Beginning of a Permanent Change
Jan 6 at 5:05pm by Andrew Benton
So tomorrow will be the first day of my new fitness routine, and also the beginning of my attempts to put more weight on. I’ve decided that I’m going to do 5 core workouts per week, splitting up body parts and trying to hit everything twice per week. Sounds weird, but I guess I’m becoming a body builder. Read the rest of this entry »
How-to: Not Look New at the Gym
Oct 20 at 12:12pm by Andrew Benton
I’ve been a big fitness-guy for a while now. I’m slowly becoming religiously a gym-bum, I’m there like clockwork every day I can be, and if I’m not there, I make it out to the track or somewhere to get my workout in. I thought it would be nice to write a basic how-to of the gym lifestyle; some basics most people might not know, but will help you from embarrassment once you finally get motivated and into the gym.
Don’t be afraid to ask
One of the main things I see are people who either are too proud, or too scared to ask for help. Most people don’t mind helping you by showing you how to use a piece of machinery, or do a particular exercise. Also remember that you pay money for this gym, and any good gym should have staff that can help you out with basic stuff like this. On that same note, if someone is nice, don’t let them be a crutch for you; no one likes someone constantly bothering them while they’re working out. I call them leeches, they trust you and hold on, and after a while you are basically getting free personal training.
Don’t try to show off
Hey, we all know the gym is full of muscle-heads, and people who think they’re muscle-heads, but let’s not add to that population. We are all there to get healthy/fit/big, whatever, and we all respect that other people are in there, so please, don’t show off; it makes you look like an arrogant tool.
Be courteous to your fellow gym-goers
Here are a few tips to not be labeled as “that guy” at your gym.
- Wipe down your equipment; no one wants your sweat, so please take it with you.
- Don’t hog a machine, if someone asks to work-in, let them, they have just as much right to that piece of equipment as you do.
- If you’re using free-weights, please take your weight off once you are done. If you are going to use it, take the extra 15seconds it takes to put the plates/dumbbells back on the rack.
Gym Lingo
Many times, people will approach you and ask “may I work-in”, or “how many sets do you have left”. Working in doesn’t mean “get off I want it”, only that they would like to use the machine and want to know if it’s okay to use it with you. It’s actually good for both of you, because this way you make yourself rest, which is very important when working out, and in-between sets.
A set is a group of “reps”, or repetitions, most people do 3-5 sets on any given machine with any number of reps, or particular times they do that range of motion for that set. For example if I had 2 more sets of 15, I would do the machine 15 times, get off, rest, and then do 15 more.
Conclusion
I hope this could be of use to someone, because I know many people are gym-shy. If you have any questions, I’ll be more than happy to answer them, and look forward to some of my upcoming articles on basic workout plans so you don’t wander aimlessly.
Below is a list of websites with great information on them. Feel free to check them out!
- Bodybuilding.com - Best source I’ve ever found for articles, workouts by body part, days per week you want to work out, also have workouts based on goals.
- MensHealth.com - another great source. More geared toward males, but an awesome source non-the-less
- Fitness.com - a more rounded fitness website, not as specific as the previous two.
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