Basic Health Gym

If you’re a first-time gym-goers you may be somewhat hesitant to start working out with a new fitness regimen or equipment. Don’t worry. There are plenty of people just like you stepping into the gym and hoping to improve their overall health. If you aren’t sure where to start of what to do next here are some tips and tricks for getting the gym and sticking with it.

Stick to a Routine
Any experienced fitness professional will tell you that the most important thing about staying consistent is to create a routine that is easy to follow. For instance, if you like to work out in the morning, make it part of your routine to get up and to the gym first thing every day to create that habit. Once you’ve created that habit of getting to the gym in the morning you will start to notice that it gets easier and easier to stick to your health and fitness goals because you’ve created a habit.

Sticking with a routine can make the difference between losing weight, building muscle, and having the body of your dreams. A professional will also tell you how difficult it can be to stick with an exercise program in the beginning. So don’t lose focus when it comes to creating that routine. It will take at least 4-6 weeks for your body to adjust to the change.

In order to stick to your fitness goals make sure to find a routine that works best for you. There are many options for first-time gym-goers, ranging from home workouts to gyms that can provide equipment and personalized care. Also, investing in good gym clothing like mens gym joggers and tank tops can really help. One of the best gym wear brands that offer all types of gym clothing is Ryderwear. They offer vests, hoodies, track pants, and more. I find that they offer a great variety of stylish items and recommend them!



You can also benefit from learning the basics of cardiovascular exercises and proper diet. After the basics are learned, the second step in sticking with a routine is learning how to incorporate these basic techniques into your workout.

Get Your Friends Involved
A gym or fitness center has many options to keep a first-time Gym Goer motivated and on track. You can choose to work out alone or in a group. Just make sure that you are going at a pace that works for you. If you have friends that are at your same fitness level make a time to go together to help keep each other motivated and on track.

Friends and Family can be the biggest help with keeping you on track. It is proven statistically that you are more likely to stick to your health and fitness plans if you are accountable to someone, and working out with friends or family can help you to stay accountable.

Have a Plan
When starting a new exercise program, the first thing you should do is decide on the goals you want to reach. If your goal is to lose weight, make measurable goals to help you reach your desired weight goal. Or if you are trying to run a 5k then building a workout plan to help you reach your goals. Then research the different options available to you. You should also consider what budget you have to work in and if you are wanting to hire a personal trainer.

Learn How to Use equipment
Take some time and research how to use the basic gym equipment. Don’t let the gym bros scare you off from using free weights or lifting, but do make sure that you understand how to properly use the equipment. If your gym offers any personal training sessions take advantage and have them teach you how to lift properly. You will thank yourself and feel like a pro in the gym in no time.

Learn About Supplements
While it isn’t necessary to take any supplements in order to improve your health if you are wanting to see results faster or wanting to perform better in the gym there are many pre-workouts and protein powders that can help improve your gym performance. You can also order many of these online. You can even get high-quality supplements at discounted prices if you know where to look. For example, Supplement Source has great discounted prices for supplements in Canada. If you are unsure of what kinds to try you can even get samples of them as well.

Don’t Give Up
You can do this! If you are afraid of starting your health and fitness journey, don’t be. So many people have started out right where you are, there is no need to worry. And I promise everyone is rooting for you.

Many organizations have started asking their employees to return to work onsite after they had been working remotely during the last year and a half due to the pandemic. While very few companies have transitioned to a full-remote work model, most of the companies are expecting employees to return onsite either to the pre-pandemic work schedule or to a more flexible hybrid-work model where employees can work onsite anywhere between 1-3 days per week.

Even though the exact expectation can vary by company depending on their corporate culture, this shift towards a more flexible work schedule is becoming one of the primary drivers behind the changing landscape of corporate fitness and health coaching.

To be more specific, this transition has changed the use of lunch hours and/ or specific hours during the workday that employees traditionally allocated to working out at the corporate fitness center towards meetings and other work-related expectations.

