Fitness

Find our latest fitness posts with all things health and fitness on our blog. Coming from a gym and sporting background, we hope to provide honest and helpful for everyone looking to get started on their fitness journey. Or if you’re already on your way provide some tips and tricks we’ve learnt along the way help you avoid the mistakes we’ve made.

One of the most important pieces of information is our famous dos and don’ts list so when you’re looking to get started on your fitness and goals in the gym follow our simple guideline and get yourself started right!

Do’s

• Take up all freebies

When you join up at the gym there’ll most certainly be freebies and things you can take advantage of, and again being the person on the other side of the desk I can tell you they are all incredibly worth it Majority of the time there’ll be a complimentary personal training session, probably free classes or first class free, free small group training etc. In reality, from the perspective of the trainer, the personal training is to they can show you what they offer and see if you’d like to do ongoing personal training. But whether you want ongoing training or not just do it, that session will make you feel so much more comfortable in the gym having a professional with you throughout maybe your first ever workout in a gym full stop. From then on the gym anxiety is so much easier to handle.

And that’s the same with the group fitness classes, give them a go, meet some regular members, and get some familiar faces in the gym. If they have a huge group fitness timetable just ask which classes are most popular or pick some classes that you might enjoy. But these is a key step in your journey to get yourself comfortable in gym environments, meet some regulars and really set yourself up for success.

• Listen to the membership agreement, and ask them to send it to you

This one is of course unique to where you go and in all honesty not ever gym as is transparent as they should be or could be when it comes to the contract/membership agreement. In my role I’ve always read them all major points and gone through every detail with anyone signing up to my gym, because I firmly believe that it makes members so much happier in the long run knowing all the terms and conditions and it helps members trust the staff a whole lot more as well. However, whether they go through it all with you or not, ask them as many questions you’d like, ask them what the cooling off period is (there’s always an initial period in which you can cancel for free, it legally has to be included in memberships in my region). Then ask them to send you the agreement as well if you don’t think they’ve covered the details well enough for you.

This helps you understand what you’ve signed up for and lets you know what you’re entitled to, members are always telling me that they’re headed on holiday and whether I’m in the office or not I take down when they’re leaving to freeze their payments it’s in the membership clause so why not take advantage of those that are written in for you. Other gyms have some surcharges which can entitle you to personal training sessions or sauna sessions and are automatically charged to your account. This way you can make the most of your membership and use your plan to the fullest, take up those sessions you’re being charged for what a fantastic way to check your progress and learn more in the gym. Use the free monthly sauna sessions you’re paying for, sweat it out and have a good cleanse, the staff will love it, there’s nothing more we like to see than happy and engaged members.  

• Ask the staff as many questions about health and fitness as you’d like.

Having worked in different fitness facilities, gone to different conferences, and worked in different types of training locations as well, I can tell you that fitness staff are fitness crazed. They would love to have you ask them any questions because it is literally our entire lives, we got into this industry because we live and breathe health and fitness, as soon as someone asks us a question it’s like opening a can of worms, you’ll never shut them up. Asking any questions you’re unsure of, helps push you in the right direction, educates you on the correct way to train and builds your relationship with staff members helping you feel more and more comfortable every time you’re in. And last but not least, it refers back to the previous point of taking advantage of the resources you have; you’re surrounded qualified staff and trainers in the office that dedicate themselves to fitness. So go pick their brains, we love talking about fitness, it’s why we’re here, so go ask that question you’re too shy to ask, the staff will love answering your question.

• Start working out as soon as you sign up.

This isn’t as much about utilising the resources here or getting the most for your money, but it is about utilising all that motivation and all that inspiration you’ve got when you first join the gym and putting yourself in the right routine. Use that initial motivation to get yourself into a regular training schedule and you’ll thank yourself for it in the future. We’re not motivated all the time none of us are, it’s entirely going to be about having a routine in place that you follow day in day out because you know your reason why and you know what a good routine looks like. So, use that initial energy and drive to set up your routine and workouts. From a management perspective we’re always told to get members in for the first 30 days to train as those that train in the first month are 2-3 times more likely to train regularly afterwards, and we always want our members training regularly. A busy gym is a happy gym.

• Make sure the gym is a convenient location for you

When looking for a gym to train at you’ll be taking in a lot of factors and consideration, including prices, inclusions, group fitness classes and even the general vibe and feel of the club itself. But the number one factor that you shouldn’t disregard is convenience, having a gym that has all the bells and whistles for a wonderful price but it’s a 30-40 minute drive well out of your way, might not actually be the best choice for you. And maybe it’s a great gym and location but they’re only open from 8-5 and you work a 9-5 job, you’ve got to be realistic about the when you’ll be training and telling yourself you’ll only train in that 1-hour window and it’ll all be okay might be great when things are running smoothly, but one slight change to you routine and now you can’t train at all. As previously mentioned, no one is motivated 100% of the time, having somewhere local and available at lots of times for you is something you should prioritise. So that on those days when you’re really not feeling it (which we all have) you know the gym is just down the road, or its on your way home from work anyway so you may as well get the workout done. Something as simple as location and it being local to where you live can 110% help you stay in routine and stay motivated so smash out those goals.

