Here I am, one day after my 49th birthday and I promised myself I would start going to the gym and eat better. I’m about 40 pounds overweight. I really want to be one of those athletic people, but I am badly uncoordinated. It makes me horribly shy, but I know I have to join a gym. It’s too cold here to do any walking for the next five months. Any advice? Please?
Go ahead and go ahead. I’ve been a gym rat for forty years, and believe me - none of the serious lifters are looking at you except to see if you are done with the squat rack.
You can hire a personal trainer if you want, or just start on your own. Twenty minutes of weights and twenty minutes of mild aerobic exercise, like the elliptical trainer or the treadmill or stair-stepper. Three non-consecutive days a week - MWF or TThS.
You can start with the weight machines until you get used to it and build some strength. Your coordination will improve quickly, don’t worry.
2-3 sets of 8 repetitions of the following exercises -
[ul][li]Leg press or squats[/li][li]Bench press[/li][li]Lat machine pulldowns[/li][li]Dumbbell shoulder press[/li][li]Calf raises[/li][li]Biceps curls[/ul][/li]Do a set, rest a minute, do another set. Start with a weight that is challenging but not impossible. If you are male, reduce your starting weight by about 10 pounds; if you are female, increase it by about 10 pounds.
90% of success in this field is showing up for your workouts the third week. If you have questions about things, ask. IME the serious lifters will be glad to answer or give you a spot. Or ask the Dope (and be prepared to be snowed under).
You do not need any supplements or extra protein. Eat more vegetables and smile politely when people try to sell you things.
Regards,
Shodan
I’m no gym rat, but I have, at times, gone 3 or 4 times a week for a year or two. They’re really not that intimidating. As long as you wipe down machines, replace weights on the racks, don’t hog benches, and walk on the walking part of the track you’ll be fine.
Nobody scoff at out of shape people at the gym, the vast majority will be silently proud of you for making an effort.
I’m fifty now. I started going to a crossfit class a little over a year ago. At our age, don’t expect great physical changes but it does help a great deal with strength and stamina. In my case, without a set schedule, I would never get to a gym to work out on my own but if I know that class is MWF at 0600 (that I’ve already paid money for) then I can get there pretty consistently. Having an instructor there with a small class also helps with motivation and maintaining progress.
Never startle your body. It has very few ways to react, and they’re generally unpleasant.
When you start exercising for the first time in a while, you will get hungry. The secret trick to not freaking out your body: eat more. Don’t make that a life choice, however. Eat enough that you feel comfortable, so your body knows that, even though you’re having to exercise more, you also have enough food to meet your new energy requirements. As you get to the point that you can exercise more without feeling so hungry, you can either taper off your food intake to what it was before, or begin substituting healthier choices (more fresh fruits & vegetables, less processed food; more lean meats & proteins, less chips & soda).
If you are around the north Chicago suburbs, look into a place called the Exercise Coach. (They have about ten locations scatterred around the rest of the country.) I started working out there about 18 months ago. It is geared to older people who may have been pretty sedentary.
It is $200 a month, which sounds pricey, but you are basically buying privacy. You get two 20 minute workouts each week by yourself with a trainer. Maybe one other client in the room for part of your appointment, as they sometimes overlap a little. Any other clients there are likely older and overweight as well.
The equipment is all computer controlled and adjusts to your ability.
I did not lose weight but I am smaller than I was as I have dropped some fat and added muscle, which is denser than fat. I definitely feel better and stronger.
I am not planning on running a marathon, but I feel I am forestalling decrepitude.
Do you happen to have the resources and room to get a middle of the line elliptical or treadmill? Alternatively, you could start with some workout videos at home. It might help you feel less awkward, and sometimes it helps you remain more consistent since the equipment is right there. On the downside, it can get boring, so a gym may work best for you.
Regardless, I’ve found that at most gyms, people are more worried about not looking awkward themselves to pay attention to anyone else. Kinda like high school - you never realize until you’re older that people are so concerned with making sure they themselves don’t look dumb they don’t realize no one is paying attention. And congratulations on your commitment - they say weight loss is simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
Look around for a gym or fitness center that doesn’t cater to body builders. I use the local YMCAs to keep fit during the winter months as I’m otherwise riding my bicycle outside.
40 lbs? Don’t worry about it. There will be plenty worse than that. I’m not well coordinated either so I’m more into straight ahead sports like bicycling and jogging. The stationary bikes and treadmills are a good way to burn off some weight and most gyms have a track that you can walk, job, or run on.
