I'm squishy

December 16, 2007 9:51 AM

I've never set foot in a gym or done any kind of non-phys-ed exercise... so how do I take advantage of my school's free gym?

I am horribly, horribly out of shape, and I don't think there's a time in my life when I was ever IN shape. I never played sports as a kid, and the most taxing activity I've done in the last few years has been walking uphill. I'm not overweight at all- I'm 5'6", 130 pounds, female- but I get tired doing even mildly difficult physical activities. I know I need to do something about this, and the most obvious choice seems to be to start going to the gym. I mean, it's free, for god's sake, and next semester I'll have plenty of free time to go work out. I'd really love to start going to the gym regularly, but I have absolutely no idea what to do when I get there.

I know you change in the locker room, warm up, and then go use a machine. That's it. I don't know what warmups to do or how to do them, I don't know what kind of machines to use or how to use them, I don't know how long or how hard I should work to get a health benefit without hurting myself. I am utterly clueless.

I've tried to make plans to go with other people who could show me what to do, but things keep coming up to prevent that, and I think the only way I can really make myself get started is to go by myself... but what do I actually do?

posted by showbiz_liz to health & fitness (15 comments total)

Krista's page on weight training for women has a friendly bit on how to get started. You might find it helpful.
posted by Comrade_robot at 9:55 AM on December 16, 2007

Do they have a service set up that allows an evaluation with a personal trainer?
posted by sugarfish at 10:00 AM on December 16, 2007

Join a class, if you are a student they are probably free or cost very little. Spinning, aerobics, weight lifting, whatever. You will find that having a class to go to will make you actually go to the gym much more often and not get bored. It is also a great way to learn the equipment!

You should also join some kind of sports team, intramural, ultimate frisbee, whatever. Seeing how much the time in the gym actually helps your game is a great motivator and reason to keep it up!
posted by outsider at 10:02 AM on December 16, 2007

Your university has a fitness orientation program, use it. I'll MeMail you the URL.

You can really hurt yourself if you do a conditioning program badly, so I'd strongly advise getting some free advice from the facility staff first. They might have leaflets too.
posted by grouse at 10:02 AM on December 16, 2007

I vote for a personal trainer to get you started, show you the machines, point you in the right direction. But since you said the "free" aspect of the gym is what's attractive...

Start slooowww. It's very easy to overdo it when you are not in shape and not realize it until the next day. If this happens you will decide you hate exercise and that it's not worth the trouble. For the first 3 weeks, you should barely break a sweat and you should stay away from weights altogether. Maybe 20-30 minutes 3 days a week is good level to start at.

FWIW, I went through a period in my early 20s where I drank a lot, ate a lot of junk food, smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. I was a real chick magnet. I decided to join a gym 6 months before my wedding and it took maybe a year or so, but you really do get to a point where the exercise feels really, really good and keeps you sane. It's a *great* habit to get into, so good luck!
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 10:12 AM on December 16, 2007

You could hire a personal trainer, even if it's only for one or two sessions.

You could find a physical education student who would be willing to trade tutoring in his/her area of expertise (fitness) for something you can offer (tutoring in your major, a home-cooked dinner, whatever...)
posted by SuperSquirrel at 10:15 AM on December 16, 2007

Wanting to get to shape is equal parts exercise and nutrition.

For a quick read on both parts would be Body for Life. It is a bit simplified, but gives sold advice on what to do at the gym and what to eat when you are not there. It sells used for 44 cents.

And congratulations on deciding to do this for yourself. It is a very smart investment.
posted by munchingzombie at 10:21 AM on December 16, 2007

Awesome! Good luck! Post back in a few weeks with your progress!

One good tip is to try to find a workout buddy to help keep you motivated and to trade ideas with. Also, get a new datebook to use as a training log and write in it every single day (even if it is a rest day).

