s Christmas soon, but my plan is to change up the food I take to work from the usual sandwich, choc bar, yoghurt and fruit to chicken/steak and salad in two smaller portions to be had in the morning and the afternoon, ditch the choccy bar and keep the yogurt and fruit, maybe a boiled egg or two.
Anyway, wish me luck! Any advice for a newbie appreciated, I’m really hoping to make this part of my every day routine and stick at it. I’ll let you know how I get on!
Cheers
Phil
I’m sure much more experienced people than I will be along.
One thing I would say is that if you start doing weights make sure you get, and keep, the technique right before being tempted to move up.
It may feel silly doing what seems very low weights compared to everyone else but it’s much better to get the techniques sorted and build up slowly to avoid long term injury.
Other than that good luck.
One thing I would say is that if you start doing weights make sure you get, and keep, the technique right before being tempted to move up.
It may feel silly doing what seems very low weights compared to everyone else but it’s much better to get the techniques sorted and build up slowly to avoid long term injury.
Other than that good luck.
how old are you?
what do you currently weigh?
do you have a target weight you want to get to? or would you just be satisfied trimming the fat and building muscle?
As above really, get your technique right before moving up on weights or you'll hurt yourself (just little niggles at first) which will put you way back on your routine/plan.
35mins, if all you can afford, is plenty. I used to easily spend an hour in the gym at night but now that I have a kid I can only spare 30-45mins and I've probably seen a better improvement over the last couple of years than I did when I took it 'easy' in the gym.
what do you currently weigh?
do you have a target weight you want to get to? or would you just be satisfied trimming the fat and building muscle?
As above really, get your technique right before moving up on weights or you'll hurt yourself (just little niggles at first) which will put you way back on your routine/plan.
35mins, if all you can afford, is plenty. I used to easily spend an hour in the gym at night but now that I have a kid I can only spare 30-45mins and I've probably seen a better improvement over the last couple of years than I did when I took it 'easy' in the gym.
Thanks for the advice both.
I’m 26, I’m currently 12st but I’m only around 5’10 so I’m getting a bit podgy.
Don’t really have a target, I wouldn’t mind being the weight I am now if it was muscle and not just fat.... if I was just losing weight without building muscle then I look a lot better at 10.5-11 stone.
Appreciate the advice about getting the technique right. I’m not going to rush things and luckily the staff at the gym seem to lend as much time as needed to help with technique and posture etc which is just what I want. Like I said before I really don’t know what I’m doing so need all the help I can get!
I’m 26, I’m currently 12st but I’m only around 5’10 so I’m getting a bit podgy.
Don’t really have a target, I wouldn’t mind being the weight I am now if it was muscle and not just fat.... if I was just losing weight without building muscle then I look a lot better at 10.5-11 stone.
Appreciate the advice about getting the technique right. I’m not going to rush things and luckily the staff at the gym seem to lend as much time as needed to help with technique and posture etc which is just what I want. Like I said before I really don’t know what I’m doing so need all the help I can get!
I've been going to the gym about 3 or 4 months now and have started to seem some improvements.
As mentioned above, make sure the technique is right before upping the weights, it can be fairly daunting to begin with, but you'll soon start recognising the people that attend regularly!
In terms of diet, try cutting out as much crap as possible, I've replaced sugary cereal with porridge and sandwiches at lunch time for home made chicken or tuna salads.
It is very difficult to begin with, the first few weeks especially as you ache like f**k, but your body soon adapts and when you start seeing the results it does become rather addictive!
I go with my mate, which I've found has helped massively and kept me motivated!
I'm sure there will be some much better advice to follow, but best of luck with it all!
As mentioned above, make sure the technique is right before upping the weights, it can be fairly daunting to begin with, but you'll soon start recognising the people that attend regularly!
In terms of diet, try cutting out as much crap as possible, I've replaced sugary cereal with porridge and sandwiches at lunch time for home made chicken or tuna salads.
It is very difficult to begin with, the first few weeks especially as you ache like f**k, but your body soon adapts and when you start seeing the results it does become rather addictive!
I go with my mate, which I've found has helped massively and kept me motivated!
I'm sure there will be some much better advice to follow, but best of luck with it all!
If the person who's producing the training program is suitably qualified, i'm sure they will be happy to do a diet plan for you too.
