New to the gym

[JOldcastle]

Ten years ago (pre-kids) I was fitter and healthier than I am now. I used to run/cycle more and generally was a bit less rotund... I'm going to join a gym and give it a whirl - there's a recently opened Pure gym a 2 minute walk from my house which makes it easy. Question is - where do I start? I'm just after being "in shape" rather than anything too ambitious. Problem is, I'll walk into a gym full of kit and not know where to begin...

Is there some sort of online guide or plan that anyone could point me towards?

Cheers!

[numtumfutunch]

Having just done similar at my local PG Im probably qualified to answer

Similar background, had always been fit and active with running and cycling but for various boring reasons fell into a vicious circle of sloth and beer

What you need to appreciate is that Pure Gym is peanuts cheap compared to the big names and naturally offers a less bespoke service

You get an induction with one of the staff - whos probably also a personal trainer available to book for extra cash at a later date - and they show you around the entry procedure, changing rooms and give a basic run around the kit and ask what you want from it

My needs are cardio and a bit of toning so he suggested treadmill to warm up, elliptical and the rowing machine. I plan to get back on my bike so didnt bother with this as part of my gym program.

Toning wise he advised basic core exercises and gave me a decent overview of which weight machines would be good

Overall I was very happy with the above and might pay for some PT sessions however all seems good so far

Their app actually has some decent stuff on it which Im looking at now Ive been going for 3-4 weeks and will also check out free weights soon. A good tip I got is that you can book onto an induction for free weights (or whatever its called) and if you do so on the day and see 4 slots available then youll probably get 1:1 with a PT

Overall Im happy, and if I decide its not for me its quick and easy to cancel

Good luck

[rallye101]

In all seriousness, dont have an affair and loose everything....

[Haltamer]

In my experience, I found that cutting down / improving the quality of nutritional intake, and just getting in every day or two for an hour of weights in a classic "Bro split" was enough - Push, Pull, Leg - Didn't bother with a great deal of cardio as I find it incredibly boring.

Had the desired trimming & toning effects - I too need to get back to it


(By no means a proper schedule, but a quick proposal based on reccomendations from a PT Friend)
Warm up with some push ups & pull ups

Incline bench, shoulder press, Pec fly, Front raise / lateral raise / delt fly free weight superset, pushdowns

Cable row, pushdowns, bicep curls, hammer curl till failure and decrease weight till failure & repeat until 4kg is like curling a wheel

Leg day? Just usually a tour of the available leg machines, I always find free squats a bit uncomfortable on my knees (And used to be quite heavy so fortunately have a reasonable amount of leg)

[dalzo]

I’ve not been in ages but my gym (a council gym) would make you up a training program if you asked. A small bit of paper with everything on it and one of the staff would take you round for 15 mins showing how to do each exercise.

If they stopped doing this you could use a pt for a week or two and get a program tailored exactly how you want it.

[Alickadoo]

numtumfutunch said:

Having just done similar at my local PG Im probably qualified to answer

Similar background, had always been fit and active with running and cycling but for various boring reasons fell into a vicious circle of sloth and beer

What you need to appreciate is that Pure Gym is peanuts cheap compared to the big names and naturally offers a less bespoke service

You get an induction with one of the staff - whos probably also a personal trainer available to book for extra cash at a later date - and they show you around the entry procedure, changing rooms and give a basic run around the kit and ask what you want from it

My needs are cardio and a bit of toning so he suggested treadmill to warm up, elliptical and the rowing machine. I plan to get back on my bike so didnt bother with this as part of my gym program.

Toning wise he advised basic core exercises and gave me a decent overview of which weight machines would be good

Overall I was very happy with the above and might pay for some PT sessions however all seems good so far

Their app actually has some decent stuff on it which Im looking at now Ive been going for 3-4 weeks and will also check out free weights soon. A good tip I got is that you can book onto an induction for free weights (or whatever its called) and if you do so on the day and see 4 slots available then youll probably get 1:1 with a PT

Overall Im happy, and if I decide its not for me its quick and easy to cancel

Good luck

Couldn't you go to your local park and do all that for nothing?

Walk/run for a period of time.
Do deep knee bends.
Press up on the ground/push ups on railings or such like.
Pull ups on a branch or in a doorway.
Run/walk back to cool down.

You might meet some nice people.

[egor110]

Maybe he actually wanted to go to the gym rather than a park .

[markymarkthree]

Alickadoo said:

Couldn't you go to your local park and do all that for nothing?

Walk/run for a period of time.
Do deep knee bends.
Press up on the ground/push ups on railings or such like.
Pull ups on a branch or in a doorway.
Run/walk back to cool down.

You might meet some nice people.

