What should I be doing at the gym?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’ve got a membership at our little city gym, which has a couple machines and a nice pool (my attempts to learn to swim have… stalled out.) I went with my boyfriend when he went looking at gyms on Saturday and somehow I ended up signing up at the fanciest damned Gold’s Gym in the world. I’m not quite sure how it happened, but evidently I got my sales resistance shot off in the war or something because this morning I went in for a “free orientation” which was advertised as a weigh-in and body fat measurement and help you get started thing but of course was a hard sell for training contracts. And for some reason I said yes!

So I’m going to cancel it now that I’ve had time to realize that I don’t have a hundred bucks a month for a contract that I’ll probably start lazying out of in a few weeks, okay? Grr. So now I’ll be afraid I’ll see the guy at the gym and be embarrassed.

So be my personal trainer. I’m theoretically running three days a week (couch to 5k, yet again) and doing yoga once a week. My goals are weight loss (well, really, “look better naked”) and strength - currently I’m the only one in my yoga class who falls out of poses because I’m not strong enough, and my yoga class has an awful lot of women twice my age in it.

I don’t want to spend a ton of time in the gym and I don’t want to use the free weights with all the grunting guys. (Yes, I know, that’s silly. I’m silly, and I’m okay with that.) There are… a bunch of machines. I’m sure some of them duplicate all sorts of things. I don’t want to spend an asston of time at the gym. I don’t know exactly what machines they have, and now I’m scared to ask because I feel I can’t trust the staff not to try to sell me something (and now I’m a tad bitter.)

So, with that information, what do I need to be doing at the gym strength training-wise, and how often do I need to be doing it?

2

When you say a couple of machines, what do you mean by that? That seems like very small gym.

For some basic strength you may want to look into core workouts instead of the weight machines. There’s nothing wrong with the weight machines–they are very effective for adding muscle–but it may be more than you need now.

Core workouts can be done with little or no weights. They use the weight of your body to provide resistance. It would be exercises like situps, push ups, planks (resting just on your forearms and toes for 30 seconds), and stuff like that. You can get a really good workout. Core workouts won’t add a lot of muscle, but they will make your existing muscles really strong.

See if your gym offers any of these core training classes. Pilates are pretty much a core workout. Or just ask them which classes would be good for getting stronger. They may have some aerobics classes that incorporate weights.

And if you are trying to lose weight, be sure to stay away from energy bars and drinks. Those are just for people with training goals other than weight loss, such as power, speed, or endurance. If you are trying to lose weight, there’s no sense in doing a 200 calorie workout to just negate it by drinking 200 calories of Gatoraid.

3

No, sorry, my old gym only had a few machines. I’m staying there, I’m just cancelling the training sessions. The new gym has a floor full of mysterious machines.

4

Compound exercises.

Bench press
Overhead press
Squat
Bent row
Standing row

You can find dumbbell/cable versions of these in the exercise directory on this site.

Free weights are the best way to go, get over your fear. :wink:

If you must use machines, there should be instruction stickers on the machine.

5

Use the new gym for a month or two before you quit. A Gold’s gym should have in-house trainers who should be able to, at the very least, teach you how to use all the equipment and setup a some routines. Then quit and take your new knowledge to the old gym.

Learn to use the free weights. The guys are not grunting because of you, you have just as much right to them as they do and it is an almost sure bet that they do not begrudge your usage. More likely they would love to show off their knowledge to anyone who asks (and some who don’t.)

6

Which can be a problem. The guys most likely to show off their knowledge are the most likely to be ignorant on the subject.

ETA: Stick with the paid staff.

7

Quit? HA! You sign in blood and promise your firstborn. Seriously, you can’t just use a trainer for a few sessions - it’s a year long contract.

ETA - and really, that’s exactly why I have no desire to go anywhere near the free weights - I hate being pestered.

8

Check and see if your gym offers a beginner’s weight class. I took one in college, and it was very helpful. We learned what muscle groups the machines were for, how to use them properly, what adjustments you might have to make if you vary significantly from the body dimensions the machines were designed for, why you should work the big muscle groups first, the differing benefits of high weight v. high reps, that sort of thing. Not that I continued weight training after that semester, mind, but if I decided to join a gym, I wouldn’t be wandering cluelessly around trying to figure out the machines.