The diet plans trainers produce might look extreme but they are very very good. I looks hard to follow but they aren't, you need to use your imagination a bit after a few weeks on how to mess around with the ingredients to keep it interesting.
The one I did most recently had a broader, scope and then on top of that looking at gluten free produce like lentil pasta instead of lentils, can make things easier and more interesting.
The diet plans trainers produce might look extreme but they are very very good. I looks hard to follow but they aren't, you need to use your imagination a bit after a few weeks on how to mess around with the ingredients to keep it interesting.
The one I did most recently had a broader, scope and then on top of that looking at gluten free produce like lentil pasta instead of lentils, can make things easier and more interesting.
Sorry for the information overload that follows. Some stuff will be relevant now and other bits might start to click once you've got a bit of experience in the gym and understand weight lifting better.
Well done on taking the first step. As others have mentioned getting technique right is important but as a beginner you'll not know what's right or wrong so don't be afraid to ask. Some exercise techniques are uncomfortable but none of them should be sore or hurting as you do them. Remember that if you aren't doing a full range of movement then you're cheating yourself.
As for nutrition, cut out as much sugar and alcohol as you can which includes being careful with your fruit consumption. Definitely cut out fruit juice. My rule is 'Sugar is bad and eating fat doesn't make you fat'.
Protein shakes are designed to supplement your diet if you aren't getting enough protein through food. For someone building muscle they typically need 1.2-1.5g of protein per kg of bodyweight. 12 stone = 76kg = 91 - 114g of protein per day. If you track what you're eating through myfitnesspal it'll give you these breakdowns and keep it simple.
Another tip for when you first start is to drink lots of full fat milk. 2 litres a day is a good start if you can stomach it. Do this for the first two or three months and you'll see great gains from your workouts as your body adapts.
Another supplement people take is creatine. You can read about it online to see if it's for you but definitely not an essential.
I also take a caffeine tablet before the gym as I go after work and can be tired/lethargic.
Well done on taking the first step. As others have mentioned getting technique right is important but as a beginner you'll not know what's right or wrong so don't be afraid to ask. Some exercise techniques are uncomfortable but none of them should be sore or hurting as you do them. Remember that if you aren't doing a full range of movement then you're cheating yourself.
As for nutrition, cut out as much sugar and alcohol as you can which includes being careful with your fruit consumption. Definitely cut out fruit juice. My rule is 'Sugar is bad and eating fat doesn't make you fat'.
Protein shakes are designed to supplement your diet if you aren't getting enough protein through food. For someone building muscle they typically need 1.2-1.5g of protein per kg of bodyweight. 12 stone = 76kg = 91 - 114g of protein per day. If you track what you're eating through myfitnesspal it'll give you these breakdowns and keep it simple.
Another tip for when you first start is to drink lots of full fat milk. 2 litres a day is a good start if you can stomach it. Do this for the first two or three months and you'll see great gains from your workouts as your body adapts.
Another supplement people take is creatine. You can read about it online to see if it's for you but definitely not an essential.
I also take a caffeine tablet before the gym as I go after work and can be tired/lethargic.
mattwade24 said:
I've been going to the gym about 3 or 4 months now and have started to seem some improvements.
As mentioned above, make sure the technique is right before upping the weights, it can be fairly daunting to begin with, but you'll soon start recognising the people that attend regularly!
In terms of diet, try cutting out as much crap as possible, I've replaced sugary cereal with porridge and sandwiches at lunch time for home made chicken or tuna salads.
It is very difficult to begin with, the first few weeks especially as you ache like f**k, but your body soon adapts and when you start seeing the results it does become rather addictive!
I go with my mate, which I've found has helped massively and kept me motivated!
I'm sure there will be some much better advice to follow, but best of luck with it all!
^ All of the above..! I started off not being able to lift a lot but after 3/4 months i'm starting to gradually increase the amount.. just remember that it ins't a race, as the saying goes, 'slowly slowly catchy monkey..'.. just take your time and work your way up.As mentioned above, make sure the technique is right before upping the weights, it can be fairly daunting to begin with, but you'll soon start recognising the people that attend regularly!
In terms of diet, try cutting out as much crap as possible, I've replaced sugary cereal with porridge and sandwiches at lunch time for home made chicken or tuna salads.
