As a Fitness Coach, one of the most common questions I get asked is ‘how often should I go to the gym?’ – and for good reason. New gym-goers want to ensure they are going to the gym regularly enough to see results, but without overdoing it!

You should go to the gym 2-3 times per week if you are a beginner, 3-4 times if you are at an intermediate level, and 4-6 times if you are an advanced gym goer.

In saying this, before deciding how regularly you hit the gym, there are a few important considerations, including what type of workouts you’re doing, how intense they are, as well as all the other commitments you have in your life.

Your level of experience, also known as training age, is just as important too.

Let’s get started!

How Often Should I go to the Gym?

Before knowing how often you should be hitting the gym, there are so many things to consider and there’s no straight-forward answer. We’ll be unpacking each of these factors, one by one, to give you some insight as to what training frequency is right for you.

When deciding how often you should hit the gym, you should think about:

• Your Level of Experience
• Type of Training
• Training Split
• Training Load
• Your Weekly Schedule

Your Level of Experience

The factor that really moves the needle here is your level of experience. You could have two people who are exactly the same age, height, weight, gender and goals, except one of them should be training 2 times a week, whereas the other could be training up to 6 times a week if they like.

It all comes down to training experience.

It’s all about training tolerance. As you train more regularly, your body starts to adapt. You start to become stronger, fitter and your capacity to tolerate added amounts of training becomes larger.

Someone who has been training consistently for a long period of time can tolerate a lot more than someone who is brand new to fitness.

Use the table below as a general guide for how often you should be training at the gym based on your level of experience:

Experience	Level of Experience Definition	Weekly Gym Frequency
Beginner	New to the gym	2-3
Intermediate	Months of Experience	3-4
Advanced	Years of Experience	5-6

Type of Training

Another important consideration is the type of training you’re doing.

In general, strength training causes considerably more soreness, and requires a greater a deal of recovery, when compared to cardio exercise. There’s also HIIT training (High-Intensity Interval Training), which is a combination of both strength & cardio together.

When you’re new to the gym, you’ll probably pull up pretty sore no matter what type of training you complete, which is known as DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness). You’ll need to make sure you get adequate recovery and time off to rest the muscles you used in your workout.

However, you’ll notice that over time, you’ll generally recover quicker from cardio training than you will from strength or HIIT training, assuming you’re working your entire body.

For example, it’s possible to work up to an extremely high amount of running or cycling load almost every single day of the week, however, when it comes to strength training or HIIT, you cannot work your entire body to the max every single day – you’ll simply break down if you don’t have any rest days.

You’ll get to a point where you need to change your training split and break up your strength training into different body parts or muscles that you work on different days of the week.

Use the table below as a general guide for how often you should be training at the gym based on whether you are doing cardio, strength-based training or HIIT.

Type of Training	Weekly Gym Frequency
Cardio Exercise	3-6
Strength Training (Full Body)	2-3
HIIT	2-4

Training Split

This section applies to strength-based training, rather than cardio or HIIT.

A training split refers to which muscles, muscle groups or movements we are performing on particular days throughout the week.

Just like you can divide a pizza into 2, 4, 6 or 8 slices, you can divide your training into:

• A full body split
• Upper/Lower or Push/Pull Split
• Push/Pull/Legs Split
• Body Part Split

The strength training split you choose to use will determine how many times per week you can/should train. As we mentioned earlier, you can’t effectively work out your entire body every single day of the week.

If you want to train more frequently than 2 or 3 days each week, you’ll need to divide your training up into different days. There are also many other factors to consider when choosing your training split, such as how much time you have, what your goals are, as well as whether you do any other types of recreational or sporting activities throughout your week.

Full Body Split (2-3x per week)

When you’re first starting off in the gym, it’s always best to be performing a full body split, as this allows you to practice fundamental, functional movement patterns that will help the muscles in your body to stay well balanced and strong.

Functional exercises, such as push-ups, seated rows, back squats, deadlifts, side planks and single-leg squats are examples of the types of movements you should prioritise learning, practising and slowly loading up.

As you may have guessed, a full body split works your entire body’s musculature each time you workout, which is why it’s important to give yourself rest days in between workouts in order to recover effectively.

A full-body split weekly routine might look like the following:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Full Body	Rest	Full Body	Rest	Full Body	Rest	Rest

Upper Lower or Push/Pull Split (2, 4 or 6x per week)

An upper/lower split works the upper body’s musculature on one day, and your lower body muscles on another day.

A push/pull split predominantly works your ‘pushing’ muscles (front of shoulders, chest, quads, triceps) on one day, and your ‘pulling’ muscles (back of shoulders, back, hamstrings & glutes, biceps) on another day.

Whichever you choose, the principle remains the same – breaking up your training this way gives you a chance to rest the muscles you just used on a day you’re training the opposing muscles.

This will allow you to go to the gym more often throughout a weekly cycle, either 2

This type of split might look something like this:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Push	Pull	Rest	Push	Pull	Rest	Rest

Or, for someone more highly trained:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Upper	Lower	Upper	Lower	Rest	Upper	Lower

Push/Pull/Legs Split (3 or 6x per week)

A push/pull/pull legs split breaks your weekly routine into three different days – upper body pushing movements, upper body pulling movements and leg/ lower body day.

Again, breaking up your training this way allows you to rest the muscles you just worked while you work different muscles tomorrow.

It might look something like this:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Push	Pull	Legs	Push	Pull	Legs	Rest

Body Part Split (5-7x per week)

Finally, you have the body part split, also known as the ‘bro split’.

In this strategy, you break your body up into very specific segments throughout the week.

It might look something a little like this:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Chest	Legs	Back	Shoulders	Calves & Abs	Arms	Rest

Here’s a summary table for training split:

Training Split	Weekly Gym Frequency
Full Body	2-3
Upper/Lower or Push/Pull	2, 4 or 6
Push/Pull/Legs	3 or 6
Body Part Split	5-7

Training Load

Another important consideration when deciding how often you should go to the gym is your training load.

In a nutshell, training load is:

The volume or amount of training you’re doing multiplied by the intensity of training you’re doing each week.

It’s impossible to train often at both high intensities and volumes – you’ll simply overdo it and burn out.

Even elite athletes cannot train both at a high intensity and a high volume every single day as it does not allow enough time to recover between sessions.

Therefore, in order to train more often you’ll either need to decrease how intense, heavy or difficult each workout is, or alternatively, you’ll need to decrease the number of sets, reps or exercises in each workout.

Your Weekly Schedule

Arguably the most important thing to consider when deciding how often you should hit the gym is what your weekly schedule looks like.

What other commitments do you have in your life – be it work, family, relationship, or social?

Based on these commitments, realistically, how often do you think you should go to the gym?

It’s important to ask yourself this question and to find something that you believe you can consistently perform for at least four to six weeks.