Start today. You’ll get a jump on the New Year’s Resolution people who flock to the gyms on January 2nd. Unfortunately many of these people are never seen again by February 1st.
Tip: buy a couple of technical t-shirts made out of something like Kool Max material and NOT cotton. Cotton holds onto sweat and doesn’t evaporate and cool you down as well. Plus a sweat drenched t-shirt might not be the image that you want to project. I know some people use sweaty t-shirts as a badge, but not me.
Oh! Make sure to bring a lock so that you can secure your valuables. Big dummy here had his car stolen while at the Y because I didn’t lock the locker.
All of my thoughts about other people at the gym are as follows:
- Damn. The elliptical I like is taken.
- Oh great, there’s that old guy who is in amazing shape and slams out high-intensity cardio for hours at a time. I hate that glorious bastard.
- Ooh. Cute girl.
- Ooh. Cute gi- Nope. That’s a dude. (I leave my glasses in the car).
That’s pretty much it. Nobody at the gym is really paying attention to anybody else unless they’re a) workout buddies or b) are hogging/misusing equipment. So don’t be shy, and definitely get a personal trainer for at least a few sessions if you’re planning on doing any weight training.
O)r if you’re really want to go unnoticed, wait until the 1st. You’ll blend in with all the newbies and by the time the last of them have fallen, you’ll be a regular.
If you have a Planet Fitness around you, check them out. They really are “the gym for the rest of us”.
Isn’t this the gym that bans real athletes and throws pizza parties for people? That doesn’t sound like a good idea.
Take a look at your local Groupon offers and try a few different places over the next few months. I’ve been at the same, small, gym now for over 4 years after doing a Groupon deal for their bootcamp. I bet a lot of places will be offering intro deals in anticipation of the New Year’s crowd.
See, this is the problem I have with yoga… it’s already dark in there. I take my glasses off, and suddenly the main entertainment value of the class is lost.
See, I see myself as taking a hit for the team and lowering the curve for everybody else. If I can get through the day without falling down, breaking anything or hurting myself, that’s a good day.
Boy I have been away from the gym for a while and it shows. A lot.
But I have been in the gym many times for decades. What most people feel about out of shape guys (or even really fat guys) in the gym is, “Good for him.”
If you have absolutely no idea what you are doing sign up for a trainer. At least for a few sessions. Talk to them up front. I have seen too many trainers who like to make people over work and puke the first day just to prove how in need of a trainer they are. Or they show you really off the wall exercises that you need a trainer to help with. Tell the trainer you want to learn the equipment and get a basic work out routine set up. That should only take a few sessions. After you get your basic fitness level up you can always go back to the trainer to get additional tips.
I’m a gym rat, but I’m in my early 30s. Seriously, concerns people have about what others at the gym think about them are all overstated. The only time I really have more than a passing though about other people at the gym is if they’re doing something that draws attention to themselves, as in lifting a ton of weight, making a bunch of noise, dressing/acting conspicuously (talking loudly, posing, etc.), or you’re on a piece of equipment that I’m interested in using. As a general rule, I have respect for the older guys, or the the guys I see that are clearly new to the gym and trying to get into shape, particularly if I continue to see them over several months and see progress.
To a certain extent, I gather that it can be intimidating to see guys in great shape around you, particularly if you’re not sure what you’re doing, but speaking for myself and most of the others to whom I’ve spoken at the gym, we’re happy to help out someone with form or some sort of advice. Of course, sometimes that information is bad, but that’s how that sort of thing goes. Personally, I get approached often multiple times a week, ranging from what exercise someone should do for a certainbody part, proper form, splits, diet, or even just a “hey I see you in here all the time”. I’m always happy to help out.
So, my general advice, just find a gym with decent equipment that’s convenient and go. Just make sure not to hit too hard at the start, that tends to be a common problem, it’s a shock to the body and makes it difficult to establish the habit. And as for coordination, you’ll find that working out will improve that as well, it will help sync up your mind and muscles, particularly if there’s some specific things you’re training for and do functional training for it. And if you have specific questions, if you’re not comfortable asking someone there and cannot afford a trainer, people on this board or other weighttraining boards will be happy to help out.
Beware of the 2-3 week yips.
When you first start to work out your body will not know what you are doing. You will feel stronger than you really are and tend to overdo it.