And don't be intimidated by the machines - some of the best exercises are done without the fancy machines, using instead simple barbells or even body weight resistance. The book Starting Strength is a great introduction to strength training that explains the most important exercises, with a focus on technique, safety, and maximizing your time in the gym.
posted by tiburon at 10:55 AM on December 16, 2007

you are me a few years ago. basically, to get yourself into a good, solid shape you need cardio and core fitness training.

cardio will make sure you don't get winded easily and keeps your metabolism working quickly. it'll suck at first, because your heart and lungs aren't used to it, but it gets easier. you have to keep doing it for it to keep up; cardio training seems to "go away" faster than strength training.

core fitness is pretty much what it sounds like -- a strength training program that develops functional fitness. a lot of people equate it with abdominal work from hell, but that's not entirely true for everyone -- my program right now is concentrating on balance.

since you have no physical education training, you should really talk to a professional and have them show you what to do. couple of sessions should get you started in the right direction. your form during exercise is just as important as the motion, and it's hard to know if you're right without being told by someone who knows the ropes. you could also pull something really easily, and that's always a pile of fun.
posted by patricking at 11:36 AM on December 16, 2007

A class is a good idea for getting started. In addition to showing you what you should do, a class might help you feel less self-conscious about the gym "experience". Really, once you get rolling with doing workouts on a regular basis, you'll be surprised how easy it is too keep going.
posted by SPrintF at 12:34 PM on December 16, 2007

Start slooowww.

I agree with that. Also, ignore what other people in the gym are doing. At some point, you will be able to do those things, too, but not right now.

I agree about starting out with 30 minutes of cardio, three times a week. That's thirty minutes total: you should do a five minute warm-up, work out for twenty minutes, and then a five minute cool-down. To warm-up, start at a super, super slow pace and then gradually increase your speed or resistance until you get to the point where you want to stay for the next twenty minutes. To cool down, do the same thing in reverse.

One way to decide what to do at the beginning is to go by your heart rate. Figure out what your target heart rate is and adjust the resistance and/or speed on your cardio machine so that you stay there. A lot of machines have a feature that measures your heart rate and adjusts the speed/ resistance for you, or you can do it on your own. You can either buy a heart rate monitor, which is probably excessive at this point, or you can just take your pulse periodically. You can also go by how easy it is for you to talk. Right now, you want to exercise at a pace where you could easily hold a conversation with another person. If you find yourself getting so breathless that you'd have trouble talking, lower the resistance on your machine or go slower.

It's fine, at this point, to get on an exercise bike or elliptical machine and go for twenty minutes at zero resistance. If that gets your heart to the target rate, that's great.

People are going to mock this suggestion, but I'll make it anyway. For basic weight workouts, check out self.com . That's Self magazine, which is kind of cheesy in that women's magazine way, but they have lots of resources for women who want to start using weights but are intimidated. For instance, you they have videos of their workouts, so you can see someone do the exercises, and you can download an MP3 that talks you through each routine. If you go here and sign up for the "tone up all over" goal, it will probably give you a decent weight routine. Just ignore all the crap about "that sleek, sexy look" and not getting unfeminine muscles in places you don't want them. And seriously, start with one or two-pound weights. You'll get stronger really quickly, but you don't want to injure yourself when you're just starting out.
posted by craichead at 12:48 PM on December 16, 2007

Also, ignore what other people in the gym are doing. At some point, you will be able to do those things, too, but not right now.

Always ignore what other people are doing. Other people do some stupid shit.
posted by grouse at 1:09 PM on December 16, 2007 [2 favorites]

I just wanna add this -- at first you might think, "Whoa, this is gonna be really intimidating," but it's totally not. Grab one of the student fitness instructors -- have him/her teach you a bunch of stuff and set up a basic fitness routine, so you have an actual idea of what to do, going in there day after day. At first it sucks, but then it gets easier... you'll see. Have fun!
posted by ph00dz at 2:46 PM on December 16, 2007

second ignoring others. there's a woman at my gym who uses the assisted pullup machine completely backward and will not listen to any trainer who tells her she's messing up. yet somehow she's more than willing to offer her own tips to everyone around her.
posted by patricking at 2:51 PM on December 16, 2007

Don't do this just because it's free. As others have said, you need guidance from a trainer and that's costs, but is totally worth it. Even if it's only one or two times to show you a few things, it would help a lot.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:47 PM on December 16, 2007