1. Don’t be afraid to ask how to use/do something: Anyone who goes to the gym regularly knows how to use the majority of the machines and weights, and also knows what the correct form is when someone is working out. You’ll only look inexperienced and silly if you try to do something improperly. If you need help, just ask! Most people are eager to help, and show off what they know. Confidence comes with repeated exposure.
2. Watch how you dress: If you’re going to the gym, you’re going for overall improvement. Don’t wear the tightest spandex outfits you can buy if it doesn’t compliment you. It won’t be comfortable to exercise in, and you won’t feel confident. Put the time and the work in, and let the results show for themself without the immediate help of spandex.
3. Ask to work in with someone: If you’re waiting to use a machine and the person currently occupying it doesn’t intimidate you, ask if you can work in! They’ll offer you helpful tips if your form is wrong, which you might not even realize yourself.
4. But don’t hover: Some people simply don’t want to be bothered. It never hurts to ask, but you can generally tell when someone wants you to stay away and wait for them to finish. It’s fine to ask how many sets they have left, and to wait for those sets to be finished, but don’t stand right next to them watching.
5. Don’t put it all over social media: Does this really need an explanation? Unless you’re making major gains, or meeting major goals, your gym visit doesn’t have to be broadcasted.
6. Don’t expect results immediately: No matter how many reps you do, or how much you lift, it will take time to see changes in your body. On average, it takes around 8 weeks to see personal improvement yourself, and 12 for everyone else to fully notice it. While this isn’t always the case, you can’t do 100 sit-ups and expect to magically have abs the next morning. Don’t give up, progress feels even sweeter when you’ve waited for it.
7. And with that being said, LIFT: Most girls want to be toned and defined, and think that daily bouts of cardio will do this for them. While cardio does burn fat and get your heart rate going, you can’t expect results if your routine is restricted to cardio. Lifting burns fat faster, and tones you better. Cardio should be incorporated into your everyday workout, but it should only be a part of it, not the whole workout.
8. Know what you want to change: Don’t go into the gym and try random machines only to hope for the best. If you want better shoulders, lift. If you want a tighter butt, squat. Know how everything is related: for example, if you want to get big, you do lower reps with heavier weights. If you want to be toned, you use lighter weights and do more reps.
9. Understand the difference between sets & reps: You’re going to feel funny if you’re waiting on a machine and you mistakenly ask someone how many reps they have remaining. Reps are what make up sets; you may do 30 reps, and 4 sets, meaning you do any given exercise 30 times, each time, for 4 times in a row.
10. Don’t beat yourself up: If you can’t make it to the gym one day, or if you need a day off, you don’t have to agonize or feel like shit. Similarly, if you work out and don’t see results or don’t feel you did a good job, try again tomorrow. You did more than most people by just showing up.
11. Rotate exercises: When you do different exercises, you work different parts of your body, including many different muscles. If you focus on one set of muscles in a day, you want to focus on a different set the next day. A muscle area can take about a week to heal if you work it out hard, so find varied exercises to do every day. Lucky for you, you have many muscles to work with!