Eventually, at about 2 to 3 weeks, your body will start to figure it out and reset and it will feel like you are going downhill. You won’t be able to lift as much, your energy will wane - you might also get a nasty cold or something like that to knock you off schedule. This is your body saying, “Oh, I get it now! Well, f*ck that!”
Just keep going (if the cold is too bad, then take a break - but go back as soon as convenient!)
It is a misapprehension that you need to join a gym to become fit, and frankly the only real reason to do so is to access activity-specific facilities (e.g. a swimming pool, spinning classes, access to a personal trainer, et cetera) or to use shower/locker room facilities if you are exercising away from home and don’t otherwise have access. Most of the equipment in the gym designed for exercise is unnecessary and frequently detrimental to both good form and long term fitness. I’ll specifically highlight Smith machines and elliptical trainers, but honestly any weight machines and most aerobic machines should be avoided, and the focus should be on developing strength and good form over doing exercise for a certain period of time or burning some theoretical amount of calories. The only equipment you really need for good fitness using a bodyweight program is a good jumprope, some facility to do pull-ups and other overhead exercises (I like rings or TRX for bodyweight exercises), and perhaps kettlebells, a simple olympic barbell or a sandbag if you want to do lifting exercises.
As far as advice, I’ll point to the Eat. Move. Improve.: Beginning Training Programs, Nerd Fitness, and/or Kelly Starrett’s Becoming a Supple Lizard, all of which will provide good information on both proper nutrition and basic technique and program to develop total fitness (including coordination, strength, agility, and flexibility) without risking injury or imbalance. There is a thundering herd of terrible advice about nutrition and exercise out there, and a lot which is just overly complex or designed specifically to sell you on some piece of equipment or program to which the primary benefit is the advertiser’s wallet rather than your overall fitness. These sources distill the essence of fitness down to the core principles and will make you sufficiently informed to understand the choices that you make. I also like that they don’t dictate how you do something (e.g. whether you should follow a paelolithic diet or should joint CrossFit) but rather make you well-informed enough to determine what works best for you, including the type of exercise or program you are most likely to commit to and stick with within your lifestyle.
The other thing to bear in mind is that fitness isn’t you should think of as doing for an hour three times a week just to get it done; it is a lifelong and holistic process of maintaining and improving your health including nutrition (critical), injury prevention (you can’t stay fit if you’re always in recovery), and most importantly, fun (you won’t do it if it just makes you miserable). This means that you need to think of it in the overall context of your lifestyle, e.g. do things that work well for you, and also, you don’t need to do it all at once or be totally informed to start doing something. Pick some activity that you can do like jumping rope or doing pushups or whatever to the level that is moderately challenging (i.e. doesn’t leave you nauseous and vomiting, or require you to drive an hour out of your way, or whatever), focus on doing it well and gaining incremental improvement in technique, strength, and endurance, and then build upon that with additional activities as appropriate. The most important things for you to know is how to appropriately do your chosen exercise to prevent injury and get the most improvement (e.g. keeping your back straight during pushups or keeping your head up and rotating with forearm movements when jumping rope).
As far as being horribly uncoordinated, bear in mind that nearly everybody is “horribly uncoordinated” when undertaking some new activity. Don’t worry about what other people think of what you are doing; focus on your own technique and improving it steadily rather than trying to do it as fast or most possible from the start. Once you get the technique down and as your endurance improves, everything else (strength, coordination, agility, et cetera) will naturally follow.
Good luck to you.
Stranger
Pretty much this. Nobody else is looking at you unless you are particularly attractive or you’re that guy who mumbles to himself and bumps into everyone. I’ve been going to various gyms for over 40 years myself and have only seen a few cases of outright rude, hostile behavior. Every single case has been a yoga instructor. Those huge guys grunting and shouting in the corner are all pussycats in comparison. Never met one who didn’t jump at the chance to show off what he knows.
The same etiquette applies in the gym as anywhere else. Don’t leave your crap laying around, clean up after yourself, wait your turn, don’t be a hog, don’t be a jerk.
You’ve been given some great advice here!
Just to re-emphasize:
Doing something, almost anything, is much much better than doing nothing.
Don’t reach too high too fast. Establish a base first. Once you have a month under your belt of not pushing too hard then start gradually but consistently pushing yourself to make progress - a little faster or longer on the cardio machine, a little more weight, as close to each time you can handle.
Really no one else in the gym cares about you enough to give you a second glance and no way you will stand out.
Fitness does not require coordination. Sports performance does but not fitness. And indeed you don’t need a gym to exercise but some enjoy it. And classes get some motivated to keep it up.