Don’t get me wrong, we love seeing our clients set the bar high and to aspire to achieve big goals, but you don’t want to aim for 6 sessions a week, only to struggle to actually make it work just a few weeks in.

We recommend starting with something you can consistently do and prove to yourself you can do it. From there, you can add another layer of commitment and before long, you’ll be up to 5 or 6 sessions a week that you complete without fail!

Is it Okay to go to the Gym Every Day?

Going to the gym can be extremely enjoyable and for many people, it becomes a non-negotiable part of their daily routine. But is it actually okay to be going to the gym every day?

It’s okay to go to the gym every day if you’re working different parts of your body on different days, you’re prioritising your recovery, and it isn’t becoming an addiction. 

Here are a few ways to ensure that going to the gym every day is a safe experience for you.

Have a Well-Balanced Program

You need to ensure that you have a well-balanced program and you vary what you complete each day.

This might look like working different areas of your body on different days or having a variety of exercise modalities that you perform each day. This way, you can incorporate some therapeutic exercise (yoga, swimming, walking) in conjunction with more taxing forms of exercise (HIIT, strength) across a week.

Prioritise Recovery

In order to attend gym daily, you should also prioritise your recovery. This might look like:

• Doing something therapeutic such as massage or stretching
• Post-workout nutrition, such as consuming 25-40g of protein, 25-40g of carbs, and 10g of fat
• Adequate rehydration, replacing lost sweat with water
• Getting 7-9 hours of high-quality sleep

Avoid Addiction

It’s easy for the gym to start becoming an addiction. For all exercise is a fantastic outlet for many people, it can become concerning when we start relying on it too much.

If you find yourself becoming stressed, anxious or overly-frustrated when you miss a gym workout, this could be a sign you’re becoming addicted.

At this point, you should reassess why you’re attending the gym it in the first place and perhaps look at seeing a psychologist or counselor.

How Often Should I Work Out to See Results?

Many clients I’ve had over the years want to know how many sessions per week it takes to really start to make some progress. In order to know how often you need to work out to see results, you need to consider your level of experience.

In order to see results, you should work out at least twice a week to start and ensure you’re working all muscles of your body. Over time, as your tolerance increases, you should try to progress towards 4 or 5 days a week to continue to see progress.

The reality is that beginners don’t need to work out as regularly to see results compared to those at an intermediate or advanced level of training. This is because of the training principle of diminishing returns.

When you’re first starting out on your fitness journey, you can work out as little as 2 times a week a still see results. In this case, you would want to prioritise performing functional, multi-joint movements and work out all areas of your body, rather than only focusing on one group or area of muscles as this

The Next Steps

When you’re weighing up how many gym sessions to do, remember to consider the following.

• Your Level of Experience
• Type of Training
• Training Split
• Training Load
• Your Weekly Schedule

We hope you’ve gained some insight into how different circumstances can really change how many sessions are optimal for you when you visit the gym

If you’re keen to get started at a new gym but aren’t sure how to get started, feel free to drop us a line via our contact page or visit our local gym reviews page as this can help you find a local gym you’ll love and keep coming back to.

You’re so close to taking the next step in your fitness journey but you’ve got so many questions that seem to be making the decision difficult. Are personal trainers worth it? Which gyms are good to join? Personal Training or Gym membership – which one is best?

As a Fitness Coach, I’ve seen so many people unsure where to turn or how to get started, but in reality, whether you get a personal trainer or join the gym comes down to what’s best for you, your personality and circumstances.

You should consider getting a personal trainer if you’re low on confidence, want help with technique, or need to be kept accountable to specific goals. Conversely, the gym is a good choice if you’re confident in new environments, don’t need help staying accountable to specific goals, and don’t need extra motivation.

These are just some of the things to consider when weighing up personal trainers vs. joining a gym. Today, we’ll be exploring all the pros and cons of each in greater detail and why they’re important to consider in order for you to make a well-informed decision.

Let’s dive in.

Should I get a Personal Trainer or Join the Gym?

Is personal training worth the investment? Can I get the same benefits by just going to the gym? Or perhaps I should just keep working out from home?

You have probably been going around in circles asking yourself these, or similar questions over and over! Perhaps you are trying to look our best this summer, fit into that dress, or are simply just trying to get the doctor off your back.

In reality, there is no perfect formula and there are many ways to achieve your goals if you stay consistent.

Key word = Consistent!

At the end of the day, the best workout is the one you can do consistently, whether that’s with a personal trainer or at the gym.

You just have to think about what works best for you, your personality and circumstances.

You need to consider these 5 things:

• Your motivation levels
• How important education is to you
• Your confidence levels
• Your budget
• Your level of accountability

Motivation

Motivation is a key driver for success and dictates whether we stay consistent and accountable to our goals or not.

Considering your levels of motivation and how they fluctuate is important when choosing between a personal trainer or a gym membership.

Why personal training?

Does your motivation swing back and forth like the tides? Do you feel super pumped up one day and in a slump the next. We rely on our motivation to stay on track – we need it to be reliable and we need to trust it.

If you really struggle with motivation, you might need to consider personal training to help make working out a part of your ongoing routine.

A personal trainer will not only motivate you to show up to the session in the first place, but they will also motivate you to get the most out of your workouts.

When you’re dominating, they’ll celebrate with you.

When you’re struggling, they’ll help you push through.

When you’re defeated, they’ll give you a hand up.

Why a gym membership?

Gym memberships come in two main forms – group fitness and commercial. 

If you’re very self-motivated and independent, a commercial gym may be your cup of tea. In this case, you’ll be left to your own devices, roaming the gym floor with your workout in hand or on your phone.

Then there’s group fitness – which is a good ‘in-between’. You don’t necessarily get as much individual attention as personal training, but you certainly get the motivating environment and encouraging community of the other gym members around you, spurring you on.

You can also just ‘rock up’ and do the workout set for you, rather than having to worry about what you’re going to do, or how much, as this can be demotivating in and of itself. In summary, group fitness can be a good option if you have no trouble getting to the gym in the first place, but require a high amount of motivation when you’re there.

Education

As a Fitness Coach at Melbourne Girls Grammar school, my role extends far beyond teaching the students merely what to do. Instead, my main priority is to teach how to do it and why it’s important – education!

When you understand something at a deeper level, you’re more likely to commit to it for the long term and to make it an ingrained aspect of your life.

Why personal training?

A quality personal trainer won’t just give you workouts to do, they’ll educate you around how to move properly and safely, they’ll teach you things based on research (rather than ‘bro-science’), and they’ll dispel any myths that aren’t worth wasting your time on.

A good personal trainer will give you invaluable information that is extremely difficult to learn elsewhere. It takes months, if not years to even begin scratching the surface of all there is to know about fitness.

An experienced coach can take one quick look at you performing an exercise and know exactly where you’re tight, weak or strong. They can analyze how you move in seconds, and provide critical advice you may have never ever discovered. They can learn about you and what makes you tick, providing motivation that gets the most out of you.