Don’ts

• Start training with no goals

It might seem like an obvious one, and you’re thinking well I already have a goal who signs up for the gym with no goal in mind. However, the number one answer I get when asking why someone is signing up is, “to get more fit,” and as fantastic as that sounds, that is not a measurable or achievable goal whatsoever. Get more fit will be a goal you’re chasing forever. And that’s because if you’re like me and like most people you’re never satisfied you’re always going to want more. And how exactly are you measuring this “more fit?” Is it, “well I’ll be more fit when I’m 10kg lighter?” Brilliant! That’s your goal “lose 10 kilograms” something you can measure and something you can strive towards and conquer over time. Set yourself a measurable and achievable goal and it will work wonders in boosting your motivation and keeping you training. So, ask yourself two questions right now, “What is my goal?” And “How am I measuring it?” And you’re good to go! Go achieve that goal, you got this!!

• Expecting to see results instantly.

The most demotivating thing is you’re trying something new, putting yourself through these hard workouts and giving it your all, weighing yourself daily and you’re not seeing the scales change as much as you’d like. I would just like to let you know if you’re getting in the gym and training, and you’re looking at making tweaks to your diet to eat a bit healthier you are absolutely killing it. I’m so proud of your progress. But do remember these things and big results take time, don’t get demotivated by slow results be proud of the fact you’re making changes that’s what is key. You might be thinking it isn’t going well because the scales aren’t moving as fast as you wish but making small habit changes and learning to push yourself in the gym is more important, you’re taking part in a marathon here, not a 100m sprint.  If you’re doing everything right and you’re eating a little bit cleaner and you’re training regularly, the results will come, trust the process, and enjoy the ride. I personally get stuck in the trap of weighing myself every day expecting to see the scales change and regardless of how hard you train and diet that’s just not going to help. So now I do “weigh in Wednesdays” I call it, and every second Wednesday morning I check the scales and see how I’m doing, not every week and certainly not every day because progress takes longer than that. And it’s no linear progression, expect to see some fluctuations and ups and downs. But don’t stop training and giving your all.

• Go all out when you first sign up.

Now I’m not saying you should slack off and not try your hardest but trying hard and going overboard are two different things and when you’re first getting started you might not know your limits yet. What seems to you like you’re just pushing yourself as much as you should be, and you’re doing really well and trying your hardest, that might be too much for you at the moment. It might be something you need to work up to and ease into the workouts, your training will take its toll on you already there’s no need to go all out and train 7 days a week for 2 hours a day in your first week. If you’ve already been in a great routine training regularly in the last three months I always say go for it, jump right back into your old routine your body will be able to handle it just fine. But if it’s your first time in the gym, my recommendation is try for 3 days of training, mixing up some weights and some cardio, going to a group fitness class for you work out, and keep that up for the first 3 weeks, and if you’re feeling okay you’re recovering alright, let’s bump that up to 4 weeks. Keep that going and if you have time and if you feel like you can handle training 5 days a week, you go this go for it your body is ready if you are!

• Don’t be afraid to hit the weights

Now the last one is kind of two points in one, but a lot of conversations in the gym require us to just convince members that cardio is a great way to burn some calories it’s true, but you need to add some weight training into your routines as well for long term results and sustainable results. And it can seem quite scary at first, you don’t want to injure yourself, you don’t know which exercises to put together, you don’t know how to set up your routines. But if you’ve followed all the do’s, you’ve tried some classes, taken up a complementary session and you’ve been talking to staff and simply asking them how to set up your workouts if you don’t know, you should know enough to get started. It can be scary, and it might be full of people that look strong and sure of themselves and know what they’re doing, but in reality they’re focused on their workouts, trying to figure out their routines just the same as you are. So hit the weights in the gym as well as getting some hardcore cardio done. Don’t be afraid that it won’t get you any results because it most certainly will. The weight training will boost your metabolism, get you looking toned and fit and get you feeling stronger and more confident. So go for it you have only good things to gain.

And this also ties into educating yourself as well, asking those questions, doing a bit of research at home, or following some personal trainers on YouTube and Instagram and seeing what they say maybe even check out our Instagram account for trips tricks and motivation @thehealthoverload. A lot of women especially, are concerned that weight training will make them stocky and overly muscular, if you’re training to look a particular way and you’re looking at actresses and models, they’re hitting the weights 5-6 times per week to look toned and fit. You will not turn into Arnold Schwartzenegger by weight training, it takes a hell of a lot more effort, diet, and training to get anywhere near that size, eating potentially 6-7 meals a day.

So, here’s your gym handbook for the do’s and don’ts I’ve come across when helping people get started on their goals in the gym. And the best way to make yourself feeling comfortable and confident in the gym to not only get started on your health and fitness goals but also set yourself up for success to achieve those goals in the fastest ways possible. Some simple tricks like training right away can get you into routine and making sure the gym is actually at a convenient location for you can make all the difference down the road. And lastly the fact that you’ve just read our article and you’re already doing the research to get the best of your training and your health and fitness show’s you’re already making the right steps to success. So just keep doing what you’re doing keep reading our articles keep doing the research and from the both of us from the bottoms of our hearts we want to say great work on getting started we can’t wait to see you succeed and see your dreams come true.