If the OP is like me, she doesn’t take the grunting as an expression of disgust, annoyance, or lack of welcome…just something unpleasant she doesn’t care to listen to. It’s just one of those things some of us find off-putting, like the people who have to woot periodically during every cardio session.

9

How does one “woot”? Is it done with the mouth?

10

Somewhere there should be pictures for the machines. They may be stickers on the machines themselves, or it may be posters on the wall.

They’ll show you some general idea of how to use the machine and what muscles it affects.

The machines are pretty easy to figure out, you just have to quit worrying about looking the fool while you stand there staring at the instructions. Pay attention to things like how to adjust the seat height to get the proper effect.

I’d agree to work on your core muscles first (basically from your butt to your shoulders). First, it’ll improve your posture and tummy (for the ‘look better naked’ part) and those muscles will tremendously help you in yoga (and most everything else).

I know in my gym, there’s a spiffy crunch machine that let’s you do vertical crunches using weights. Works much better for me than trying to do situps or regular crunches (I always seem to hurt my problematic neck or shoulders.)

11

Yeah, that would be helpful - I have a hard time with proper crunch form on my own, keep trying to drag myself up neck first.

12

Again, I will say to not do weightlifting. That builds muscles. And while it does make you stronger, it doesn’t necessarily make your muscles have more endurance. It trains your muscles to do more work, but not necessarily for a longer period of time. It may not help with your yoga to build more muscle.

If you’re staying with Gold’s, they will have a ton of classes which will help you get stronger. Look for aerobics classes which use some kind of weight component. This will be good because you pick the weights which are right for your ability. You may start off with just 5 pound weights or whatever is comfortable. As you get better you can use bigger weights to give yourself more of a challenge. These classes aren’t so much about building muscle. Rather, they are more about making your muscles more efficient.

Weightlifting is good when you want to be stronger. That is, you want to be able to lift more weight. The trouble you have in yoga is not from lack of strength–you already have the strength to lift your leg. Rather, it’s from lack of endurance. You need to condition your muscles so that they can keep up the exertion for a longer period of time. It’s the same for running. Unless you are doing lots of hills, you don’t need to be very strong to run. However, you need lots of endurance. The weight-based aerobics classes are perfect for that. And they are a ton of fun!

13

I’ve found exrx.net (which is where runner pat’s links go) to be an excellent resource. If you hunt around there a little bit, you can find some good beginner’s guides, and of course their pages on individual exercises are great.

The Fitocracy forums have some guides too, that you might find useful, including at least one that’s aimed directly at those who are new to the gym scene.

Another resource I liked that I found out about here on the 'Dope is www.stumptuous.com.

I’d also recommend that you rethink getting a personal trainer one of these days. I don’t know a thing about how Gold’s Gym operates. However, I hired a trainer for 90 days and he really helped me personalize a routine and correct my form, and helped me get past a few misconceptions I had about developing a program. It was a bit spendy, but it was worth it. I did do quite a bit of research on trainers in the area, and went with a guy who’s had training in medical rehab and such, which suited my needs (I didn’t really need rehab, but I’ve got knee and hip issues, and his expertise was just what I needed, and wasn’t likely to get from your average gym staffer). A good personal trainer can help you build a program that targets your specific goals.

Anyway, that’s something to think about down the line. You can certainly make a lot of progress on your own with some research and threads like this.

14

Yes.

woot: noun. a loud, somewhat shrill, often undulating vocalization of at least 10 seconds. Often accompanied by clapping of hands or followed by a cry of “Yeah! Work it!” verb. to make such a vocalization.

15

I am a yoga instructor and I have to disagree with most of this point. Most yoga you will take in gyms is a form of bodyweight exercise, and you absolutely need to focus on building strength and learning proper form in order to improve at holding poses; weight training is the best way to do this. Weight training does not bulk your muscles much unless you eat a lot, either.

Weight based aerobics are great too, of course. And burn tons of calories. But this type of thing won’t bring you much closer to holding plank position, while doing deadlifts and presses a couple times a week will get you there in no time.

ETA: I do lots of yoga and lift free weights. I was doing almost no cardio beyond walking for almost a year, just started back up again with cycling, and while I sure noticed a difference in the fitness of my heart and lungs, cardio or no cardio has had zero effect on my endurance for holding yoga poses.