Why a gym membership?

You’re still certainly going to learn a lot by joining a gym, especially if you’re new to fitness.

The gym can teach you many great life lessons, including how to grow your confidence in a new environment, how to learn and practise brand new skills, as well as how to be disciplined and self-driven.

Depending on which gym you join, you may also get some level of coaching and education from the gym instructors and group fitness instructors.

In summary, if you’re keen to educate yourself online, to make mistakes and bounce back from them and to put your own learnings into practice, joining the gym can be a great option.

Confidence

Confidence is a key thing to consider when choosing between personal training or a gym membership. You really want to get this right, as it’s easy for exercise to become unenjoyable if your environment isn’t right.

Why personal training?

When I first went to join a gym, I really struggled to feel confident or competent. There were times that I would sit on one machine and frantically ‘google’ to try and figure out what good technique was!

Looking back, I think a personal trainer would have been a great idea – at least for a few sessions – to help me grow my confidence and feel more comfortable in the gym environment.

If you’re like me and are feeling pretty overwhelmed and lacking confidence, perhaps you should consider personal training. Personal Trainers are great at instilling confidence in you and will help you to learn where everything is, how all the machines and contraptions work, as well as to help you work on your exercise technique.

If the idea of a gym environment is offputting for you, many personal trainers now travel to your house and bring the session to you! This is great if you want to workout from the comfort of your living room but still want to motivation and leadership a personal trainer can provide.

Why a gym membership?

A gym membership certainly requires more confidence to get started compared to personal training.

In saying this, people definitely stress out more than they need to when they first join the gym. They worry about what people will think of them, what they’ll look like or how they will find everything.

In reality, it doesn’t take long to feel more confident and it’s fear of the ‘unknown’ that holds people back from feeling confident when they first get started. Before too long, you’ll start to become more comfortable, you’ll start use new machines you first thought were scary, and you might even start to make some friends!

Budget

There is certainly a big discrepancy in price between personal training and a gym membership, which can be a deal-breaker for many people. As much as it’s important to consider price in your decision, it shouldn’t be the most important or first thing you look into.

Why personal training?

Personal training can cost you between $40 – 70 per hour, which is certainly on the expensive side, especially if you’re having multiple sessions per week.

Why a gym membership?

A commercial gym membership such as Snap Fitness, Anytime Fitness, and most council gyms costs between $10 – $25 per week. 

A group training membership such as F45 or Body Fit Training will cost you around $50 – 70 per week.

Accountability

Taking steps to become accountable is one of the most important things we can do in life and this extends far beyond just fitness.

Whether we are trying to break a bad habit, stick to a new routine, or stay on track towards a long term goal, having an accountability partner or coach can really help us stick with it.

Why personal training?

Perhaps you have a specific goal you’re hoping to achieve in a certain time frame – you want to fit into your wedding dress, you want your body to look good this summer on the beach, or you want to get your doctor off your back before the next visit.

As the saying goes ‘we don’t rise to the level of our aspirations, we fall to the level of our systems’. It’s great to have big goals, but it can be difficult to actually break that goal into a systematical series of smaller steps to help you actually achieve it.

We often start but never quite finish.

This is where a personal trainer can really help. They will not only work with you on mapping out a step by step plan, but they’ll also hold you accountable. After all, they want you to succeed too as it’s a reflection on them.

If the alarm goes off for your 6:00 am session and you cannot be bothered, you’ll remember your commitment to your trainer. You know that if you don’t rock up you’ll be letting them down and you know they’ll be following you up and asking what happened.

Why a gym membership?

Although not quite as solid as the personal accountability that a personal trainer provides, committing to a gym membership can also provide you with a certain level of accountability.

Most evidently, a gym membership requires you to make a financial commitment each week. You know you’re now paying for a service and for many people, this is more than enough to keep them on track when compared to only working out from home, where they can easily skimp out on a workout.

In this instance, the financial commitment is keeping you accountable.

A gym membership also gives you access to a host of new equipment, a fresh and motivating environment, and often, group fitness classes.

You might start to get to know other gym members and staff, embedding yourself as part of the community. You’ll also start to really enjoy your workout routine and the experience of attending each day.

Many people start to feel a sense of commitment towards this community and feel like they’re missing out or falling behind if they stop going – this is a great accountability mechanism and can be very advantageous when compared to just working out by yourself at home.

Personal Training or Gym Membership

At the end of the day, when deciding between personal training or gym membership, it really comes back to who you are as an individual – your situation, personality and your goals.

We hope this piece has provided you with some insight and got you thinking about what next step you want to take.

If you’re still struggling to know what’s right for you, feel free to drop us a line via our contact page or visit our local gym reviews page as this can help you find a local gym you’ll love and keep coming back to.

Which gym is right for me? What will people think of me? Who do I talk to when I get there? How will I know where the equipment is? What workout will I do?

When first joining the gym, we have a millions questions and worries going through our minds. We may feel like we have no answers to our questions, causing us stress, and thus, we put off making any sort of decision.

Here are some strategies for overcoming the stress of joining the gym:

• Figure out what type of gym will be a good fit
• Research local gyms online
• Tour or trial gyms you like
• Remember that gym members don’t care about what you’re doing
• Have a game plan before you go
• Try going with a friend

Let’s dive right in.

Overcoming the Stress of Joining the Gym – Key Takeaways

⇒ It’s perfectly normal to experience stress when doing something new. The gym is no different and it’s important to remember that there are plenty of ways to take control of the process.

Use the following strategies to overcome the stress of joining the gym:

⇒ Before joining the gym, it’s important to know why you’re joining one and what you want out of it as this can help you know what direction to take.

⇒ Researching gyms to figure out which one suits you has never been easier, which you can use to your advantage and to gain greater insight and understanding. Trialling or getting a tour of local gyms can also help.

⇒ It takes time to grow your gym confidence, but this is perfectly normal. In the meantime, don’t worry about what other gym members think of you, as everyone was a beginner once.

⇒ Write up a game plan before you go, as this can reduce the stress of being a new gym member. You might even try going during quieter times or bringing a friend with you, as these all reduce stress.

The Stress of Joining the Gym

Starting back at the gym or joining one for the first time is a big step.

Just like your first day at a new school or job, the prospect of something new can easily spike your stress and bring about unwanted thoughts and feelings.

What will people think of me? Who do I talk to when I get there? How will I know where the equipment is? The amount of ridiculous and unrealistic scenarios we think up in our heads can be difficult to handle.

One of the first steps to overcoming this stress is realising that there are things that are in our control, and there are others that are out of our control.

Uncontrolled variables are the small things in day to day life that we have no control over. Like how slow the other cars drive on the way to work making you late. The speed of those cars is out of your control. But it still causes you stress.

Controlled Variables are all the little things that you can control. Like setting your alarm half an hour early for your first day, so you do not have to rush to get there.

