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How should girls start going to the gym?
It is normal for beginners at the gym to feel a bit awkward and reserved. For other newbies, it can be quite scary and intimidating, as you are still trying to figure things out. Don’t stress yourself out over these trivial things going on in your mind, because the truth is, it’s probably all in your head.
Nevertheless, we are here to help you go through it. We understand because we went through it too. It can be really terrifying and overwhelming for women at first, but once you get the knack for it, it will be easier than before. So, we laid out a few tips for you to help you further as you go your way to the gym and start your workout routine to keep a healthy body and mind.
With this article, we drive to settle your mind and provide the proper mindset to help you with your workout journey at the gym for all hardworking females out there. We got you covered from learning where to begin and everything in between and going forth.
What should I do for a start?
For beginners, going to the gym for the first time might not be an easy thing to do. Women taking their first visit to the gym may get distressed and blown away by different equipment and workout machines that they will see, especially if men occupy the majority of the area.
A lot of questions will pop up in your head, like what should you do first, and what equipment should you start to use? Hence, we are giving you today inside information on what to expect when you are at the gym or what to do when it’s your first time.
Proper Mindset
You have to condition your mind that the gym is a comfortable space for you where you are safe to exercise, thus, keeping yourself fit and healthy.
Setting up your mind with positive thoughts and understanding your purpose and why you need to go to the gym are the first couple of steps that you need to take. So, before you head to the gym, set your mind that you are doing it for yourself.
You Are Not Alone
When you hit the gym, you will meet new acquaintances, and then, you will realize that you are not alone. You will realize that what you are feeling is normal. It’s generally common for beginners to experience the “spotlight effect” as to how other people often describe it. It’s that moment when you feel that everyone is looking at you, but actually, they are not.
You can start by breaking the ice, like talking to anyone you see in the gym, it could be the gym instructor or a co-gym enthusiast. Every member of the gym started as a beginner. So, they know what it feels like to be a newbie. Most often, they will even help you, and who knows, you will end up as friends.
Set your Mood
One of the most effective ways to sway your focus in getting into your workout without thinking of other people is to listen to uplifting or motivating music. Set your mood by bringing your headphones and creating your favorite playlist to make you feel inspired. When you begin to enjoy the music, you will start enjoying your workout.
Prepare Your Workout Gear
Your workout outfits also have a lot to say when it comes to setting your mood. You need to feel good and comfortable with your workout gear. It should perfectly suit you and make you feel confident. In this way, you will also get motivated with your workout.
People are innately self-conscious when it comes to the clothes they were. Hence, as the famous line goes, “looking good, feeling good,” should be your mantra when you go to the gym. When you look good, you will feel good. Thus, you will feel motivated and not get anxious.
Fewer People, More Focus – Exclusivity
For beginners, it would be best to check several establishments in your area. Look for spaces that don’t have a lot of registered members or guests. You can also enroll for a specific membership that offers exclusivity.
Most often, owners provide special features and benefits, particularly to their exclusive members. Sometimes, it’s also a bit disturbing when there are many people working out in a gym. You also need some space and privacy when you work out, and some gym owners, offer such.
Take Note Of Your Measurements
It is also important that before even going to the gym, you already have your measurements on the record. So, you can give it to your gym instructor, and from there, you can discuss your plans and how you are going to go about it.
Get Your Clearance From Your Doctor
One of the most important things that gym experts would ask from you when you are trying to achieve something in the course of time is a clearance from your doctor.
It’s a must, so nothing bad will happen to you. There might be some routines that you shouldn’t be doing or certain guidelines that you need to follow. Licensed gym instructors will also not push through with the training if you can’t present a clearance from your attending physician.
How long should you work out for the first weeks?
Beginners should not overdo things. There’s no point in pushing yourself to the limit. Hiring a gym instructor can also help with your workout routine, especially if you have a specific goal to achieve. Highly skilled and experienced gym instructors offer a well-laid-out plan to every enrolled member. With this, you can also discuss with them how you should begin your routine.
So, from there, he or she can decide what plan and routine will work for you. You can also always call your instructor’s attention and discuss some things that you would like to happen. One hot tip for you from us, start your workout according to your pace and comfort. Professional gym instructors will understand that.
However, for female beginners who don’t want to hire the help of a gym instructor, it is always advisable to start with a 30-minute workout session. After that, you can begin integrating other training equipment into your workout routine. Nonetheless, here’s a simple and usual plan for female beginners to follow.
First Week at the Gym Routine
Beginners will usually start with training all the major parts of their body in every workout routine they do. So, you will train for three (3) days during your first week in the gym. You will execute an exercise routine for each body part in every workout session. It is also important to take one day off in between your workout, so your body can recover from the first few days of exercising.
Second Week of Workout
For the second week of your workout, you will begin with exercising your whole body for two days, instead of one body part per day. You perform this routine for four (4) days in total. You can set Wednesday as your rest day. On Monday and Tuesday, you can exercise your upper body, and on Tuesday and Friday, you can train each of your lower body parts within these days, completing an entire body training.
