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A Guide To Proper Gym Etiquette

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aka How Not To Suck At The Gym

I recently asked a bunch of people on Twitter what some of their biggest hurdles were in their desire to get in shape. The number one answer?

Being afraid of the gym.

I get it; new things can be scary. In no way do I want to discount your trepidation about stepping into a potentially intimidating environment.

But while at-home workouts are great to get you moving, get you on a regular exercise schedule, and preparing your muscles for the rigors of strength training, they will only get you so far.

Eventually, if you want to shed serious pounds and build muscle, you are going to have to get on a strength training program.

And more than likely, that is going to require joining a gym.

So let us take a minute and talk about the realities of going to the gym for the first time, proper gym etiquette, and getting over some of your fears.

Sound good?

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A Beginner Guide to Strength Training

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So you want to get big and strong like the Hulk... Beginner Strength Training Guide

So you want to unleash your inner Hulk (rage optional) and get big and strong?

Does the thought of stepping into a gym and hitting the weights intimidate you? Do you wish you could pack muscle onto your skinny frame but don’t know where to start? Are you a bigger guy who’d rather have your chest and shoulders be broader than your waist? Are you a woman who’s tired of being “skinny fat” and wants to get that “toned” look? Maybe you just want to be stronger and faster?

No matter where you are starting from, I’m here to help with this beginner strength training guide!

The Basics

Strength training can be a vast, and scary, topic to try to come to grips with; so I want you to take a deep breath and let this guide take you through the process step-by-step.

“DON’T PANIC.” – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

If you’re looking to start building muscle and becoming stronger, it takes three distinct things:

At the most basic level, that’s really all you need.

Of course, readers of The Jerd know we are all about training smarter, not harder (law #6 of the Jerd Herd!) so I’ve tried to assemble a simple, yet well thought out, guide to beginner’s strength training for you. Inside you will find our Total Body 3×5 Workout Plan, how to deal with plateaus, and the major keys to success!

This is strength training boiled down to the absolute basics.

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Don’t settle for “Skinny-Fat”!

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Skinny-Fat

No way the Dr. would tell Steve Rogers he was “fit”.

I know common wisdom would have you believe that overweight = unhealthy and thin = healthy. If only it were that simple!

Now, does a skinny person have all the health risks associated with obesity?

Of course not, but that doesn’t automatically mean they are in the clear just because they aren’t lugging around an extra 75lbs on their frame.

While we know that 68 percent of the American population is overweight (a fact that makes me shudder), and that many are dipping their toes on the diabetes pool, the really shocking news from a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association is that nearly 1 in 4 skinny people have pre-diabetes and are “metabolically obese!”

Want to be even more depressed?

If you are a skinny-fat person and get diagnosed with diabetes, you have twice the risk of death than if you are overweight when diagnosed with diabetes. How much does that suck?!?

Imagine if Captain America or Wonder Woman were beanpole’s with no muscles to speak of, and suffering from insulin spikes left and right? If that were the case they wouldn’t be able to punch evil in the neck and save the day! So I think we can agree that if we are going to go from geek to real-life superhero we need to avoid this horrible trend.

The good news is that skinny-fat is easy to spot and fix!

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