Understanding what is making you stressed and separating these stressors into controlled and uncontrolled stressors can help you to feel like you are in command. Today, we’ll be showing you how you can identify and start to take control of the worries that are holding you back from joining the gym.

How to Overcome the Stress of Joining the Gym

Below are some of the most common worries that people face when first joining and getting started at the gym. We’ll be exploring how you can combat these stressors and gain a feeling of greater control over the process.

Figure out what type of gym you want to join

One of the most common questions that causes a lot of stress for new gym goers is not knowing which gym is right for them. Picking the right gym can be difficult if you don’t know what you want out of the membership. Joining a gym that does not suit your personality, journey or training style can make you feel intimidated.

Therefore, in order to gain greater control over this decision, it’s important to ask yourself – why? If you don’t know why you’re wanting to join the gym or what you want out of it, the process of choosing a gym can quickly become overwhelming and stressful.

Once you’ve decided, you can start researching gyms to find out which one suits your needs.

Research online to find a gym that fits

Another stressful part of joining the gym we see people encounter is not knowing which gym is right and starting to overthink it. You may have already identified the type of gym you want to join based on your needs, but you still might not be sure what specific gym in your area caters for your circumstances.

The good thing about this day and age is that there is an abundance of information on the internet that can answer our questions. Google gyms in your area and look at their websites and socials, really dive deep into what they offer, the community they have and start to decide whether they are a good fit.

At Get Gym Fit, we also provide gym reviews and reccomandations for each suburb, helping take the guesswork out of making a decision. Taking the time to do your research can give you a clearer picture of local gyms that fit, further relieveing the stress associated with getting started.

Tour a few gyms, or make use of free passes before you sign up

It is extremely important that you actually physically visit gyms in your local area that you’re potentially interested in, as this is great way to remove the stress associated with joining. Almost every single gym will offer some sort of free trial, session, or at the very least, a tour of the facility.

This will give you a chance to see whether the facility is right for you. It’ll help you gain an understanding of where everything is located, confim how much everything costs, and whether the vibe of the community is something you’d want to be a part of.

You’ll also be able to ask the staff any burning questions that you are unsure about.

It’s important to keep in mind that gyms will often use this opportunity to give you their ‘sales pitch’ and will also keep your contact details to follow up later down the track. This can be annoying if you didn’t like that particular gym.

Remember, you never have to make a decision right there and then – you can always ask for more time to think about it, or you can always say no. Always remember that you have the power.

Hopefully by now you’re feeling a little bit more at ease about the signing up process. It’s now time address the stressors associated with working out at the gym once you’re signed up.

Everyone was a beginner once and other gym members understand this too

One of the biggest stressors that we see new gym members battle is the fear of people watching them, feeling like they don’t know what they’re doing, or simply not feeling confident. This can cause an unwanted amount of stress and can put you off attending the gym regularly.

The reality is that most other gym members don’t really care about what you’re doing and most often keep their eyes to themselves. Nevertheless, it’s going to take some time to build up your confidence and to feel comfortable in a gym environment.

I personally have been working out and coaching for many years and even I was nervous, stressed and intimidated when I first starting working out at the gym. This is a perfectly normal part of everyone’s fitness journey

One solution can be to practise exercises and movements you’re not confident with at home before going to the gym. If you don’t know how to use a piece of equipment or have any concerns, the staff members at the gym are always more than happy to help.

Having a solid foundation of home workouts can help improve your confidence first and you can always start by doing these workouts at the gym. Another solution might be to try going to the gym at a time where there’s less people to start off with.

Have a game-plan

Another way you can reduce the stress of being a new gym member is to write up a game-plan before you go. Once you’re at the gym, it can be difficult to know what to do. I can recall many times as a beginner where I sat on my phone for several minutes, googling and youtubing different exercises to do next because my brain had frozen!

Think about the layout of the gym, the different areas and classes they offer and what equipment that’s avaliable. You should know this information from your trial or tour. Think about what you’ll use and how you’ll go about it and write it down. You might even go so far as to get to the gym earlier than planned, write down some things you want to remember, and so forth.

Try going with a friend

When you’re first starting out, bringing a friend along whom you trust can be invaluable. It’ll help you gain your confidence quicker and will reduce stress, especially if your friend is more experience in such an environment.

The Next Steps

Joining the gym can be stressful. But that should not get in the way of you living a happy, healthy lifestyle and reaching your goals. With just a bit of planning, education and understanding suddenly the gym becomes a lot less scary.

At Get Gym Fit, we are all about helping people find a gym that’s the right fit. We spend an extensive amount of time reviewing gyms in local areas to reduce the amount of stress associated with joining the gym. We want to help you join a gym you’ll love and keep coming back to.

Going to the gym is relatively easy – making it stick is hard. We all know that person who hits the new year like a bull chasing a red flag, only to run out of steam after the first week, never to return!

So how do you do it? Making the gym a part of your ongoing routine involves the following four steps:

1. Picking the right gym that you actually enjoy going to
2. Starting with small habits & building them up
3. Setting and tracking your long term goals over time
4. Finding your support network to hold you accountable

So how do I put these steps into practise so that I actually succeed?

Here’s how.

How to Make the Gym a Part of Your Routine – Summary

⇒ Picking the right gym. Do NOT pick a gym just because it is convenient. Find a gym that you love, and keeps pulling you back each week.

⇒ Starting Small: Joining the gym for the first time can be extremely stressful and it can take up a lot of time and energy just to get through the door. Slowly exposing yourself to new this new stress, allows you to acclimatise and suddenly a trip to the gym, that used to make you sick just thinking about it, is a breeze.

⇒ Setting and tracking your goals gives you clear and measurable targets to strive for. Combined with regular check ins goal setting is an excellent way to keep you motivated as well as ensure you are on the right track.

⇒ Finding your support network: Your support is the network of people around you that can help you through this journey. Keeping you accountable, motivated and on track to your goals. Your support network can come in the form of family, friends, trainers, or someone you bump into at the gym from time to time. Find a friend, gym buddy or trainer to keep you accountable and support you through your journey.

Making the Gym a Habit

Making the gym a consistent part of your routine can be a tough egg to crack.

Every single day, we are only given so much energy and capacity.

It’s a limited amount.

Work, family commitments, life stressors – you name it – are all responsible for draining us of some of our daily capacity.

The PROFOUND thing about routines and habits is that they allow us to get more done in each day. When things become a habit, they drain less of our daily capacity and allow us to achieve more.

In saying this – building habits is difficult, it takes a lot to make them stick!

If you rely on solely your own strength, will power and motivation to fight back all the pressures and barriers to making the gym a part of your routine, you might hold on for a while, but eventually, you are going to get tired and everything will come undone.

But if you employ the help of systems and those around you to give you a helping hand keeping your routine in order, you are going to be able to fight off the pressures and barriers that come up.

You’ll be able to stick to the plans and slowly make your way to your goals.

Here are our four steps to help you master the gym and make it a staple in your weekly routine.

