So you finally bit the bullet and bought that gym membership youve been talking about.
You probably have a lot of questions: What should you wear?
What workout should you do?
How do the machines even work?
Heres a primer on how to make your first gym experience awesomeor at least, tolerable.
That means a couple of things.
A loose-fitting, dry-fit shirt or tank top, tights or shorts and comfortable shoes should do.
Every time you go to the gym, you should have a plan, Thebe tells Lifehacker.
(Well give you an idea of what workout to do later.)
Think of the reason thats driving you toward the gym.
Perhaps its the desire togain more muscle.If so, you probably want to focus on the weights and machines.
(Never mind thehowyet.)
Dont be afraid to talk to the gym staff and let them know youre new.
The gym staff are there to help you and give you advice.
They want you to be safe so take advantage of that, Thebe explains.
Know your gym etiquette
Gym culture has unspoken rules about good form and proper etiquette.
No one should ever have to touch your gross butt or back sweat.
Wash your hands:Do yourself and others a favor.
You never know whensomeone might have something contagious.
When the gym gets busy, these simple etiquette rules keep things civil and running smoothly.
Beingtoosore can hurt your motivation and might even turn you off of exercising, Boyce tells Lifehacker.
A sample workout
Everyone will have different suggestions on what sort of workout you should do.
Repeat for five rounds and rest for 90 seconds between each round.
Your body isnt used to working out or moving efficiently yet.
Youll seem like a lumbering giant and feel awkward, and thats OK. Butbeware the tacticsmany gyms might use to rope you into a personal training package.
Whether or not you should hire a personal trainer is based on your budget.
After the gym
Congratulations, you did it!
Youmight feel soreafter a day or two, which is normal.
Its possible to stillwork out when youre sore, even if it is uncomfortable.
But the most important thing is that you keep going.
No one gets more comfortable with exercising overnight or by going to the gym only occasionally.
This story was originally published on 8/24/17 and was updated on 9/13/19 to provide more thorough and current information.
