The new year is here and with it comes the annual New Year's resolution. If you've viewed this article, you've probably also said to yourself that in the New Year it would be good to do something about the fat on your belly, shape up your figure a bit and not just sit at home in front of the TV.
But you just don't know how to start and you're afraid of being the laughing stock on your first visit to the gym. Am I right? Then the following article will be just for you.
What to take to the gym for the first time?
First of all, we should take a look at what to bring to the gym and what to avoid.
Almost every day we have someone at the gym who forgets to bring a towel. It should be one of the most important things for every gym-goer. Imagine how many sweaty bodybuilders have had to use the gym equipment before you. Not only for your own sake, but also out of consideration for others, always bring a towel to the gym.
Another essential item on your list is a water bottle. Drinking is actually very important in sports, although many athletes underestimate it.
The last essential piece of equipment for every beginnerof a beginning gym-goer is, of course, slippers and sportswear. If you reach for long pants, not only will you avoid the sneering looks at your little calves, but you'll also keep your joints warm, an important factor in preventing injury.
If you have a favorite and specific style of music you like to listen to while playing sports, be sure not to forget your headphones. We have published the best ones in our ranking of the best sports headphones for this year.
Does it make sense to warm up before training?
Pre-workout stretching is a very important thing, but one that most beginner exercisers neglect. It definitely doesn't hurt to do 5- 10 minutes of cardio right after you get to the gym to warm up your body. Then a dynamic warm-up should come next . In addition to protecting joints and muscles from injury, it also prepares the bodythe body for exercise, increases joint range of motion and improves strength and muscular endurance.
Stretching before training is very important, so do not underestimate it under any circumstances. Here's a sample of what it might look like:
What should your first gym workout look like?
The biggest stumbling block is how to start working out in the gym. "I'm going to try this machine, then that one, and then I'm going to do that bench. I don't know how this machine works, but I'd give it a go, it looks easy." It races through the mind of anyone who is in a gym for the first time. And not to be, being at the gym for the first time is like being in a candy store full of unfamiliar candies. It makes sense that you don't know where to jump first, what to do, where to find what, or how to properly use the machines in the gym.
The most ideal thing to do is not to stress about it at all. For complete beginners, circuit training is best - pick 5-6 exercises you know and do them one by one. It's good to train the upper half of your body in one workout and the lower half in the other. You can use exercises with your own weight and the TRX suspension system. Do 3-5 sets of each exercise you choose and you'll see that you'll go home happy and pleasantly tired.
Finally, one more very important piece of advice - take advice from more experienced people. The people at the gym are very often nice and helpful people, so if they come to you and start giving you advice, it's no reason to feel embarrassed. They started out sometimes too, and if you take their advice to heart, you'll be able to move forward faster.
What happens after the workout?
After you've worked out properly, you 'll probably be sore all over. After the first day in the gym, muscle soreness is usually the worst.
TIP: How often should you exercise?
But this is a perfectly normal situation, because the body of a non-exercising person is not adapted to any load. Therefore, at the beginning of this long journey, a person makes the greatest progress. At the same time, it is good to be interested in how much protein to take, what are the best sources of carbohydrates, what the post-workout stretching should look like, and later also about different nutritional supplements. Vitamins, minerals, omega acids, but also protein preparations, for example, play a big role in building muscle mass.
We put the best nutritional supplements on the market in clear and easy-to-understand rankings for you . For example, if you don't know which protein to choose, the ranking of the best proteins will help you .
Many people don't stick to their New Year's resolutions and some even give up after their first visit to the gym. But persistence is the key to success, so remember that if you stick to your resolution, you will definitely achieveyou will achieve your goals and you won't have to keep pushing them forward and putting them off for another New Year's resolution.
We at MyFitnessio will try to help you with a regular stream of articles designed for beginners whether it be in the area of training, diet or supplementation. So continue to follow us and educate yourself with us!
Why can you trust us?
Hey! Hey! I'm Mirek and I've been working at World Fitness almost since the beginning, except for a small break. But before that I lived only in the gym for a few years, doing deadlifts and power triathlon, going to competitions and winning a few medals.
Probably the one I value the most is the national record in the WUAP federation. But besides working out, I was also interested in food and supplements, I liked to enjoy my free timeI used to read different researches and professional books in my free time to know as much as possible.