Step 1. Pick the Right Gym

What is picking the right gym? Why is it important? How do I do it?

The first step to making the gym a part of your routine is picking the right gym – a gym that you love, that caters to you and your journey.

In today’s day and age, convenience is king. Convenience dictates almost everything we do.

People take the same approach when it comes to picking a gym. They choose the gym that is down the road, despite the fact that they hate the vibe. Or they pick the gym that is cheap, even though they hate the classes and they do not have enough equipment.

Like we have said many times before, new gym-goers are like baby deer trotting through the woods without their mother. The smallest hiccup or molehill could derail this entire experience and send little Bambi running for the hills.

The reality is that there is such a saturation of gyms and fitness centres that no matter what your goals – weight loss, strength, bodybuilding or rehabilitation, there is a gym out there, filled with trainers who want to help you!

So do not settle for the gym down the road if it doesn’t meet your needs. Do your research and find the gym that fits! Driving an extra 5 or 10 minutes might make all the difference. 

In our experience, when people enjoy their gym, they are far more likely to engrain it into their routine. This doesn’t mean it won’t be difficult or that the workouts won’t be painful or tough. However, finding a gym that you love will ensure you keep going back. 

It’ll only be a matter of time before it becomes engrained in your routine.

Step 2. Start Small & Build Up

Starting anything new is tough.

So many people start their fitness journey with a rush of emotion. They see their goals ahead and picture themselves diving across the finish line, soaking in all the glory and admiration that comes with it.

This tactic only works for a very specific type of person, in a very specific situation.

For the rest of us, this is a sure-fire way to burn out after the first month.

Instead – find your minimum effective dose.

This is all about picking something achievable, that you can sustain consistently.

Why is taking it slow important?

Joining the gym for the first time can be stressful and it can take up a lot of time and energy just to get through the door.

It’s similar to the stress response we get in other situations such as starting a new job or a new date. The first few days or weeks are going to be somewhat taxing as you get a feel for this new and strange environment.

But slowly as you continue to expose yourself to new this new stress, you begin to acclimatise and suddenly a trip to the gym –  that used to make you sick just thinking about it – is a breeze.

If you jump too far into the deep end you can burn out, leaving you even more unhappy and unmotivated than before.

Or if you can bite off more then you can chew, causing you to feel like it is impossible to achieve your goals, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and in a fear-induced paralysis.

So that is why we start small. Slowly add the gym to your routine. We suggest 1-3 sessions a week.

Giving yourself small measurable stepping stones allows you to build up, building confidence, motivation, and coordination.

How do I do it?

What can I commit to?

Identify what type and duration of planned exercise do each week.

When will I do it?

Look at your weekly schedule and pick out 1-3 days and times where you can commit to going to the gym.

Do it Consistently, without Fail

Nail it for four weeks. Make it stick. If you can’t, pick something more achievable.

Add Another Layer

After a successful 4 weeks. Add another layer. An extra day, session or increase the duration of each session depending on your schedule.  Then repeat steps 3&4 until you are happy with your routine.

This may seem slow but giving yourself a slow progression is essential when trying to make the gym a part of your routine.

Step 3. Set and Track your Long Term Goals

Setting and tracking your goals provides an extra level of accountability to keep you invested in your healthy routines. 

What is goal setting?

Goal setting is identifying a specific and measurable desired end result for you to strive towards.

Why is goal setting so important?

Goal setting gives you a clear picture of the journey ahead of you, the obstacles in your way and the progression you have made.

It helps to boost your motivation, determination and resilience.

Without specific and measurable goals, you are essentially walking around in the dark…

…moving around but with no way of knowing whether you are moving forwards, backwards, or staying in the exact same spot.

How do I set and track my goals?

Set Aside Time for Goal Setting

Set aside time to take a deep dive into goals, motivations and barriers you are facing to achieving your goals.

So often when a trainer asks a client ‘what are your goals?’, you will be hit with a straight bat response…

‘I just want to lose a little bit of weight, get toned, feel better.’ – it is abundantly clear when someone has not taken the time to think about this question.

Taking the time to break down this question and understanding specifically why these goals are important to you is essential to understanding what you are truly aiming for.

If you want to lose weight, ask yourself why?

If you want to get stronger, ask yourself who are you doing this for?

It is near impossible to score when you only have a vague idea of where the goal is.

Make sure your Goals are Smart

S.M.A.R.T stands for:

1. Make sure your goals are SPECIFIC to you.
2. Easily MEASURED.
3. ACHIEVABLE
4. REALISTIC and not farfetched.
5. And are TIMED, to give you a sense of urgency and accountability.

Coaches around the world use the SMART acronym to give clients and new gym-goers a basic system to help them set goals.

Often when people join the gym for the first time their eyes are bigger than their stomachs. Making big goals, like:

‘I want to lose 20kg in 2 months.’

Is that achievable or reasonable? Not quite.

Or ‘I just want to be able to run 5km without stopping.’

A great goal, but this person did not give themself a time frame.

This small acronym covers the bases and helps you set clear and concise goals that you can actually strive for.

Schedule Check-Ins.

Scheduling regular check-ins with an experienced trainer to monitor your progress and adjust your training is essential when monitoring your goals.

E.g. If you want to lose 20 kg in 6 months, organise a check-in once a month.

This works on a number of fronts.

a) These small check-ins act as small goals and targets, breaking down your big goal into manageable steps, which will help you stay motivated and on task.

b) Regularly checking in allows you to identify and critique the different parts of your routine that are positively or negatively impacting your results.

c) Having clearly outlined and scheduled check-ins to measure your progress takes a lot of the stress off the individual. Some people find improving their health and fitness can be extremely stressful, and can be pushed into an obsessive and anxious mindset.

Checking in with a trainer will allow you to break down and understand your results in relation to your body, your greater journey to your goals and put into context where you are in your journey. Preventing you from going through intense periods of stress, shame and anxiety.

Once you hit one goal, restart and find another.

Getting to your target day can go one of two ways – elation or devastation. But do not let that stress you out.

Most people who miss their goals by a slither or a slice tend to get quite down – feeling like they have let themselves down. But at this point, the important part is to focus on how far you have come not how far you have got to go.

Every time I put an IKEA flatpack together, there always seems to be one missing tiny screw or sticker – it’s so damn frustrating!

But does the furniture still work? Yes.

Is it still safe and secure enough? Yes

Do you undo all your hard work and throw it out? HELL NO

Just because it was not quite as perfect as you had hoped, does not mean you have wasted your time. It was still an amazing success!

And the best part is, now that you have tried, you can set new goals with new timelines, or give yourself another week to nail these ones.

There is no losing. Just a slightly smaller win.

Setting goals is pivotal to ensuring exercise becomes a regular part of your routine.

Step 4. Find your support.

What is my support?

Your support is the network of people around you that can help you through this journey. Keeping you accountable, motivated and on track to your goals.