It is very difficult to begin with, the first few weeks especially as you ache like f**k, but your body soon adapts and when you start seeing the results it does become rather addictive!
I go with my mate, which I've found has helped massively and kept me motivated!
I'm sure there will be some much better advice to follow, but best of luck with it all!
When it comes to eating, my diet has changed massively over the past year. All sugary drinks I've replaced with either water, or if I do fancy something fizzy it will be a sugar-free drink such as 7Up Free etc. Breakfast without fail is porridge (plain/original) and a slice of wholegrain bread with peanut butter in the mornings. Lunch will either be chicken or tuna pasta/ salad with a fat-free yogurt and banana.Dinner will be something like chicken and broccoli, egg on toast etc. I don't really snack, but if I do get hungry I'll have a handful of nuts or a piece of fruit. It's just about cutting the rubbish stuff and watching sugar levels.. I pay A LOT of attention to packets now and the 'traffic-light' system.. if it's red in terms of sugar then I won't have it! I've lost nearly 4 stone from just watching what I eat, swapping the sugary and fatty foods for leaner and cleaner meals. Mixed with gym 3-4 times a week and maybe a run once or twice a week, you'll notice the difference.
Also, like mattwade24 says, having motivation is key.. try find someone to go with if possible!
Good luck
Supplements - save your money & don't bother. Just have a decent & varied diet. Unless you're spending hour after hour in the gym there's no point. Even then if your diet is correct you don't need them plus you're probably wasting your time because nobody spends hours in the gym actually working out.
Technique - definitely. Ensure the instructor shows you how to adjust the machines to your height (I help so many people that haven't been shown this basic step) & don't be tempted to follow the idiots in the gym that are seemingly lifting much bigger weights than you at the expense of decent form - you'll actually be doing much better than them in truth.
Legs - don't forget them. Guys want the macho big chest & arms & then skip legs. Your legs are going to transport you around for your whole life so why not make sure they're strong enough to last?
Back - see technique. Make sure your back is straight & don't overdo it.
Body - listen to it. Yes your muscles will ache for a bit as they become used to exercising but if something actually hurts STOP. Too many people ruin their bodies in younger life by training through the pain &/or with medication. It just screws you up for life. Much better to miss a session or two to heal than end up years later under the knife.
Technique - definitely. Ensure the instructor shows you how to adjust the machines to your height (I help so many people that haven't been shown this basic step) & don't be tempted to follow the idiots in the gym that are seemingly lifting much bigger weights than you at the expense of decent form - you'll actually be doing much better than them in truth.
Legs - don't forget them. Guys want the macho big chest & arms & then skip legs. Your legs are going to transport you around for your whole life so why not make sure they're strong enough to last?
Back - see technique. Make sure your back is straight & don't overdo it.
Body - listen to it. Yes your muscles will ache for a bit as they become used to exercising but if something actually hurts STOP. Too many people ruin their bodies in younger life by training through the pain &/or with medication. It just screws you up for life. Much better to miss a session or two to heal than end up years later under the knife.
I got myself back to the gym recently, started out doing lots of cardio and weight machines, now have a new routine by one of the personal trainers (who knows his stuff) and is a combination of weights, Bodyweight and cardio. It’s much more varied and interesting and the results happen much quicker for me. Diet def plays it’s part, I was getting some niggles, worked with the pt to identify I wasn’t getting enough protein and that seems to have fixed it. Porridge for breakfast, banana mid morning, salad or scrambled eggs on toast with avocado at lunch, something balanced for dinner. Yoghurt I switched to a Greek one (skyr) to up the protein without adding shakes etc. My weight has gone down a bit, but I’ve lost a few kg in fat and gained it all back in muscle. First few weeks I was starving all the time, so do make sure you think about the diet!!
Good luck!
Good luck!
Use the P/T as much as possible, get as much advice out of their head as you can retain.
When you go it alone, you can reference this to get some good exercises to do. Keep good form!
Frederic Delavier's Strength Training Anatomy - http://skatingiran.com/download11.pdf
(17.2mb download btw)
When you go it alone, you can reference this to get some good exercises to do. Keep good form!
