To keep in the spirit of the beautiful weather we have been experiencing this weekend, we thought we’d encourage you to enjoy it in the gym! A gym is a place for athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and competitors to train at their peak performance with a deep desire to achieve their goals, however, the gym also resides as a place for first-timers and non-competitors who are still getting used to the culture of their gym and what it takes to be “fit”. For this reason, we thought it would be important to explain the gym in a little more detail for those of you who are still unsure about the norms and unwritten rules of the gym, especially given that a lot of gyms are still open this bank holiday. We hope you enjoy!
The gym equipment is like your home furniture, you damage it, you live with it. Think of the gym as your second home if you will, if you choose not to take care of the gym’s equipment, you will be the one having to use it after. And if you see others throwing the weights around leaving bands hanging about or misusing the machines in a careless fashion, don’t see this as an opportunity to the same, be a leader, not a follower. Your gym equipment is like your tools, take care of them and they will take care of you.
Almost every gym has at least one personal trainer and almost everyone is fearful of approaching them and for no reason at all, they are not fire-breathing dragons who take pride in other people’s faults and they definitely do not aim to watch you fail so they can correct you and then slap an invoice in your face for their assistance, hardly ever is this the case. Remember personal trainers almost always get into the career path because they feel a great warmth training others and watching them succeed with their help, they want the best for everyone’s health and fitness. So don’t be afraid to ask for a trainer to help spot or assess your form, that’s their job and if you or they feel like you require regular assistance then perhaps you can discuss sessions with them and work specifically on your goals.
Last but not least, have fun! This is probably the most important one, if you are not enjoying your training, you have a problem. Your training should include a clear dynamic between intensity and enjoyment, as soon as your training steps out of one of these categories, rethink/reformulate your program. Most people fall off the wagon early on their journey when they are not enjoying their training, now for some, it is very difficult to find what they enjoy in the gym because frankly, they “hate” it. In this case, don’t go. There is no point beating around the bush trying to figure out how to get along with the gym, walk instead or go for a run, try out a new sport you might enjoy, do anyone of the 99 possibilities you can to keep active, if you force yourself to engage in something you know you don’t enjoy, you will soon give up.
If you found this post insightful, why not check out some of our previous posts on our blog page or if you are interested in becoming a qualified personal trainer check out our main page for course information.
Written by Daniyal Siddiqui.