Your support network can come in the form of family, friends, trainers, or someone you bump into at the gym from time to time.

Why is support important?

There are so many moments where you might want to turn back. Rest for another day. These small links in your network can be the difference between you falling off the wagon or sticking with it.

How do I do it?

Start with the people closest to you.

A friend, partner or family member you can trust to encourage you on this journey. Tell them about your goals, and your plan of action. Checking in with them each week, expressing your struggles and triumphs.

Find a gym buddy.

This can be anyone. Your best friend or one of the other members of your group classes. This will help you stay accountable when you are at the gym, and keep going back.

Find a trainer.

You do not need to commit to ongoing personal training, but checking in with a personal trainer once a month can be an excellent way to maintain focus, accountability and get real, honest feedback about your strengths and weaknesses.

Spread the word.

As you build your confidence, slowly find more trustworthy and encouraging people to share your journey with to add a layer of pride in your achievements and progress, and a layer of accountability to keep going!

The Next Steps

With the pressures and distractions of life, making the gym a part of your routine can be difficult, but with a set of systems in place, you’re far more likely to see success.

We hope that these four steps give you the foundation you need to make the gym a part of your routine. Don’t just read this article, go and get a notebook and put these four pillars into practice, starting now!

Are you just getting started at your new gym but have no idea what to do or where to start? Do you jump on the treadmill and run for 60 minutes just trying to figure out what else is possible here?

Here’s what do do at the gym:

• Start by spending 10 minutes warming up to get your body prepared
• Next, complete some functional strength exercises for 20 minutes
• Then, progress to some cardiovascular or HIIT training for a further 10 minutes
• Finally, perform a cooldown & recovery regime for 5 minutes

We’ll also be teaching you how to build your very own workout from scratch so you can feel confident and in control.

We have used this system to change the lives of hundreds of people. Learning & putting it into practice will mean you’ll never be lost in the gym again.

Let’s dive in.

What to do at the Gym for the First Time

If you’re just starting out, follow along to this routine, which is broken up into four sections and time-stamped.

00:00 – 10:00 minutes // Warm-Up

Raise your heart rate for 3 – 5 minutes using the cardio equipment.

via GIPHY

Activate your postural muscles by performing a push-up twist for 1-2 minutes.

via GIPHY

Mobilise your muscles & joints by performing a downward dog flow for 1-2 minutes.

via GIPHY

Potentiate your mind & body by completing some squat jumps for 1-2 minutes.

via GIPHY

10:00 – 30:00 minutes // Strength

Push – Dumbbell Chest Press – 3 x 10

via GIPHY

Pull – Seated Cable Row – 3 x 10

via GIPHY

Hip Hinge – Hip Thrust – 3 x 10

via GIPHY

Squat – Goblet Squat – 3 x 10

via GIPHY

Core – Plank Hold – 3 x 30 seconds

via GIPHY

30:00 – 40:00 minutes // Cardio

Pick one of the following two options.

Option 1 – Steady-State Cardio – Hop on a cardio machine and hold a steady pace for 10 minutes.

via GIPHY

Option 2 – HIIT Cardio – Perform the following routine.

40:00 – 45:00 minutes // Cooldown

Pick three cooldown stretches and perform twice for 20 seconds.

What to do at the Gym?

It’s great to be able to follow along to a pre-set workout, however, we would rather teach you systems that help you to know what a good gym workout should have.

That way, you’ll never feel lost in the gym.

Follow the five pillars below to build your very own, highly effective workouts every time you go to the gym.

Pillar 1: The RAMP Warm-Up

Duration: 5-10 minutes

What is the RAMP warm-up?

The RAMP warm-up is a simple and effective system you can implement to get you 100% ready for any workout.

R.A.M.P stands for, RAISE your metabolic indicators (heart rate and breathing), ACTIVATE your muscles, MOBILISE your joints, POTENTIATE movement (Up the intensity).

A consistent and effective 5-10 minute RAMP warm-up will give you the leg up to get the most out of each session.

Why is it good to add a RAMP warm up to your workout?

Warming up is often neglected.

Abiding by a simple system makes consistently warming up apart of your easy and effective.

A good warm-up can improve muscle activity and readiness decreases your chances of serious injury as well as offer you a few vital minutes before each session to check in on yourself, and make sure you are physically and mentally prepared for you workout and help you get the most out of each session.

What does a RAMP warm-up look like?

Focus on limbs, actions, and muscle groups that you will be using in your workout.

So for our full-body workout, we will need to get our whole body ready to train. This might look something like this.

RAISE – 3-5 minutes bike ride or treadmill walk.

Activate – E.g. Crab walks & Side Plank Clams

Mobilise – E.g. Inchworm Lizards & Child’s Pose into Seal Position

Potentiate – E.g. 3 sets of 10 assisted bodyweight push-ups and squats building repetitions and intensity.

Pillar 2: Functional Movements (Strength Training)

Duration: 20-40 minutes

What are the functional movements?

Functional movements are the five key movements patterns that your body does every day and that incorporate all your joints and muscles. They can be categories into: pushing, pulling, hip hinging, squatting and bracing.

You may know these more commonly as strength, weights, or resistance training. These movements and exercises build your muscle size & tone, strength, and endurance.

Mastering these movements will give you a solid base to launch your fitness journey.

Why is it good to involve functional movements in your workout?

Exercises that mimic the big 5 functional movements should be a staple in any good gym routine.

Incorporating these movements into your weekly workout routine is an excellent way to make sure you exercise all your main muscle groups, without spending hours at the gym.

Resistance training has been found to be an effective way to manage your weight, build muscle, strength, boost athletic performance as well as manage and prevent a wide range of health conditions from anxiety and depression to cardiovascular disease and even cancer.

Individuals with higher muscle mass have also been linked to higher life expectancy. Beginners benefit most from small, frequent bouts of strength training. These have been found to be more effective than large sessions that are not as regular when building strength and muscle than one large effort.

What are good examples of strength exercises you can add to your session?

Start with a full-body strength session focusing on completing one exercise from the five categories we spoke about – pushing, pulling, hip hinging, squatting, and bracing.

Your body is made up of 5 key muscle groups which allow us to complete 5 different movement patterns. We like to focus on exercises that mimic these movement patterns so that you get the most out of each session.

Pushing: Push-ups, shoulder press, bench press, etc.

Pulling: Bent over row, seated row or lat pulldown, etc.

Hip Hinging: Deadlifts, hip thrust, glute bridging, etc.

Squatting: Goblet squat, lunging, step ups, etc.

Bracing: Plank, kettlebell carry, deadbugs, etc.

Pillar 3: Cardio

Duration: 5-15 minutes

What is cardiovascular training?

Cardiovascular training is a series of exercises that challenge and train your body’s ability to transports vital nutrients from your food and the air you breathe to your working muscles.

Why is it good to involve it in your workout?

The cardiovascular system is like the engine of the car. If we do not monitor and keep the engine healthy, the whole vehicle becomes compromised.