Third Week of Fitness
It will be a 3-day training workout. On the first day, you can start by pushing all of your body parts, such as your chest, shoulders, and triceps. On the second day, you go with the pulling routine. You will have to perform pulling exercises on your back, abs, and biceps. Lastly, you will have to work out your lower body parts, namely your calves, glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
Fourth Week of Exercise
In the final week of your one-month program as a beginner, you can train for four (4) days by exercising every part of your body once, and twice for your abs and calves (or whatever you would like to focus on) for four days.
Weight lifters execute more rigorous training during this week, but for female beginners, it’s always best to follow your pace.
Beginner Gym Workout Routines for Women
Keeping a healthy lifestyle comes with proper exercise. This is why it is relevant to visit the nearest gym to begin your fitness journey. The more you go to the gym to work out, the easier it would be for you to do it, and thus, it will be a regular part of your lifestyle. Warming up the muscles should always be the first step for a successful exercise routine. You can start by walking on a treadmill or stretching for a few minutes. Once you’re ready, then you can do the following workout routines, as we listed below.
Workout 1
For your first workout, focus on your cardio. You have several options for cardio machines to choose from at the gym. You can go for the elliptical, rowing, or treadmill. Once you selected your cardio equipment, you can start your exercise for a maximum of 25 minutes.
You can also go for 30 minutes, or whichever you prefer. You may start at a slow pace, and then, gradually, increase the speed, inclination, or resistance, according to what you can manage. Treadmills are almost always the easiest and most efficient way to start your routine at the gym. Cardio equipment offers workout routines that are manageable.
Workout 2
Working your lower body part should be your workout routine number two. Training your lower body will work out the large muscle groups that are there.
These muscles are in-charge or in control of certain activities that our body needs to undergo, such as walking, playing with our fur babies, children, or friends, jogging, getting into and out of the car, and climbing the stairs, among many others.
So, use a workout routine that can strengthen your quads, hamstrings, and glutes in the process. Step mills, air bikes, and indoor cycling bikes found in the gym aren’t only perfect for cardio exercise, but as well as, in strengthening your lower body part. Aside from the machines mentioned above, you can also use the “leg press/hack squat equipment,” dedicated to strengthening the lower body parts.
Workout 3
After working out your lower body parts, it’s time for you to focus on your upper body parts. You need to balance things out, and keeping both your lower and upper muscles in perfect shape is what you should try to achieve.
So, on the third day of your visit to the gym, you can use the Lat Pulldown machine and exercise using the high plank position. Then, end the routine with a dumbbell chest press.
Alimentation
In order to achieve maximum results, you must also pair your workout at the gym with alimentation or proper nutrition intake. We often hear the word balanced diet, and that’s because it is as essential as keeping your mind and body healthy. Women also require special nutrients, and we listed some of them below.
- Food with high levels of nutrients includes whole-grain bread, cereal flakes, and lean meat, among other proteins. It can also include fruits and vegetables that haven’t added sugar.
- Food rich in iron, like red meat, spinach, chicken, lentils, fish, and beans, among many others.
- Food with enough folic acids, such as beans and peas, as well as citrus fruits and leafy greens.
- Food high in calcium, like low-fat milk and yogurt.
Moreover, it is important to avoid food and drinks that have high added sugar content, like desserts and soft drinks. Aside from eating the right food, balancing your intake of calories is also essential. Most of all, living a healthy lifestyle, away from any kind of vices, such as smoking and drinking, is much preferable.
Quick Plan for 1 Week of Workout/Fitness
Here’s a 1-week quick plan laid out for you to keep up with your workout or fitness journey. It’s only an idea that highly believes helpful and effective in the schedule for your exercise.
- Day 1, start your workout routine with twenty to thirty minutes of cardio fitness, or according to your desires.
- On day 2, you can perform one set of 15 repetitions of any of these exercises, assisted lunges, back extension, ball squats, bicep curls, crunches on the ball, dumbbell rows, modified push-ups, overhead presses, and tricep extensions. You may take a rest in between each exercise routine to give yourself some time off or recover.
- Day 3, execute the same routine, as of day one, and then, followed by ten stretches of the lower part of your body.
- On day 4, you will follow the eight (8) yoga poses, and these are, corpse pose, hanging backstretch, modified triangle, spine twist, standing cat stretch, sun salutations, warrior 1, and warrior II. For every pose, you should hold your breath 3 to 5 times.
- Day 5, following day 2 routine for this day.
- On day 6, performs the alternate training workout routine. You will have a few minutes intervals for this 3-step fitness, starting with a 5-minute warm-up, a 3-minute increase in speed, resistance, or inclination at a moderate level, and a one-minute resistance increase to 5% maximum. Then, again until you feel that you are done with the day’s workout.
Conclusion
After reading the article, you now have plenty of tips on what you are going to do as you head to your first day of working out at the gym. If you need or want to achieve a certain set of goals, it would be best to get the right help.
It will be quite overwhelming at first when it’s your first time visiting the gym. However, once you are already used to going to the gym, going back and forth for your workout routine will come as if it’s already part of your daily activities.