In other words, many employees with a flexible work schedule now have fewer days in the office which means that the time traditionally allocated towards fitness needs is now being allocated to more on-site meetings and other in-person work priorities resulting in the de-prioritization of their fitness goals.

Regardless of how often an employee must come into the office, the shift in returning back to the worksite while adjusting to a new routine can make it more challenging to keep fitness goals at the top of their mind. However, the good news is that this does not have to be the case: new habits can start any time and thankfully there are attainable ways to prioritize fitness goals even with this transition.

1. Start with one small attainable step – Start the day before you go to work with one action that feels attainable. A few examples of a small attainable step might include walking, stretching, or performing core and strengthening exercises at home for 10-15 minutes before leaving for the office. Since starting is often the hardest thing, once you start you might feel even more motivated to exercise for a longer time-frame.

2. Split up your workout – If a long duration of workout while in the office is no longer possible due to meetings and other work priorities, then consider splitting up your workout into two to three individual segments of 15-20 minutes each. For example, consider splitting up your workout plan comprising strength training, core workout, and low-impact cardio into 3 separate sessions of those individual components, so that you can still find time for it despite your busy work schedule.

3. Connect to your WHY – It is a well-established fact that one feels more motivated to pursue a new goal or behavior-change when one has established a connection to the deeper purpose or intent behind it. For example, when individuals feel connected to their why, or the rationale, behind doing a specific behavior, they are motivated and likely to work towards their goal diligently. As work gets busy, or if there is a change in work schedule, it is often easy to lose sight of the fitness goal.

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Being consistent with your workouts and being a regular at the gym may be one of your resolutions in the new year. But gym sessions need to be accompanied with a healthy and balanced diet to achieve the desired results. The American College of Sports Medicine says, “Adequate food and fluid should be consumed before, during and after exercise to help maintain blood glucose concentration during exercise, maximise exercise performance, and improve recovery time. Athletes should be well hydrated before exercise and drink enough fluid during and after exercise to balance fluid losses.”

Macros or macronutrients are carbohydrates, protein and fats. Carbs act as the body’s primary fuel source, while protein keeps the blood sugar level in check for longer periods of time. Fat acts as a fuel source that helps with satiety and give an enjoyable eating experience.

We hate sounding like your mother. But there’s a reason we always repeat training tips and rules, like wrapping your hands—including your thumb!—around the bench press bar, or making sure your feet are pointing straight ahead.

Actually, there are a few reasons. Safety is one. But as with most fitness rules, doing things the right way pays dividends in the short term (less chance of injury) and the long term (improved muscle growth). Pay close attention to the rules and training tips below, and you can avoid making critical mistakes in the gym.

1. Avoid the Su***de Grip
The “su***de grip,” sometimes called a false grip, involves doing bar work—bench pressing or pullups, for example—without your thumbs wrapped around the barbell (see image above). Avoiding this grip is easy to justify: If the barbell slips when you’re pressing, that barbell will crush your face, neck, or ribs.

But it’s not only about safety. The su***de grip is also a weaker grip compared to having your hands wrapped around the bar. To set a new personal record and really add pounds to your bench press, squeeze the bar as hard as possible. It’ll help you stabilize the movement as well as engage other muscles.

2. Point Your Feet Ahead
The only time you should have your feet slightly turned out is when you’re squatting. For everything else, keep your feet pointed straight ahead. Turning your feet in the wrong direction will not only create a lot of stress on your knees and hips, but also reduce your strength.

3. Use Weight Collars
Have you ever seen somone exercise without weight collars, only to have the plates slide around and almost fall off?

Regardless of the weight, it should be instinctive to attach weight collars when using barbells. Having weight collars on a barbaell can help improve your balance and the feel of the exercise—good luck trying to set a PR when your 45-pound plates are wobbling all over the place.

There is, however, an exception to this rule: Leave the collars off when you’re bench pressing. If you get stuck at the bottom of the move, you can safely slide the plates off the bar and get out from underneath it.