16

The easiest, fastest way I’ve found is to take a class. Especially spinning or Zumba 2-3 days a week and a lifting class (at Gold’s they’re known as BodyPump because they use Les Mill’s stuff; sometimes they’re called GroupPower.) Lifting class = mostly women, light weights, each weight group get worked to music for several minutes. Go early to your first class (15 min) to catch an instructor to help you learn the poses.

Every single day minus one day per week. Before work, preferably (as per looking better naked, after work sex is better than after wok + after gym + after dinner + lying on the couch exhausted (mediocre if it happens) sex.

Don’t even try to workout on your own. You won’t see results and it will be exhausting and you won’t be driven. A peppy person telling you what to do is loads better than motivating yourself.

17

They have BodyPump at Golds? That would be perfect. It’s exactly what I was talking about. It’s a weight class where you work out in an aerobic fashion. You’ll work all the major muscles groups and you will get stronger. Start out with a very light weight–much lighter than you think you can handle–because you might be very sore the next day if you use too much. If you are fine, then up the weight the next class.

The good thing about these classes for a novice is that you have an instructor showing and telling you the correct form the whole time. And it’s a lot of fun. BodyPump is the only exercise class where I don’t notice the time go by.

After doing classes for a while you may notice certain muscles aren’t getting as strong as you would like. Then I would recommend you start using the machines. You’ll have a better idea of how to work out the muscle and what your goal is.

18

Yep, what filmore said is spot on.

BodyPump is great because you can start out light and really get the technique down pat. Definitely start out super light - I was lowering myself into my chair at work and getting funny stares because my quads and glutes hurt so bad. I was asked if I was disabled more than a few times.

But you can still add on a lot of weight over time - lots of very fit women in my class are toned and have low % bodyfat (not “skinny” or “thin” but very fit) and REALLY load the bar up for squats and so forth. With the long set times it’s impossible to get too muscular.

It’s funny to see the guys comes in to try and learn the technique on the cheap but load the bar up to the equivalent of these toned women. They never return…:stuck_out_tongue:

19

The only advice you need is “stick to it”.

I recommend a basic weight routine. Do the following three non-consecutive days a week (MWF or TRS) -

A general, whole-body warm up like brisk walking or stationary bike. Then -
[ul][li]Leg press - 3 sets of 8 reps[/li][li]Bench press - 3 sets of 8[/li][li]Lat pulldowns - 3 sets of 8[/li][li]Shoulder press - 3 sets of 8[/li][li]Calf raises - 2 sets of 20[/li][li]Rows - 2 sets of 8[/li][li]Biceps curls - 2 sets of 8[/li][li]Crunch sit-ups - 2 sets of 30[/ul][/li]Rest about a minute between sets. If you can, alternate exercises - do a set of leg presses, rest a minute, do a set of bench presses, rest a minute, then go back and do leg presses again. This works better if you have a workout partner, because people are less likely to think you are hogging the equipment.

Add one rep to the last set every other workout until you get to 12 on that set. Then add one to the second set until you get to 12; then to the first set until you are doing 3 sets of 12. When you do, increase the weight by 5% and start at 3 sets of 8 again.

Most women use weights that are too light; most men start with weights that are too heavy.

Not using heavier weight because you are afraid of becoming “too muscular” is like not practicing the piano for fear of turning into Liberace. 95% of the time you can’t get “too muscular” if you wanted - the woman with that genetic potential are very, very rare. You will get much stronger and look much better, but you will not become too muscular.

Do not weigh yourself. Muscle is denser than fat, so you can maintain the same weight but look much different. So pay attention to how you look, and how your clothes fit.

It is Not. Possible. To. Spot. Reduce. Fat.

Read the above until it sinks in - you can do exercises for your thighs until you drop, and it will not preferentially reduce the fat in that area. You always lose fat last from where ever you gain it first. Sorry. You can, however, build up the muscle so that you look infinitely better in whatever area you want. So go ahead and do your squats - your hips, thighs and butt will look better no matter what your fat distribution. If you want your boobs to be bigger, do bench presses and build up the chest muscles so they push your boobs out. (Also work your upper back, with rows, so you will stand taller and look better and more confident).

Believe half of what you see, a tenth of what you read, and nothing of what you hear. Especially on the Internet. :slight_smile:

Regards,
Shodan

20

Thanks - I do know that you can’t spot reduce, that I won’t bulk up, and that I definitely do not need bigger boobs, thanks. :slight_smile: (Hopefully weight loss will shrink them! I can’t believe I used to be jealous of girls with bigger chests than me!)