Sorry i wouldn't fancy that in the wet, cold that the UK throws us.
I will stick with my £14.99 a month gym membership where i/we have met "some nice people".

OP, check out push, pull & legs, works well.

[Alickadoo]

markymarkthree said:

Sorry i wouldn't fancy that in the wet, cold that the UK throws us.
I will stick with my £14.99 a month gym membership

Do your gym do a non member usage scheme? You know pay £10 to use stuff?

You could go in the gym when it's cold and wet, otherwise exercise in the park? No?

[numtumfutunch]

Alickadoo said:

Couldn't you go to your local park and do all that for nothing?

Walk/run for a period of time.
Do deep knee bends.
Press up on the ground/push ups on railings or such like.
Pull ups on a branch or in a doorway.
Run/walk back to cool down.

You might meet some nice people.

Wotevs

[Douglas Quaid]

Do something like stronglifts to start. Google it, there is an app. It’s simple and basic but will work. I’d supplement it with pull-ups and dips.

[markymarkthree]

Alickadoo said:

markymarkthree said:

Sorry i wouldn't fancy that in the wet, cold that the UK throws us.
I will stick with my £14.99 a month gym membership

Do your gym do a non member usage scheme? You know pay £10 to use stuff?

You could go in the gym when it's cold and wet, otherwise exercise in the park? No?

Not that i am aware of.
Would that be £10 per session ?

[mcflurry]

markymarkthree said:

Alickadoo said:

markymarkthree said:

Sorry i wouldn't fancy that in the wet, cold that the UK throws us.
I will stick with my £14.99 a month gym membership

Do your gym do a non member usage scheme? You know pay £10 to use stuff?

You could go in the gym when it's cold and wet, otherwise exercise in the park? No?

Not that i am aware of.
Would that be £10 per session ?

if you have an O2 phone and Priority, it's currently offering a PureGym day pass for £1 once a week (Thursday)

[Tigerj]

Read this: https://thefitness.wiki/ it’s free.

Pick what you enjoy and what you can stick to. Consistency is more important than anything else.

[Wills2]

Alickadoo said:

markymarkthree said:

Sorry i wouldn't fancy that in the wet, cold that the UK throws us.
I will stick with my £14.99 a month gym membership

Do your gym do a non member usage scheme? You know pay £10 to use stuff?

You could go in the gym when it's cold and wet, otherwise exercise in the park? No?

You like parks don't you.

[airsafari87]

Alickadoo said:

Couldn't you go to your local park and do all that for nothing?

Walk/run for a period of time.
Do deep knee bends.
Press up on the ground/push ups on railings or such like.
Pull ups on a branch or in a doorway.
Run/walk back to cool down.

You might meet some nice people.

Purple Aki, is that you?

[romeogolf]

Douglas Quaid said:

Do something like stronglifts to start. Google it, there is an app. It’s simple and basic but will work. I’d supplement it with pull-ups and dips.

This would be my advice, too.

Pay for a few PT sessions to be taught the correct form in the main movements and then plan your own schedule of 3 workouts per week using the 5x5.

If you want to go more often the other session(s) can be cardio based and I'd just keep it simple like 30 minutes on a rower/elliptical/treadmill depending on your tastes and aim for "moving for 30 minutes" rather than a particular distance.

Once you've got to the point of being able to keep pace for the whole half hour (give it a few weeks, depending on your current fitness) you can work on improving your distance in that time, but build up slowly.

[Wills2]

I'd just ease yourself in, get a beginners program plenty good ones on YT or from the gym PT I'd start with an all body routine then move to a push/pull/legs then take it from there and see what you enjoy as you go along, many routines like Stronglifts are high tariff movements with risk like the deadlift, you might love those and want to do it but I'd start slow with low risk stuff and work from there.

[itcaptainslow]

If you can afford a PT, I’d definitely invest in one, at least initially. They’ll help write a program tailored to your needs/aspirations, show you how to exercise/lift effectively, efficiently and most importantly, safely, and create some positive habits and processes which you’re more likely to stick with than winging it yourself.

I speak from experience and can’t recommend it enough. A good coach is genuinely a game changer.

[BobToc]

romeogolf said:

Pay for a few PT sessions to be taught the correct form in the main movements.

I know you didn’t ask about a PT but I’d share this advice. I found it made a really big difference to me when I was shown how to do the movements properly. I find it quite easy to “cheat” on certain exercises by not having the right form and therefore not working the right muscles, or not getting the full range of motion (especially on squats and bench press). I see so many people in the gym doing largely pointless exercises where they use a lot of momentum to get heavy weights done etc - they’ve been coming to the gym for years and they could get so much more out of it with just a gentle nudge in the right direction.

I also quite like Aaron Martin’s instagram, but I think a lot of that is down to taste.