Overcoming Fear Of The Weight Room

Are you afraid of the weight room? 

Not sure of how to use the equipment, perform that exercise, or feel like everyone is starring?

Here are some helpful hints and my thoughts about all that!

Reason #1- I don't know how to use the equipment

Well if you've never used it of course you don't!  Everyone who knows their way around a weight room was taught at some point how to use free weights and machines.

 

SOLUTION-
Hire a trainer or someone you trust to teach you.  Most gyms or trainers want you to sign a package deal, usually a year commitment, and that's a lot if you just want a tutorial. Be honest with the staff, tell them your intentions and desires, usually they will work with you. Some gyms will have a baseline package, for instance 10 PT sessions at a minimum. Perfect!!  At each of those session you get your butt kicked and go into that workout anxious to learn your way around the gym. Once those sessions are complete and you realize you've forgotten something chances are your trainer or the training staff will be happy to show you one more time.

* and yes training can be expensive! It will be an investment that more than pays for itself.  Either you want to learn at all costs or you don't. 

If you have a general idea what your doing but a question about one particular machine, ask someone!!  Ask a trainer, ask another lady, ASK A DUDE! Seriously MOST people at the gym really are happy people, hello they have endorphins.  I find that if you approach someone with a question and eye contact they will smile and be pleasant just the same.

When all else fails and you leave the gym frustrated you couldn't figure out that machine, YouTube it.  The content may not be legit but you should be able to tell if someone knows what their doing, enough to give you a general idea and try it for yourself. 

REASON #2

I think I look silly, I'm doing it wrong, people are staring

 

SOLUTION- 

At what point do we stop worrying about what others think and train for our self. If you let that fear keep you from trying your missing the whole point. If your afraid your doing it wrong refer to solution #1. Having someone teach and support you would make you feel much more comfortable and set you up to train on your own without feeling silly. 

Here's another golden nugget for you........a lot of people including those guys that intimidate you ARE DOING IT WRONG!  Really they are.  How many times have I seen a "buff dude" with skinny legs because he just trains upper body. What a shame....be better than that and show them how to squat, like a girl! Everyone has seen the guy doing the bicep curls using his entire body to move the weight, that's not right either but hey at least he's trying I guess. 

If people stare, let them stare. Put your headphones in, crank up those pump up tunes, and get to your workout. I rarely even make eye contact (which is why you might think everyone at the gym is rude) with people to know if they are looking or not.
 

REASON #3

I don't know what to do 

SOLUTION 

Make a plan!!  When you grocery shop it is more than likely that you have a list. When I make my list I write the things I need down in the order in which the store is laid out, keeps me from wasting time going back and forth.
Once you've familiarized yourself with the equipment, machines and free weights you can write your training for each day keeping yourself busy in each part of the gym until it's time to move on. For instance if I'm in the squat rack I will do my squats and then maybe a reverse lunge and kettelbell swings in that space.  Once I'm done with my squats I un-rack my weight and move on. 

* if you need a plan Busy Mom Gets Fit has several already made for you with pictures of the equipment and starting and stopping for each movement. 

* I would also suggest a training journal to keep all your workouts in one place. 

REASON #4

The men hog the machines

SOLUTION

Now that you have your plan in your training journal and you see someone (most likely a man) using what you need just get his attention and nicely ask 

Hey can I work in with you or how many sets do you have left?

If anything he will at least be aware that you are waiting your turn  (which we all have to do). Or think about the machine you were going to use and what muscle group that would work  it's likely that there is another machine or movement with free weights that you can do instead of waiting. If you wanted to do straight bar lat Pull downs and you didn't want to wait use the cable machine with two handles and do your Pull downs independently from each other.  

I promise I am not making light of your fears, frustrations, or annoyances of the weight room. We all have them and some will never go away. The biggest thing is for you to understand we all started somewhere. If you never start it will never happen. At some point you have to buck up and dive in.
As Always,
Love, Sweat, Grit,
Christie FitNix