Cardiovascular exercise has many of the same benefits as resistance training.  It is an excellent way to manage your weight as well as ward off a number of serious medical conditions.

It has even been found that those with higher cardiovascular fitness have a higher life expectancy.

What are good examples of cardio exercises you can add to your session?

When people think cardio they think the hard stuff. A long painful run or exhausting hill sprints.

We say just find something you enjoy doing.

Some examples of cardiovascular exercises you can add to the end of your session are,

• A short 10-minute walk on the treadmill
• Short Burst intervals on the bike
• Sled pushes
• Army Ropes 15 seconds on, 15 seconds off.

Should I do cardio and weights on the same day?

Yes! As long as you do your cardio exercises after your strength exercises.

In an ideal world, you would want to perform your cardio workout 6 hours after your strength session. However, sometimes this just isn’t reasonable or achievable.

This is what we in the fitness industry call learning to focus on big rocks not small rocks.

For a beginner, just getting to the gym consistently is a massive achievement. Consistency is a big important rock.

The small possibility of poor muscle adaptation because you did cardio and weights training too close together, is a tiny little problem of a rock. And is no where near as important as just being consistent.

We recommend that you complete your cardio workout after your strength session because cardio exercises can be extremely fatiguing for the muscle tissue, making completing a weights session more difficult and less effective.

Pillar 4: Cool Down & Recovery

Duration: 5-10 minutes

What is a cool down?

Cooling down & recovery is the process of lowering your body from a working state back to a resting state and the process it takes to repair and rebuild back to full strength.

Why should cool down & recovery be an essential part of your workout?

Cooling down, much like the warm-up is highly neglect but an essential part of your workout routine.

Cooling down kick starts your body’s recovery and can drastically impact the amount of time you will spend recovering and more importantly dictate how long it will be until you are 100% and ready to smash your next session.

What are good examples of cool exercises you can add to your session?

There are so many ‘ideal’ recovery tips and tricks we thought we would keep it simple.

Our four-step process to kick-starting your recovery is:

• Eat Something
• Drink Something
• Do Something (therapeutic)
• Do nothing (SLEEP)

Eat Something: After each workout, you have a 30-minute window to consume vital nutrients to kick start the recovery process. Missing this window exponentially increases how long it will take you to recover. So make sure you take a quick snack with you to eat straight after training. A good after workout meal contains protein, carbs, and fats. So something like a high protein muesli bar or a protein shake are both great options.

Drink Something: Water makes the world go round. And the water we drink makes it’s way to our bloodstream to transport vital nutrients from the food we have just consumed to our exhausted muscles. So drink something to get those pipes moving again.

Do something therapeutic: There is so still so much debate about what is the perfect way to cool down your muscles, from stretching, to walking, to ice baths and hot showers.

We say, do something that makes you feel good. The psychological benefits of doing something therapeutic that feels good after training has been found to improve recovery by decreasing feelings of stress and pain post-workout.

So whether you like to stretch, walk with a friend or go get a massage. Find something and make it apart of your routine.

Do Nothing (Just Sleep): Once you have successfully done the first three tasks. Get your butt home, have dinner, and get some quality sleep.

Sleep is the most underrated part of the recovery process.

Just like a cleaner coming into your office building to make sure everything is nice and tidy after you go home. Getting enough sleep is essential to give your body and the night workers time to make sure everything is working properly. If you don’t give your body time to recover and check-in overnight. There’s a good chance the office might run a little slower for the next few days.

The Next Steps

Joining the gym can be scary – trying to fumble your way through a workout without any structure or help can be even scarier.

We encourage you to practise designing your own workouts using our four step system to ensure you never feel lost in the gym again!

Keep up to Date

Keep up to date with our latest content, reviews and articles by subscribing.

Yes, please!

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

Built with ConvertKit

Should I join the gym or workout at home? It’s actually a pretty tough question – there are pros & cons of each – which can make it difficult to know what’s best!

If you need external motivation, have time & money to spend, want more equipment or hoping to level-up your training – join the gym. Whereas, if you’re self-motivated & disciplined, limited on time & money, are happy with limited equipment or are lacking self-confidence – workout at home.

We’ll be weighing up the pros and cons of working out at the gym and from home in greater detail, and how you can harness the power of both for long term fitness success.

Let’s dive right in.

Should I join the Gym or Workout at Home – Key Takeaways

⇒ The best workout is the one YOU can do consistently, whether from home or at the gym.

⇒ If you need external motivation, you may need to join a gym whereas if you’re self-disciplined and motivated, you may thrive from home.

⇒ Due to the internet, it has never been easier to workout from home. However, a gym allows you access to trustworthy coaches who can call out BS and outline what is worthwhile listening to online, helping you save time and effort.

⇒ Joining the gym can be intimidating at first. Working out at home is an excellent way to build confidence, coordination, and understanding in a convenient and comfortable environment, reducing feelings of stress and intimidation.

⇒ Working out from home is, for the most part, free, which is important to many people. However, joining a gym and investing money in your health is one of the most important things you can buy.

⇒ You can certainly still see results from home without equipment, however, the variety and breadth of equipment and coaching at a gym will enable you to take your training to the next level.

⇒ Follow our 5-step plan to utilise the power of both home workouts and the gym.

Consistency is Key

What is the best way to workout? Should I join the gym? Can I afford it? Can I get the same benefits from home?

These are all questions you may be asking yourself!

Perhaps you are trying to look our best this summer, fit into that dress, or simply just trying to get the doctor off your back. At the end of the day, there is no perfect formula and many people overcomplicate it. You just have to find out what works best for you, your personality and circumstances.

In reality, the best workout is the one YOU can do consistently, whether that’s from home or at the gym. We hope this article can help get you thinking about which option is best for you.

Motivation

Motivation dictates everything we do… Am I hungry enough to go to the walk to the fridge? Do I want that promotion enough to work double shifts? Do I need to make that bus so badly that I run instead of walk?

Exercise is no different. Whether you are working out from home or joining a gym, you need to consider how you are motivated and what makes you tick.

Why the gym?

Joining a gym allows you to have access to a range of equipment, experienced trainers, and a community of people on the same journey as you. This environment is extremely motivating and most people find that once they’re at the gym, they have no choice but to put in a good session.

If you instead workout from home without having some sort of plan, accountability, or dedicated workout area in place, your home will continue to feel like…your home. The place where you love to relax and rewind at the end of each working day, rather than the place you sweat and burn.

Many people struggle to find the motivation to workout from home and therefore thrive in a hands-on gym environment instead.

Why from home?

If you have little to no motivation to handle the inconvenience of traveling to the gym, working out at home might be for you. If you live far from the gym, are short on time, or hate the hassle of extra travel, you might find the gym experience demotivating. You might say, ‘by the time I travel to the gym and back, I could have done three workouts at home’.

