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 By: Alex Stewart
I remember the first time I stepped foot into a gym. I had been lifting weights for a year or so in my basement using the weight set my parents had given me one Christmas. I was basically reading magazines and working out each night doing whatever exercises that could be done with dumbbells, a barbell and a bench. Soon I was hooked and working out became a passion of mine. I loved the feeling of lifting weights every night as it fulfilled me in so many ways. Eventually I asked my father for a gym membership and he said yes. I was so happy. Now I could use everything that I saw in the magazine as I was no longer restricted by my simple weight set.
  Click Image To Enlarge.Author, Alex Stewart: "I Loved The Feeling Of Lifting Weights Every Night." The first day I arrived at the gym I was overwhelmed by all the weights, machines and other gadgets they had. Looking back I realize that I made many mistakes that can easily discourage many people from continuing to go to the gym. So here is a list of ten things I wish I would have known back then.
This is by far the biggest mistake anyone can perform when they are at any level of training. Lifting with your ego is the act of lifting or pushing too much weight without the conscience effort of keeping form in the hopes to impress your friends, the opposite sex or a more experienced lifter. I can tell you from personal experience, nothing makes me laugh more than when I see a young guy using improper form to try to impress someone. Take it from me, though your friends might think it is cool, you are usually putting yourself in a dangerous position and injury is at high risk.
 Click Image To Enlarge.Lifting With Your Ego Puts You At A High Risk Of Injury.
The gym is a place where hundreds of people a day are all sweating and sharing the same facility. This makes the gym a perfect place for the spread of bacteria. It is critical to make sure that you are as hygienic as possible. This means, when you use a machine and or bench take the time to wipe it down when you are done. When you use the bathroom wash your hands. Have a little common sense.
Would you like to lay on a bench that was dripping with sweat? No, so why should someone else have to. Do your part and help stop of the spread of germs by being health conscious and wiping equipment down. Last thing you want to do is become sick and miss workouts. Remember that the best form of teaching is through example.
 Click Image To Enlarge.Take The Time To Wipe The Equipment Down After Use. Read More Of Brawn's Gym Here!
All levels of trainers are guilty of this one. As my mother always told me, if you learn something when you are young you will always do it. Not putting plates and dumbbells away in the right places is a pet peeve of mine. I can't stand having to put away someone else's mess as I already have a hard enough time cleaning up after myself. It is so frustrating to search the gym for weights every time you want to do a set.
 Click Image To Enlarge.Make Sure You Put The Weight Back After You Are Finished.
Your number one goal when going to the gym should be to get a great workout. I understand that the gym is a place where people commonly go not only to workout but also to socialize. Make sure the socializing doesn't take over and your workouts come second. I see way too many beginners in the gym taking way too long in between sets because they are socializing and having full length conversations while someone else is waiting for a piece of equipment. Also remember that other people are there to workout and if you disturb them mid-workout you might be taking them out of their zone.
 Click Image To Enlarge.Keep Socializing To A Minimum While At The Gym.
When you are at the gym small talk is fine but never to the point where you stop the flow of your workout. Friendly banter is fine but too much socializing will lead to no results.
Free weight training is the most effective form of training, period, but it also is the most dangerous. The reason for both are the weight is not on a fixed plain. The weight is free to move as it likes, so balance comes into play. When you are new to exercise the balancing of a barbell while squatting or bench pressing could be tough as many beginner lifters favor their dominate side. This could lead to one side coming up faster than the other and woop, there goes the weight sliding off the weaker side. That would not have happened if you used collars.
The old rule of "more is not always better" is also true in weight lifting. More weight, more sets, more reps. I am a big believer in quality over quantity. I do like my fair share of volume when hitting the weights but there is always a limit. All beginners should start out employing a full body workout split and use a maximum of 5 sets for larger muscle groups. At this point your rep range should be between 8-12. Rest periods should never exceed 90 seconds.
 Click Image To Enlarge.More Is Not Always Better.
You should be able to easily perform a set using proper form with a certain weight for a couple of weeks before moving up. Never just add weight for the sake of trying more. Quality is the name of the game.
As a personal trainer it was interesting to watch what I call the "the new year's resolution gym goers." These are the people who rarely attend the gym but commonly use improper form. Using improper form will likely lead to injury or nothing at all. One common example is watching people do what I call "partial pull-ups". Instead of going all the way back down, many people just go down till their arms are at a 90 degree angle and back up. You are pretty much not doing anything.
If you can afford it, employ a personal trainer at least for a little while until you get the hang of it. As I mentioned above, quality is key. Use the quality form and get quality results.
Here is where the ladies and the gentlemen differ. When young gals come into the gym they usually go right to the cardio machines. They are known as the cardio bunnies. When young guys come into the gym they go straight for the weights they are known as 'guys'. No cute name for us guys, we are just guys. Guys hit the weights and the ladies do the cardio in the hopes to achieve their goals. I am here to tell you that each sex is missing out when they don't balance the weight lifting and cardio. Ladies you can't get toned, lean muscle by just doing cardio. You will burn up all the muscle that you have and end up looking skinny without the curves that us guys love.
 Click Image To Enlarge.Ladies You Can't Get Toned, Lean Muscle By Just Doing Cardio.
Understandable, but you should know the most important muscles of all is your heart and lungs if they are not conditioned you will have to stop on sets shorter than you would otherwise had to if your cardiovascular system was in good condition. I would perform 3 full body weight workouts a week with 3-4 30 minute cardio sessions a week.
When you step foot in the gym you should always have a plan of what you are going to do. I tell all beginners to keep a journal and write everything down in it. They should have a workout split. Which tell you what muscle groups you will be hitting on each day, a cardio schedule and also a detailed log of training results including sets, reps and weight. Beginners fall in the trap of not planning ahead, they wait till they get to the gym and just do whatever they want. This leads to a lack of direction and results will fall short. Bodybuilding.com has 100's if not 1000's of great workout programs to choose from. Pick one out or email what you have come up with and I will see if it is the right choice for you.
Now I know this article was supposed to be about the gym but I always have to bring up nutrition when I give advice to a beginner. Nutrition is simply 90% of the puzzle. You can work your butt off performing the perfect workout plan, using the best form and the most intensity but unless your nutrition is sound then you will not get anywhere. Training and nutrition go hand and hand. One can not succeed without the other. Bodybuilding.com has 100's of article about nutrition, what you should eat and how much.
 Click Image To Enlarge.Nutrition Is Simply 90% Of The Puzzle.
There you have it, 10 things you should look out for as a beginner. Not only will this advice help you reach your goals quicker and without injury but it will also help you become a positive part of the gym community. If you ever have any questions regard training, nutrition or supplementation use the search button on Bodybuilding.com as they have information on everything. If you can't find it drop me an email and I will do my best to answer your questions or point you in the right direction. Related Beginning Bodybuilding Articles: Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here!
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