I have been a member of quite a few gyms in my 19 years and I find that joining a new one is the epitome of awkwardness. Every. Single. Time.
In many aspects of our lives, being the "new kid" is tough stuff. Even though the gym isn't a place where meeting new people is a main goal, strutting into the gym for the first time makes awkwardness seep from your pores. This might be just a me thing since I'm not an extra-athletic person, but I hope some other humans out there can relate.
One of the many cons of joining a gym is something I like to call the "gymaholics." These are people in the gym who come to boast their physical appearance and disturb the little people who can only bench the bar (aka me). Just the other day, I was grabbing some water after an exhausting run on the treadmill when I happened to hear a conversation between what seemed to be a regular dude and a gymaholic. I will re-enact it for you here:
Regular dude: "Hey man! What are you doing next?"
Gymaholic: "Getting huger than you."
The whole gym: *Sighs dramatically*
Another con of joining a new gym or going to the gym in general is the guy who makes a different, obnoxious noise on every rep. I feel like the only way to describe this well is with this captivating vine:
Disorientation and confusion are a few more things you have to look forward to when joining a new gym. It's a maze of equipment that looks extremely similar but not quite the same. Every gym holds new equipment with new instructions and new muscles that are being worked. If you join a massive gym, the different types of equipment may be placed helter-skelter throughout the building with half-assed signs pointing you in the general direction. You can look forward to finding your way around for a good portion of your first few trips.
The last con of joining a new gym I will leave you with is starting a new fitness plan. It's likely that since you're joining a new gym, you haven't been to one in a while. I always like to go to the gym with a plan, but when I go to a new one, I have to get a feel for what it's like before I can make said plan. I also generally have to get back into the groove of working out daily or often. This makes for a few trips of unsuccessful workouts due to lack of a plan.
Though there are so many cons of going to a new gym, don't let them scare you off. Fitness is important and such so you should probably still go even though it sucks. The newness of the gym will wear off and you will find your own new groove. Just stick with it.