If you are someone who can easily motivate yourself and don’t need a ‘working-out’ atmosphere to make you tick, working out from home may be for you! Just be sure to have a plan in place and we also highly recommend a dedicated workout area to get in the zone of hard work.

Information

One of the most difficult parts of starting your health and fitness journey is knowing what to do and how to do it. After all, you don’t know what you don’t know.

Why the gym?

Investing in a high-quality gym membership will give you invaluable information that is extremely difficult to learn online. It takes months, if not years to even begin scratching the surface of all there is to know about fitness.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you have to know everything to perform a high-quality workout… however…

…an experienced coach can take one quick look at you performing a squat and know exactly where you’re tight, weak or strong. They can analyze how you move in seconds, and provide critical feedback you may have never ever discovered. They can learn about you and what makes you tick, providing motivation that gets the most out of you.

Of course, you can certainly find coaches online that can use platforms such as zoom to coach you, however, being coached in person certainly makes this process easier. We highly recommend group fitness gyms such as Hurt Locker and Barbell Samurai, as these gyms have high-quality coaches who are extremely generous in sharing information and expertise.

These coaches must have certificates and degrees to be able to train you, whereas anyone online can write a program. It can be difficult to decipher through the many different online resources and opinions and know what’s right and wrong. A coach whom you trust can tell you what BS and what is worthwhile listening to online, helping you save time and effort.

Why from home?

In this day and age, information at our fingertips makes working out from home the easiest it’s ever been. It doesn’t take too much time or effort to find a workout or video to follow online. In previous years, we would have had NO IDEA where to start!

You can have perfectly mapped out meal plans and exercise programs in a click. You have thousands upon thousands of free apps, videos and programs to choose from. In reality, this information is more than enough to get you to hit a vast array of fitness goals from home using your own body weight and everyday household items.

Confidence & Intimidation

For many, the idea of facing your fears and starting on your fitness journey can be extremely stressful and anxiety-inducing. You may feel paralyzed into doing nothing at all.

When we are just starting out in our fitness journey, we may feel like baby animals preparing to be released back into the wild. We may feel timid, anxious and the smallest of knocks or bumps to our confidence can derail the entire adventure.

So where should you start to make the transition as smooth as possible?

Why from home?

Working out at home is an excellent way to build confidence, coordination, and understanding in a convenient and comfortable environment, reducing feelings of stress and intimidation.

As we mentioned earlier, there is so much information on the internet to help get you started. You can practice the movements in your own home without worrying about social pressures.

Going to the gym for the first time can certainly feel intimidating if you’re not in the right headspace. In our experience, we’ve observed many people worrying about their appearance, standing out, looking foolish or inexperienced among other things. In reality, these are only perceptions not reality, but to someone whose confidence is down, it’s a very real feeling.

Get started from home and kick some serious goals first before taking your training to the next level joining a gym.

Why the gym?

As soon as you’ve built up some confidence, joining a gym is a fantastic way to take your training to the next level, however, if you’re lacking in confidence, we suggest starting off from home.

Cost

The one we were all thinking of……MONEY!

What everyone wants to know before they do anything – what is it going to cost me?

Why from home?

This is one of the best parts of working out from home – it is completely FREE. You won’t have to worry about committing to ongoing payments or contracts.

A common mistake people make is thinking that they have to look the part or have the gear before they start. They go out and buy the latest clothes and equipment before doing any workouts.

You probably know someone who went out and bought a thousand dollar treadmill that they swore they were going to use religiously. But all it seems to do is take up space in the spare room.

In reality, you really don’t have to invest any money into a home gym before investing some time into your fitness. Just get started doing something and invest little bits along the way as you prove to yourself you can be consistent.

Why the gym?

Although the gym does take money out of your pocket, investing in your health is one of the most important things you can do. Many new gym-goers find that this financial investment is an effective form of accountability, which you won’t get working out from home. It keeps you on track and you feel like you have a responsibility to make the most of your membership and your investment.

A gym membership ranges between $10 a week for general access to $100 a week for unlimited classes. If you’re tempted to believe that this is a little pricey, consider the following:

Let’s break it down.

• $15 a week: 3 large coffees on the way to work OR a general access at a chain gym membership
• $20 – $30: Takeaway on a Friday night OR 24/7 access at a private gym.
• $75-$100 per week: Dinner and a few drinks on the weekend OR Unlimited classes.

These are all small things that we perceive as NEEDS not WANTS.

In reality, there is  always an option that can fit your budget, you just have to decide what is more important.

How highly do you value your health? Will the financial commitment to a gym membership be the form of accountability and motivation you need to really see some life changes?

Results

Why from home?

We often get asked – will I still see results from home?

Hell Yes!

If you are just getting into exercise again, after weeks, months, or even years on the sidelines, a small increase can make an enormous difference. We’ve seen countless clients achieve a variety of goals, including weight loss, muscle growth, increased strength, and fat loss using tools such as bodyweight strength training, HIIT and cardio.

Remember that ONE is infinitely bigger than ZERO. With the right motivation and determination, you can launch yourself towards your goals without investing thousands of dollars in equipment or membership fees.

Why the gym?

The more experienced you become the more creative you will need to become to keep progressing and avoid a plateau in adaptation. The benefit of joining a gym is that you have access to a range of equipment, training methods, and coaches that will increase the challenge, variety, and progression to your sessions to keep your body on it’s toes.

Exercising from home is a great way to start your exercise journey, and gain that initial boost in strength, knowledge and coordination. But at the end of the day, there’s only so far you can get from home without purchasing some equipment or getting a gym membership. This will help you move forward beyond your initial goals.

So what should I do? The next steps

Joining the gym and working out at home are both great tools to achieving your health and fitness goals.

You should use them both to fit your lifestyle. If you’re just starting out, we suggest following these steps:

Step 1 – Get Started from Home

Begin your exercise journey at home for 4-12 weeks. Build up your confidence, strength, and ability using online resources. In particular, we recommend prioritizing Functional Training Exercises to build your movement foundation.

Step 2 – Get Accountable and Committed

Find someone or something to keep you accountable, whether an online trainer, friend, or family member. At the very least, write down some goals or commitment to yourself.

Step 3 – Research Gyms near You

Use this time to research gyms in your area, trialing different types of gyms and structures to get a feel for the type of gym that suits your personality type and circumstances.

Step 4 – Join a Gym that’s the Right Fit

When you feel ready, join your favorite gym. Signing up for introductory classes/PT sessions to get an idea of how to use the equipment and a new program that you can complete at the gym.

Step 5 – The Next Level

Plan out the set days you are going to get to the gym and workout from home. Use these cohesively, incrementally checking in with a trainer to keep pushing towards your goals.

The Bottom Line

Like a horror movie, everything is a lot more scary when you don’t know what you are facing.

But with a little planning and someone to shine a light out on the things that are scaring you, everything begins to seem a lot less frightening.

If you enjoyed this blog or having any questions make sure you leave a Like and comment below.