Frederic Delavier's Strength Training Anatomy - http://skatingiran.com/download11.pdf
(17.2mb download btw)
I got back into weight lifting about 3 years ago and it makes a massive difference to how you look and feel. To begin with it will be hard work (in fact it never stops being hard work, but it becomes more enjoyable). My two bits of advice would be as follows:
1) Decide what you want out of the training and set short term goals to achieve (by x date I want to be bench pressing my own body weight or doing 10 pullups etc etc).
2) Get strong before you do anything else. Train your body to be able to do large compound lifts with good form. I see loads of younger lads in the gym trying to follow some complex body building split training regime. They spend 2 hours doing isolation exercises on various body parts and make no progress as they don't have the underlying strength.
Another tip, if you're going to start lifting weights don't fret about your body weight too much. You'll find that the weight will fall off you to begin with (although 12st at 5'10 isn't exactly obese) and then creep back on as you build a bit of muscle. I'm about the same size as you and started 3 years ago at 12st 10, I dropped to 11st and I'm now back up to about 12st 10 (admittedly not all muscle) but I look a lot different.
1) Decide what you want out of the training and set short term goals to achieve (by x date I want to be bench pressing my own body weight or doing 10 pullups etc etc).
2) Get strong before you do anything else. Train your body to be able to do large compound lifts with good form. I see loads of younger lads in the gym trying to follow some complex body building split training regime. They spend 2 hours doing isolation exercises on various body parts and make no progress as they don't have the underlying strength.
Another tip, if you're going to start lifting weights don't fret about your body weight too much. You'll find that the weight will fall off you to begin with (although 12st at 5'10 isn't exactly obese) and then creep back on as you build a bit of muscle. I'm about the same size as you and started 3 years ago at 12st 10, I dropped to 11st and I'm now back up to about 12st 10 (admittedly not all muscle) but I look a lot different.
KISS. Keep it simple stupid.
Don't go overboard on weights. Technique is very important in order to get the best results and to prevent injury. Start light, get the technique down, then add weight. Whether you get loads of weight and small reps or light weights and lots of reps will be up to you. I, personally, use light weights but lots of reps and build the weight up every so often in the set.
Make it fun, make it enjoyable. People stop going to the gym because it's boring. Just be wary of that.
Don't go overboard on weights. Technique is very important in order to get the best results and to prevent injury. Start light, get the technique down, then add weight. Whether you get loads of weight and small reps or light weights and lots of reps will be up to you. I, personally, use light weights but lots of reps and build the weight up every so often in the set.
Make it fun, make it enjoyable. People stop going to the gym because it's boring. Just be wary of that.
Yipper said:
Do high-intensity training (HIT). Takes just 10mins and delivers the same results, if not better. Google it.
Isn't there a genetic predisposition as to how well that works for different people though? There was a BBC documentary about it some years ago with that Mosely fellow. IIRC he got some health benefit but not much fitness improvement.I have been going for a few months. it is a gym on my way to work and was very cheap thanks to an offer thorugh my health insurance.
I find it so useful fitting it into/round my normal day- im pasing anyway on way to work. I'm in there about 55 minutes usually, including changing, 2-3 times a week and am seeing good improvements.
I go hard for 30 minutes, sweat like anything, then leave. it always amazes me how many people are in there in hoodies, listening to music, texting, and seemingly doing not a lot.
I find it so useful fitting it into/round my normal day- im pasing anyway on way to work. I'm in there about 55 minutes usually, including changing, 2-3 times a week and am seeing good improvements.
I go hard for 30 minutes, sweat like anything, then leave. it always amazes me how many people are in there in hoodies, listening to music, texting, and seemingly doing not a lot.
covmutley said:
it always amazes me how many people are in there in hoodies, listening to music, texting, and seemingly doing not a lot.
Most gyms unfortunately. 
'Yeah bruv. Did a massive 2 hour back work out yesterday' actually reads as 'yes male friend but not an actual relative. Went to the gym yesterday & spent 20 minutes doing exercises that I've seen others doing which I think does something to your back muscles but don't know myself, using poor form & momentum instead of actually lifting the weight. The other 1 hour 40 minutes was spent chatting to another male friend who also isn't an actual relative, looking at myself in the mirror, checking & updating social media & generally taking up space & equipment that other members wanted to use'. 
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