I was that three-sport athlete in high school who always was in decent shape and told myself I would continue this throughout college. I decided to go seven hours away from home to school and to a school where there is there is no one from my high school. I had to make new friends, get acclimated to my classes and find a job.
I had no problem doing that by joining a club sport but when I became injured in the first two weeks of the season I learned that if I wanted to stay in shape I was going to have to go to the gym (New Balance Student Recreation Center).
As a three-sport athlete in high school, I had never gone to the gym, we had our practices and workouts but never went to an actual gym.
I had no idea what to do, but I went anyways and it was terrible.
1. Crowdedness
The Recreation Center at the University of Maine is always super crowded unless you go before 7 a.m. and after 9:30 p.m. and let's be honest what college student wants to get up earlier then necessary to work out (especially if they aren’t very gym savvy)?
When the gym is busy I feel anxious because I have to wait for equipment to be free and then feel more anxious if someone is waiting for me to be done.
It makes finishing the workout hard because you may feel rushed which is bad both for your muscles, and safety but the mentality of going to the gym.
2. Not knowing where to start
I played field hockey, basketball and managed the ice hockey team along with softball in the spring all throughout my high school career. My workouts consisted of runs and body weight exercises that pertained to my sport for the season we were in.
I never knew how to build my back or chest muscles (and that’s just a small part of the body to be trained). So when walking into the gym, I am at a total loss of what I need to do to better myself.
3. Fear of injury
That leads me to my biggest fear at the gym, serious injury. As stated before I am not the most gym savvy person, I don’t know how to do all these awesome exercises properly which can, in fact, cause incredible injury. A huge example of this for me is lifting weights, I would love to use the squat rack and be able to back or front squat as part of my workout but I am not confident enough in my abilities to safely do it so I avoid the squat racks altogether.
By incorrectly performing a front or back squat you can have a serious injury to your lumbar (lower) back which poses more health problems than benefits.
This leads me to stay on the safe side of the fence by just using things like bikes, treadmills, and dumbbells which doesn’t present as many options to work out all the muscles of the body.
4. Not seeing results quickly
Most people (myself included) go to the gym to stay fit, lose weight and better themselves but when you are a beginner to the gym you want to see results immediately. You go to the gym 5 days a week for 2 weeks and see zero change and get discouraged thinking that it’s not working.
I am on week 6 of training 3-5 times a week and have still seen very little changes and it is incredibly hard but also as a kinesiology exercise science major, I know that it takes a lot more than just a few times at the gym to see improvements.
Unfortunately, I’ve also been in the boat where you don’t see results and just want to give up, but you just have to power through and remember they will happen over time.
5. Surroundings
I think the biggest issue people who are beginners at the gym face is learning how to cope with their surroundings. As someone who is unsure of themselves and abilities goes to the gym at a busy time and sees people who go to the gym for hours every day, it can be very intimidating.
As you’re working out you feel like they’re watching you and judging the way you perform your exercise.
I have also even gotten confused trying to find a specific equipment which can be super embarrassing. But trust me, its all in your head. That guy or girl with the big muscles you think is watching you, isn’t.
They are more focused on killing their own workout not watching you kill yours.
Overall, the gym can be a super intimidating place for someone who is new to it for various reasons. So to all the beginners out there, you’re not alone, and if you need help, ASK.
Trust me everyone else would love to help you or if you are shy (like me) use the internet, there are thousands of videos and websites that can show you a good work out and how to properly do them safely.
To all the more advanced gym-goers keep going out there and killing your workout, but if you see someone who is struggling or doing an exercise incorrectly that may be potentially dangerous, help us.
Give us advice because in the end we are all striving for the same thing, to better ourselves and there is no reason to fear the gym.