Tips for the beginner

Panthro

Hi all,
well basically i took the plunge today and put down the remote control, got off the couch and headed to my local gym to join.
background: im a mid twenties male, 5ft 11" high, 11stone (plus a quarter over xmas), have never done any sports worth mentioning in my youth, so im a blank canvas in terms of getting healthy and fit etc. i was a little heavier in my youth, 14 and a half stone to be presice, lost the puppy fat so now i want to get rid of the remaining and basically look a little more toned.
so i have rambled on over here with a few questions as im doing orientation tomorrow (the novice in me is guessing that involves telling me where the machines are, how to use them etc?)
so, are there any do's and dont's the more seasoned gym guru's could recommend to the newbie starting off? any irritating things you see newbies do every day and you think to yourself "i wish someone would let newbie know u dont do that" etc? i dont intend/want to get in anybodys way, cause upset etc so please, vent any thoughts to help me on my way!
thanks in advance all!

papajimsmooth

Start here, perfect advice for a beginner.
http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki

rattboy

The most important advice I can give you is that most of your gains will come from heavy compound movements (exercises that use more than one joint). The bread and butter of every workout programme should be Bench Press, Squats, Deadlifts, Overhead Press, Chin Ups/Pull Ups, Bent-Over Rows and perhaps Dips. Doing nothing but massive amounts of bicep curls (which you will see lots of guys doing) is not the way to get big biceps.

Other than that, some various tips:

-Start on machines if you want, but I'd recommend starting free weights as soon as possible.

-Your muscles don't grow in the gym, they grow when you are resting. So don't think that going to the gym every single day will give you better gains than just going 3 days a week, the opposite is in fact true because your muscles need time to grow.

-Food is your friend.

-Choose a goal. Everybody wants to put on muscle AND lose fat at the same time, but this is very difficult in reality, and most of these people will end up failing to reach either one. You will get better results (IMO) if you choose one goal and stick to it (say, concentrate on adding muscle for a year, and then worry about cutting down fat afterwards, or vice versa).

-Personal trainers tend to be full of sh1t. Take your orientation with a grain of salt.

-Be patient, gains will come if your diet and routine are solid, but it doesn't happen overnight!

-Be confident in the gym, it can be intimidating at first, but don't worry because once the bug bites you will be hooked! Remember, if you can grasp the info I've given above you will automatically know more than the vast majority of people in your gym.

injured365

Id say the best thing you could you is wait and see what the program you get is like and then post it up here. There is probably a good chance it will be a generic one-for-all type of program which would involve mostly machine based exercises.

Hopefully im wrong and it will be good program but either way id suggest posting it up here

Panthro

thats for the info and the advice so far guys, much appriciated.
i was thinking visiting the gym maybe 3 days a week, and the other 3/4 just hit the swimming pool as i used to be an okay swimmer and its a fun exercise for me.
food wise, i rarely eat bars/crisps/takeaways etc weekdays. at the weekend id take a dip and get a pizza and a few beers in but other than that its cornflakes, brown bread, brown rice and plenty of boiled or fryed veg. and throw in a few cups of tea (soya milk no suger)
so what would be the recommended time a person starting off should spend in a gym? im leaving a 2hour gap in which i hope to warm up, do what ever workout is recommended and get a shower in afterwards. am i being unrealistic? i really hope the bug of the gym catches on as i want some form of routine set aside for me (my time). i did find todays glimpse a wee bit imtimating as everybody seemed to be running effortlessly, i was getting tired just looking at some of them!
im hoping the program is not some generic thing, iv told them iv asthma which is under control but acts up for various reasons (sunshine, dust mainly) and i get lower back pain so i want to build up some muscle in that area aswell.

once again, thanks for the advice, ill post up the program once i get it.

Mjollnir

papagormo wrote: »

Hi all,
well basically i took the plunge today and put down the remote control, got off the couch and headed to my local gym to join.
background: im a mid twenties male, 5ft 11" high, 11stone (plus a quarter over xmas), have never done any sports worth mentioning in my youth, so im a blank canvas in terms of getting healthy and fit etc. i was a little heavier in my youth, 14 and a half stone to be presice, lost the puppy fat so now i want to get rid of the remaining and basically look a little more toned.
so i have rambled on over here with a few questions as im doing orientation tomorrow (the novice in me is guessing that involves telling me where the machines are, how to use them etc?)
so, are there any do's and dont's the more seasoned gym guru's could recommend to the newbie starting off? any irritating things you see newbies do every day and you think to yourself "i wish someone would let newbie know u dont do that" etc? i dont intend/want to get in anybodys way, cause upset etc so please, vent any thoughts to help me on my way!
thanks in advance all!

Without question, the #1 single most important thing you need to do is develop a routine or program that you will enjoy, one that specifically YOU like to do.

Without training being something you really like to do, something that you look forward to doing, you'll (meaning anyone) will never stick to it, and will likely stop completely at some point.

injured365

You should ask to have your bodyfat tested, this will give you a better indication of how to achieve your goals. Although judging by your height and weight i doubt its going to be very high.
Also for the lower back pain, it would be well worth arranging a physio appointment to have it checked out.

Dont worry about what level of fitness others are at, they were all in your position at some stage!!!

Colm_OReilly

I'd advise getting a good coach to show you what to do and to motivate you. The difference between people who train on their own versus people under supervision is phenomenal, really.

Panthro

well as promised, a review of round 1 of me versus the gym..
went in, met my trainer who was writing up my program for me, a guy that represented ireland in bodybuilding a few times, and came 7th in mister universe apparently, i wasnt intimated at tall i swear...(bearing in mind folks i have never done anything remotely in the line of exercise before in my life!).
managed to go 10mins on a bike machine.(delighted with myself)
managed to go 5 minutes on a stepper machine?..(you step on it and pull back the bars)
managed to have a go at most of the other machines that work on your leg muscles, arms and chest, doing 30 goes of each at typical weights of 30-35kg's.
then, managed to nearly faint, lost all my energy completely, got dizzy, sat down, hadnt the energy in my neck to hold my head up. my elbows and hands cramped up (didnt even know that was possible!) the trainer gave me some lucozade to get suger back into my system. (couldnt hold the bottle! he had to hold it to my mouth!!)
took about 10mins or so before i started feeling remotely like myself again.

and so ended round 1 of me versus the gym..guess the gym won that round..
but like all good fighters im going to tackle it again on sunday, credit to one of the staff, they rang me to make sure i got home safely.

Paul Tergat

Stick at it Papa, one day you will look back on it and have a laugh!

Dashticle

Fair play man, remember every time you go back you'll push back the threshold of feeling sick and exhausted. I've puked once or twice in the gym (well the jacks, half exhaustion half accidentally slugging someone else's cup of warm water off the window ledge/hungover). As they make us shout at kickboxing 'you don't get tired, you get STRONGER' (lots of pushups if you're not loud enough ).

Good luck and stay commited

MrPain

Dashticle wrote: »

'you don't get tired, you get STRONGER'
Good luck and stay commited

I like that saying:)

Panthro

thanks folks,
im off to round 2 of me versus the gym at 4pm. this time im armed with a good dinner and 2 pints of water inside me.
i shall not be defeated! (although i wouldnt be surprised if i nearly collapse again!)

Red Alert

I was exactly like you a while back - but I never had a programme done until I moved gym. The difference was phenomenal, like Colm_OReilly said. I know the guy who works there and did the programme, so I know he's going to ask me how I'm doing with it, so that motivates me to see it out every time I go. Don't worry about wearing yourself out, you'll be fine next time, and it might take a few visits to be able to do the entire thing completely.